Last week I had the opportunity to attend the SBC Annual Meeting in St. Louis. There were a few historical moments I was able to witness. Perhaps none more so than this speech by James Merritt:
I’m not sure if folks on the outside of the SBC really understand how huge this speech (and this vote) actually were. Before Merritt’s speech it seemed as if the convention was split. One person shared that the entire row in front of him was clapping at a prior comment decrying the removal of the Confederate flag. Then after Merritt’s speech they too were tepidly giving a standing ovation. The video above does not accurately capture what took place in that room.
Far from being a mere politically correct resolution, The Southern Baptist Convention stood unified in saying that even if some within our ranks don’t consider it a stumbling block we acknowledge that our African American brothers do. This is not some empty resolution. This was my beloved convention finally saying, “All the confederate flags in the world are not worth one soul of any race.”
We have finally realized that it doesn’t matter if people should be offended by a flag. We are finally listening to the many who are saying they are. And we have finally answered by saying, “Very well, then, if this is a stumbling block to you then let it burn to the ground”. I realize there is a slipper slope here. There are some things which must not be abandoned for the sake of offense. But a flag is not one of them.
I’m pleased with the growth we have seen within our denomination in the way of ethnic diversity. But I’m convinced we still have a long way to go. One thing I noticed this year is that while we had a handful of non-white people on the stage this year they seemed to play a similar role in every situation; namely, that of informant on how we can improve on race relations. I saw a couple of panels featuring H.B. Charles. So often what happens is that questions of race go to him. Questions about other issues go to someone else. (I would say that 9Marks at 9 was an exception to this).
What I would really like to see is our convention learning from these brothers in Christ on issues not related to race. And I’m happy to report that we will see just this at the SBC Pastor’s Conference in 2017 in Phoenix. This little group of merry men will work diligently to make certain the platform is multi-ethnic. We aren’t interested in quotas but in growing in this area. We believe that we have much to learn (and not just about race) from people of different ethnicities than our own.
I pray that we continue to see growth in this area for the sake of the kingdom of God. I pray that our churches increasingly look like the heavenly choir in Revelation with people from every tribe gathered around King Jesus.
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