Name Change? Amen?!

Back last October, Humor Me relayed one of the biggest issues facing The Southern Baptist Convention. Besides the one that has plagued the denomination for decades (Why do the Methodists and Presbyterians get to the restaurants before we do?).

The issue regards the name Southern Baptist and if it is a proper name to use anymore since in the minds of most Post Modern Northerners, the word “Southern” connotes eating possum barefoot in church while you are handling snakes in your Ku Klux Klan robes.

I can relate to the Southern Baptist name problem because I was raised in “The Restoration Movement”. This was a movement that started in the late 1700s’ to ‘restore’ the Church back to New Testament Christianity unlike what was going on in all of the other churches. By the time I came around, The Restoration Movement fell into three groups: The Disciples of Christ (their preachers wore robes and smoked cigarettes); The Church of Christ (no instruments allowed);The Christian Church/Church of Christ with Piano.

I grew up in the The Christian Church/Church of Christ with Piano. They held the belief that they were not a “denomination” because there was no centralized authority like a Bishop or a Pope. They believed that they were “Christians only-not the only Christians”. They also believed, and this is important, that church services should end at 12:00 to give you a fighting chance at the cafeteria.

The problem came in when you would talk about religion with others."What church do you go to?” “A Christian Church”. “I know that, what are you a Baptist Christian? Methodist Christian?” “I’m a Christian Christian”. This was helpful because I rarely would get into a heated discussion about religion because this would wear people out. One time, however, I was discussing my church with someone who called it, “Oh, one of those no name generic churches”.

You don’t have that problem with the Southern Baptist Convention. Most people have an idea what a Southern Baptist church is like, unfortunately for Southern Baptists. That is why Bryant Wright , the President of The Southern Baptist Convention appointed a task force to study a possible name charge. You know something is serious when someone appoints a committee.

Have you priced renaming a denomination? It turns out that it is real expensive primarily due to the lawyers Southern Baptists would have to hire to wade through the thicket of legal hassles. On top of that, there were some who liked the name Southern Baptist like Dr Joe Aguillard, President of my dear old other alma mater, Louisiana College. Dr. Aguillard said,"As a Southern Baptist with the heritage that goes back to great-grandparents who have fought, lived and shared their whole lives regarding Southern Baptist life and as we explicate our faith in Jesus Christ through our religion, I'm very saddened that it's even being discussed. The world knows us as Southern Baptists, and I can't in any way understand what's behind this discussion”.

The cost plus people that “can’t in any way understand” the name change discussion caused Wright’s task force came up with a compromise. The denomination would keep the Southern and allow individual churches to add/or just use “Great Commission Baptist” in areas in which the word “Southern” is a no-no.

I commend Wright and his crew for coming up with a workable compromise. Now, someone say a prayer and end this thing. I’m hungry.