BL.com at CBF Assembly

[Rob Marus]

[Michael]

[Bruce Gourley]

[Norm]

Old constitutional language in regular font; new constitution in bold font.

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Article II. Purpose. The purpose of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (hereinafter, "the Fellowship")

Article II. Purpose. The purpose of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (hereinafter, "the Fellowship")

is to bring together Baptists

is to serve Christians and churches

who desire to call out God's gifts in each person in order that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be spread throughout the world in glad obedience to the Great Commission.

as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The Fellowship is committed to the preservation and propagation of individual and historic Baptist freedoms and distinctives,

The Fellowship shall fulfill its purpose in keeping with its commitments to the historic Baptist principles

including the priesthood of all believers, the acceptance of the authority of the Bible without the aid of creeds, the autonomy of each church, and the separation of church and state in the interests of religious liberty.

of soul freedom, Bible freedom, church freedom, and religious freedon;

to biblically-based global missions; to a resource model for serving churches; to justice and reconciliation; to lifelong learning and ministry; to trustworthiness; and to effectiveness.

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At first blush, the language makes for a better purpose statement than the former, especially with the incorporation of the last section. Second, to suggest CBF is not evangelistically minded is, well, a simple-minded notion that will garner no support from this or the earlier statement. Third, to quibble about Jesus being out (thus critics concerns of CBF not being evangelistic or serious believers in the message of scripture), apparently reflects a desire to embrace silliness over seriousness. Do not some Christians realize that God-given mission most assuredly presupposes Jesus (or that the name Christian is meaningless without said individual)? This debate seems like one of style over substance regarding the inclusion of Gospel of Jesus Christ, that is, the ones that truly belong to the ghetto are those that out-ghetto-speak the others. Remember, it is not reverent if the Thou is not present.

[Mark]

[Norm]

[Norm]

Purpose of CBF:

Article II. Purpose. The purpose of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (hereinafter, "the Fellowship") is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission. The Fellowship shall fulfill its purpose in keeping with its commitments to the historic Baptist principles of soul freedom, Bible freedom, church freedom, and religious freedon; to biblically-based global missions; to a resource model for serving churches; to justice and reconciliation; to lifelong learning and ministry; to trustworthiness; and to effectiveness.



Article II. Purpose: It is the purpose of the Convention to provide a general organization for Baptists in the United States and its territories for the promotion of Christian missions at home and abroad and any other objects such as Christian education, benevolent enterprises, and social services which it may deem proper and advisable for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.

R. Albert Mohler: "My central concern is what this means about the true nature of the CBF and its commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The nomenclature of a mission statement sets forth an organization's central convictions and commitments. How can any organization of churches redefine itself without evangelism without intending to send a message about a larger theological shift?”

Russell Moore: “This represents the eclipse of Christ in the moderate Baptist movement ... Sadly, this is what happens when a group seeks unity around what they do not believe," Moore said.

Norm: Can conservatives knee-jerk, too?

[jerryl]

[rickwright01]