Thoughts on Baptist
Autonomy – Cory Matlock
Let me be clear in the very onset of this article. This is
merely an honest opinion. That is all it is. I am not writing this to argue or
to put anyone down. I am merely writing concerning a struggle that I have being
in the Baptist circle. I am a reformed guy. In fact, at Midwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary I was known by my friends as the Presby (for those who
don’t know that Presbyterian). Honestly, I kind of deserve that title from day
to day. I can take the insult day in and day out about being one of those
rotten “Calvinist.” That really doesn’t bother me at all. I have come to grips
with the animosity in the Baptist circle over the Doctrines of Grace a long
time ago. The one issue I’ve not yet come to grips with is probably the one
that pushes me the closest to being a Presby and that’s the issue of Autonomy.
To be real honest, I don’t think its Biblical! Not in the way that we practice
it today in the SBC. Now, before my many SBC brothers cast me out to the wolves
for saying that, please understand that this is something that I have studied
at great length and I’m not knocking the SBC for their stance on this. They
corporally agree that the local SBC Church is autonomous and that’s great. My
issue is not with the SBC. Instead my issue is that I don’t see the democratic
form of autonomy taught in Scripture. In fact, I remember joking with a class
mate one time that it would be easier for me to join the local Presbyterian
Church and baptize babies than it would be for me to stay in the SBC and fight
against this issue. The end result of the conversation between us was that
maybe we should just create a new denomination. We could call it the Presbapterianist
or something like that. All joking aside, for a brief moment I thought of the
many people I had challenged on this issue who had no response. I thought of
all those people who agreed with me on the issue but couldn’t go Presbyterian
because of the infant baptism issue and wondered how many of them would join
the movement. But then I looked on the internet at the vast numbers of
denominations have evolved since the time of the Protestant Reformation and
instantly wanted to cry. I didn’t want to be the cause of anymore division
within the Body of Christ. Instead I want to glorify God and unite His people
towards one another. I want to cause them to see their need to be united in the
Gospel and to set their tertiary issues on the backburner for the furtherance
of the Gospel. No, starting another denomination simply won’t solve or resolve
the issue. So how should I as an Elder, a Student of God’s Word, a man redeemed
by that precious and atoning work of Christ Jesus at Calvary approach this
issue with my fellow brothers? For one I am called to live peaceably among all
men (Romans 12:18) and that would most assuredly apply to those who are
redeemed. So, in one way I could keep my struggle internal and never really
speak of the issue amongst my brethren. But what should I do when I come to
those passages that show very clearly Paul’s authority over the Church’s which
he had already established Elders? What could I say to the congregation that
God has entrusted me to faithfully preach His word to when I see how Paul
addresses not the Elders which he appointed but the congregation? How could I
faithfully preach the Word of God and not address what I see as a very clear error
within the Church? How could I not speak about the rise of democracy in the
Church being caused by the rise of democracy in the culture? Honestly, to avoid
the issue altogether isn’t really an option for me. My conscience would eat me
alive for not staying faithful to the Word of God. What about addressing the
issue with my local Director of Missions? Maybe he would be willing to give a
gentle ear on the topic? Maybe that would ring true! Yet one DOM in this vast
Baptist circle really isn’t going to have the ability to do much besides get
annoyed with me. I know that I can’t remain silent with my friends in the
Baptist circle either. What am I to do with the thoughts I’m having about what
I believe to be a major error within the Baptist circle? I can do what I am
doing right now. I can warn against what happens when there is no authority to
keep that autonomous Church in check. Now I know many of my friends would argue
back with the point that there have been many cases where local Presbyteries
have been corrupted and in error. Okay, I get it. Nothing is perfect! We won’t
get the joy of seeing perfection until the day that the Lord of glory calls us
home! But that doesn’t give us an excuse to not strive towards being Biblical.
If we did a quick comparative study for the number of corrupt or erroneous
Presbyteries compared to the number of local Baptist Churches which have
blatant heresy being preached within their walls, what would our numbers be?
How would they compare? In just my short tenure in the ministry of 11 years, I
have been privy to many men who doctrinally had no need to be in the pulpit.
Men who make Steven Furtick look like an expositor. And now, my first Church out
of Seminary is one which for forty years was a victim to many abuses of
authority. Now that is not a knock against my congregation at all! I love them
to death and as anyone who has been here can and will attest, they are a
wonderful group of redeemed in Christ, lovers of the Word people. Yet there was
nobody there to see the atrocities done to them by their autonomous pastor who
almost led them into many great disasters. Nobody was around to remove this man
from his twisting of Scripture to motivate the people’s hearts to do what he
wanted them to do. I sit through counseling sessions with the wonderful people
in my congregation and am often forced to either grab us both a Kleenex or
fight back the tears as I listen to their stories. And every single time that I
hear these accounts, the very same thoughts roll through my mind. Where was the
local Presbytery which could have seen this issue and helped to resolve the
problem? Where were the men of God which have been placed in a position of
authority for the very purpose of protecting the hearts of Christ’ Bride? I
honestly wrestle with this! A congregation which for many years thrived. One
which exploded in growth during the period of time where Liberalism was rising
through the ranks of our Churches. A Church where people gave up their entire
lives quite literally to follow Jesus and do what they believed to be right.
Where was the oversight which had the authority to protect those hearts bought
with the precious blood of Christ? Maybe in reality what we as Baptist wrap in
the term autonomy is nothing more than a rejection of authority. An authority
given by God for the very protection and safe guarding of His Holy Word and His
redeemed people. Maybe that’s really the issue. We as a free western people have
fallen so in love with the idea of independence and that we are free moral
agents, that we have now introduced that very same ideology to the Bride of
Christ and how we “do” Church. To be honest, I don’t know what to expect from
writing this. I’m sure this will be more ammunition for my Baptist Brothers and
give them more reason to call me a Presbyterian, yet that’s okay with me. When
the Southern Baptist Convention was going liberal and supporting issues like
abortion, it was our Presbyterian brothers who called us to repentance. Maybe
this issue will be the same someday. Maybe our Presbyterian brothers will be
able to formulate an argument that raises the red flag in the minds of the
Baptist on the issue of Baptist Autonomy. Maybe there are enough of us Reformed
Baptist who wrestle with this issue that we can address the issue from the
inside. For the moment though, I will continue to be one of the many blessed by
God to be in a congregation trying to pick up the pieces of shattered hearts
that could have been stopped many years ago if it weren’t for autonomy. I am and
will continue to wrestle with the very real issue that impacted just one Church
out of millions. And in my time working through these issues, I will continue
wondering if autonomy as we practice it is really that Biblical? Or is it just
another failed experiment in the Church which has left countless of hearts
shattered and lives broken?
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