Southern Baptist Baptism Dies As The Vision Dissipates

Over and over, denominations that started as a vibrant moving force of the word of God at work in man, have slowly gone to sleep and died down into empty forms supported by endowments. It is just hard to imagine that the Southern Baptists are going in this direction. They are one of the few large denominations that still preach the full word of God.

Yet the Christian Post is saying that the denomination is in decline in baptisms.

If you have to tell the congregations to "go" and evangelize, then the battle is usually over. A denomination that has lost its "spark" is a sad dinosaur indeed. There may be plenty of talent, intelligence, and assets, but there is little heart left because one needs a reason to go out into the world and confront the status quo with the offence of the gospel of the cross, when you can stay safe at home and watch the Discovery channel.

A healthy church, with a full vision of what it is in this world for, naturally does evangelism, because it believes it has words of life and liberty. It wants to do for others like it was done for them. That is why the new members always make the best evangelists. But then it seems "another reality" begins to make its inroads. One of, "God is good, but.... " "God is good but I tried that and it didn't help me." "God is good but he works in mysterious ways. "

There are always elaborate intellectual and theological reasons for the lack of faith. But it is still simply a simple lack of faith and immediate relationship with God. It as if the relationship with God is replaced with a relationship with the "Church." "Come to the church and get saved." " Come to this church, its got perks. "

I pray that the Southern Baptists can revitalize their vision and faith. We need them to be healthy and full of faith. There is a war ahead.

You can read more about this here.