New Baptist Covenant
Encyclopedia
New Baptist Covenant is an association of Baptist
organizations formed to address poverty, the environment and global conflicts. Former United States Presidents Jimmy Carter
and Bill Clinton
proposed the establishment of a broadly inclusive alternative Baptist movement to counter the public image of Baptists as being predominantly tied to conservative political and cultural perspectives.
, January 30 through February 1, 2008. Mr. Carter said the meeting will be "one of the most historic events at least in the history of Baptists in this country, maybe Christianity
." Mr. Clinton told reporters that those who "did not have both the privilege and the burden to be raised in the Baptist church cannot possibly appreciate" how unique such cooperation is. "This is an attempt to bring people together and say, 'What would our Christian witness require of us in the 21st century?'" Clinton said.
"Our goal is to have a major demonstration of harmony and a common commitment to personify and to accomplish the goals that Jesus Christ expressed in his sermon to his own hometown of Nazareth," said former President Jimmy Carter.
Planners announce the theme of this historic gathering will be Unity in Christ. The Biblical basis for the meeting is cited as Jesus’ reading of scripture in the Synagogue as recorded in . In these verses, Jesus reads from Isaiah:
This call by Jesus to pursue both evangelism and ministry to “the least of these” is said to be the Biblical foundation for the New Baptist Covenant.
President Bill Underwood convened at The Carter Center in Atlanta a group of 18 Baptist leaders representing more than 20 million Baptists across North America. The leaders were said to be unanimous in their desire to transcend their differences–including such factors as race, culture, geography and convention affiliation–and seek common purpose.
The outcome of the meeting was a document called A North American Baptist Covenant and preliminary plans to hold a major gathering of Baptists from throughout North America in 2008.
The initiative stems from the adoption of the "North American Baptist Covenant" in which leaders reaffirmed their commitment to Baptist values including evangelism, helping the needy and promoting religious liberty. It will be the first time since 1845 that there has been a major effort to bring together Baptists from diverse racial, theological and regional backgrounds. Most US Baptists met in 1814 to form a missionary society known as the Triennial Convention. Southern Baptists broke away over the slavery
issue in 1845. Since then, Baptists have splintered even further, most recently due to the Conservative Resurgence/Fundamentalist Takeover
of the Southern Baptist Convention in the last two decades of the twentieth century. Many object to the use of the word "takeover", since the Southern Baptist Convention is historically a conservative denomination as found in 'The Baptist Faith and Message', among other sources and reasons.
The 80 representatives at this meeting are leaders of 30 Baptist organizations in the United States
, Canada
and Mexico
. This meeting was termed by one of the organizers "a historic demonstration of Baptist unity" by deciding to focus on concerns shared by attendees as followers of Christ
rather than dwell on obvious differences. Most participants at the Atlanta meeting are members of the 20-million-member North American Baptist Fellowship, part of the 102-year-old Baptist World Alliance
. The Nashville
-based Southern Baptist Convention
decided in 2004 to pull out of the Baptist World Alliance.
While individual Southern Baptists were involved in the announcement, no current leaders of the 16 million-member denomination attended the meeting.
The general secretary of the American Baptist Churches USA
said this vision of Baptists coming together could encourage American Baptists soured by their denomination's fragmentation over homosexuality.
The national coordinator of the Atlanta-based Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
(CBF), a quasi-denomination that emerged from the recent moderate/fundamentalist controversy said the Carter initiative fills a need for "a broader Baptist witness that is committed to social justice as well as evangelism."
The New Baptist Covenant will be a "re-claiming of Baptist heritage," according to a statement from the Baptist Joint Committee. Further, it will be "a commitment to working cooperatively, being agreeable in our disagreements, and honoring historic Baptist tenets of soul freedom and religious liberty."
The 2008 "Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant" is not expected to create a new denomination or political coalition. However, planners hope it will inspire collaboration around evangelism and social causes, drawing together an even larger coalition of Baptists from the North and South, the U.S. and Canada, and predominantly black and predominantly white conventions and fellowships. Advocates of the New Baptist Covenant predicted it will help heal the racial divide that has separated Baptists in America since before the American Civil War
.
Carter and Clinton—both raised Southern Baptist
—announced the groups had committed to put aside more than a century and a half of social and theological differences to unite behind an agenda of compassionate ministry. Though the former presidents are both Democrats
, Republican
Baptists are expected to attend next year's nonpartisan gathering as well. The program chairman said there would definitely be Republican speakers in the plenary session.
Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, which is not involved in the New Baptist Covenant, have dismissed the event as merely another chance for disgruntled moderate and liberal Baptists to express their disapproval and contempt for the more conservative SBC. Some also have pointed to the event’s election-year timing and Clinton and Carter’s involvement as evidence it is designed to stir up Baptist support for Democrats—and especially the presidential bid of Clinton’s wife, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
organizations formed to address poverty, the environment and global conflicts. Former United States Presidents Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
and Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
proposed the establishment of a broadly inclusive alternative Baptist movement to counter the public image of Baptists as being predominantly tied to conservative political and cultural perspectives.
Celebration of the New Baptist Covenant
The effort began with a "Celebration of the New Baptist Covenant," a major conference of diverse Baptist organizations held in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, January 30 through February 1, 2008. Mr. Carter said the meeting will be "one of the most historic events at least in the history of Baptists in this country, maybe Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
." Mr. Clinton told reporters that those who "did not have both the privilege and the burden to be raised in the Baptist church cannot possibly appreciate" how unique such cooperation is. "This is an attempt to bring people together and say, 'What would our Christian witness require of us in the 21st century?'" Clinton said.
"Our goal is to have a major demonstration of harmony and a common commitment to personify and to accomplish the goals that Jesus Christ expressed in his sermon to his own hometown of Nazareth," said former President Jimmy Carter.
Planners announce the theme of this historic gathering will be Unity in Christ. The Biblical basis for the meeting is cited as Jesus’ reading of scripture in the Synagogue as recorded in . In these verses, Jesus reads from Isaiah:
-
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim the release of the captives, and the recovering of sight of the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
This call by Jesus to pursue both evangelism and ministry to “the least of these” is said to be the Biblical foundation for the New Baptist Covenant.
Inaugural meeting—April 2006
The New Baptist Covenant traces its roots to April 10, 2006, when former U.S. President and prominent Baptist layman Jimmy Carter and Mercer UniversityMercer University
Mercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...
President Bill Underwood convened at The Carter Center in Atlanta a group of 18 Baptist leaders representing more than 20 million Baptists across North America. The leaders were said to be unanimous in their desire to transcend their differences–including such factors as race, culture, geography and convention affiliation–and seek common purpose.
The outcome of the meeting was a document called A North American Baptist Covenant and preliminary plans to hold a major gathering of Baptists from throughout North America in 2008.
The initiative stems from the adoption of the "North American Baptist Covenant" in which leaders reaffirmed their commitment to Baptist values including evangelism, helping the needy and promoting religious liberty. It will be the first time since 1845 that there has been a major effort to bring together Baptists from diverse racial, theological and regional backgrounds. Most US Baptists met in 1814 to form a missionary society known as the Triennial Convention. Southern Baptists broke away over the slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
issue in 1845. Since then, Baptists have splintered even further, most recently due to the Conservative Resurgence/Fundamentalist Takeover
SBC Conservative Resurgence/Fundamentalist Takeover
The Southern Baptist Convention experienced an intense struggle for control of the resources and ideological direction of the now sixteen million member denomination. The theological/political campaign began around 1960. It was launched with the charge that the seminaries and denominational...
of the Southern Baptist Convention in the last two decades of the twentieth century. Many object to the use of the word "takeover", since the Southern Baptist Convention is historically a conservative denomination as found in 'The Baptist Faith and Message', among other sources and reasons.
Followup meeting—January 2007
A followup meeting attended by 80 representatives of more than 30 Baptist organizations was held on January 9, 2007, at The Carter Center. The core group of those who gathered were representatives of organizations that are members of the North American Baptist Fellowship (NABF), a regional affiliate of the Baptist World Alliance. At the conclusion of the meeting, the representatives announced plans to hold a "Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant" in Atlanta on January 30-February 1, 2008.The 80 representatives at this meeting are leaders of 30 Baptist organizations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. This meeting was termed by one of the organizers "a historic demonstration of Baptist unity" by deciding to focus on concerns shared by attendees as followers of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
rather than dwell on obvious differences. Most participants at the Atlanta meeting are members of the 20-million-member North American Baptist Fellowship, part of the 102-year-old Baptist World Alliance
Baptist World Alliance
The Baptist World Alliance is a worldwide alliance of Baptist churches and organizations, formed in 1905 at Exeter Hall in London during the first Baptist World Congress.-History:...
. The Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
-based Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
decided in 2004 to pull out of the Baptist World Alliance.
While individual Southern Baptists were involved in the announcement, no current leaders of the 16 million-member denomination attended the meeting.
Assessments
The four largest of the predominantly African-American Baptist conventions began meeting jointly in recent years. They plan to do so again in early 2008 and then join with other Baptists a few days later for the "Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant."The general secretary of the American Baptist Churches USA
American Baptist Churches USA
The American Baptist Churches USA is a Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainline, although varying theological and mission emphases may be found among its...
said this vision of Baptists coming together could encourage American Baptists soured by their denomination's fragmentation over homosexuality.
The national coordinator of the Atlanta-based Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a Christian fellowship of Baptist churches formed in 1991. Theologically moderate, the CBF withdrew from the Southern Baptist Convention over philosophical and theological differences, such as the SBC prohibition of women serving as pastors. The Cooperative...
(CBF), a quasi-denomination that emerged from the recent moderate/fundamentalist controversy said the Carter initiative fills a need for "a broader Baptist witness that is committed to social justice as well as evangelism."
The New Baptist Covenant will be a "re-claiming of Baptist heritage," according to a statement from the Baptist Joint Committee. Further, it will be "a commitment to working cooperatively, being agreeable in our disagreements, and honoring historic Baptist tenets of soul freedom and religious liberty."
The 2008 "Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant" is not expected to create a new denomination or political coalition. However, planners hope it will inspire collaboration around evangelism and social causes, drawing together an even larger coalition of Baptists from the North and South, the U.S. and Canada, and predominantly black and predominantly white conventions and fellowships. Advocates of the New Baptist Covenant predicted it will help heal the racial divide that has separated Baptists in America since before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Carter and Clinton—both raised Southern Baptist
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
—announced the groups had committed to put aside more than a century and a half of social and theological differences to unite behind an agenda of compassionate ministry. Though the former presidents are both Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Baptists are expected to attend next year's nonpartisan gathering as well. The program chairman said there would definitely be Republican speakers in the plenary session.
Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, which is not involved in the New Baptist Covenant, have dismissed the event as merely another chance for disgruntled moderate and liberal Baptists to express their disapproval and contempt for the more conservative SBC. Some also have pointed to the event’s election-year timing and Clinton and Carter’s involvement as evidence it is designed to stir up Baptist support for Democrats—and especially the presidential bid of Clinton’s wife, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Participating organizations
- American Baptist Churches, USA
- Baptist Center for Ethics
- Baptist Convention of Ontario & Quebec
- Baptist General Association of Virginia
- Baptist General Convention of Missouri
- Baptist General Convention of Texas
- Baptist Heritage Council of Georgia
- Baptist History and Heritage Society
- Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
- Baptist Union of Western Canada
- Baptist World Alliance
- Baylor University
- Buckner International
- Canadian Baptist Ministries
- Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches
- Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
- General Association of General Baptists
- Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Society
- Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists
- Mercer University
- National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.
- National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.
- National Missionary Baptist Convention of America
- North American Baptist Fellowship
- Progressive Baptist National Convention
- Texas Baptists Committed
- Union d'Eglises Baptistes Francaises au Canada
Baptist media organizations
- Associated Baptist Press
- Baptist Standard
- Baptists Today
- Ethics Daily
- National Baptist Voice