My “Wait! What?” moment during the proceedings at the 2024 Southern Baptist Convention was the proposal that the Convention add up to three creeds to the Baptist Faith and Message (2000).
Wait! What? Baptists are not a creedal people. Why does anyone want to tack a creed or two or three to our statement of faith? Aren’t we the people who do NOT recite the Apostles’ Creed in worship? Or the longer Nicene Creed? Didn’t we leave that to the Methodists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians? And wasn’t that decision for good reason?
Yet, in Indianapolis, three separate motions would have endorsed these statements as part of our own statement of faith. Stephan Lorance, a pastor from North Carolina, along with another pastor and two seminary professors said two weeks before the convention they would bring the motion to encourage doctrinal clarity and promote unity. They called the BF&M underdeveloped in some areas, especially in relation to the Trinity.
(OK, I see that. In a sermon series on the BF&M, we added a message on the Trinity after the sermons on Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for that reason.)
But rather than broadening the Convention’s statement of faith, some of the creed-advocates said it could serve to limit future adjustments, based on appeal to the two-millenia history of the appended creeds. And some observers said the addendum could stop the further narrowing of our stated beliefs according to a particular theological stance within the denomination.
Already there are efforts to prevent a parliamentary sleight-of-hand like the motion concerning the BF&M last year redefining officers of the church as “pastor/elder/overseer” and “deacon” and stating explicitly the male-only pastor rule. While messengers debated the Law amendment to the SBC constitution again this year, most missed that the BF&M was amended last year with a single motion and a couple of minutes discussion. New rules recommended by the Cooperation study group will prevent such speedy action in the future.
“The Cooperation Group had a unanimous agreement that what transpired last year in editing our confession from the floor was a nightmare that should not be repeated, even under good auspices,” Southern Seminary professor (and Illinois native) Andrew Walker posted prior to the convention. He affirmed his appreciation for the Nicene Creed, but said, “It is wrong to insert the Nicene Creed at the eleventh hour” to prevent fiddling with the BF&M.
“Should a motion be [brought] forward to add the Creed, I think it is entirely appropriate to amend the motion to refer it to the Executive Committee to consider how to incorporate our adherence to the Apostle’s, Nicene, and Athanasian Creed in a manner that respects the integrity of the BF&M,” Walker said before the meeting.
And that’s what happened.
One related motion was ruled out of order and two were sent to the Executive Committee for their review and recommendation to the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting. Perhaps cooler heads and a slower process will prevail before we run headlong to embrace the historic creeds.
I was taught that Baptists are a non-creedal people, and that it’s a good thing. So, I remain reluctant to add historic creeds to our governing documents. Such a position is consistent with our stance on soul freedom, the priesthood of the believer, and reliance on Scripture alone as our standard of measure for the New Testament church. Maybe I’m a little naïve, but if a local church decides to recite one of the creeds as part of their worship, that’s their choice. But let’s leave it at that.
Eric Reed is IBSA media editor.