This year, 2007, marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of Walter Rauschenbusch Christianity and the Social Gospel. Perhaps one of the most important books to be published in America in the last century.
Remembering that, interestingly it was reported in several news outlets recently that:
Former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton -- two of the world's most famous Baptist laymen -- announced the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant, tentatively set for Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2008. The announcement came Jan. 9, after the ex-presidents had met with about 80 leaders from 40 Baptist organizations in the United States and Canada at the Carter Center in Atlanta.The 2008 convocation, which organizers expect will attract 20,000 people, will be "one of the most historic events at least in the history of Baptists in this country, maybe Christianity," Carter predicted. (From the Online article)
The former presidents, Carter and Clinton, were both formerly Southern Baptists who left the denomination because of the "conservative take over." It must be remembered that the "conservative take over" was for conservative theology, mainly the doctrine of Biblical Inerrancy; not conservative politics. For these two, and many others, to be a Baptist means, what Dr. Al Mohler characterized in another venue as, "redefining Christianity as a mechanism for self-actualization and social action."
The Southern Baptist Convention that the two left began in 1845 centered around evangelical theology. While the majority of the important founders were Calvinistic in their theology, some notable leaders, such as B. H. Carroll were not. However, all were agreed on evangelical doctrine. The Northern Baptist Convention (subsequently renamed the American Baptist Convention in 1972, and now known as American Baptist Churches in the USA) began much later, in 1907. The Northern Baptist Convention, as an organization, was never really conservative and only marginally evangelical from the beginning. Eventually several groupings of more evangelical churches would break their ties with the NBC for form new associations (e.g., The GARBC in 1932; Conservative Baptists in 1947).
The same year the NBC was founded, a Baptist pastor and theologian from New York, Walter Rauschenbusch, wrote the seminal book, Christianity and the Social Gospel. This was followed by two other major works. He was a leader in the newly formed NBC and in many ways set in motion the liberal direction that group would take to this day. The noted church historian, R. T. Handy, said of Rauschenbusch's concepts that they, "presented a program of progressive, democratic, reformism as moving toward the kingdom of God interpreted as 'the progressive transformation of all human affairs by the thought and spirit of Christ."
Bill Underwood, President of Mercer University, a nominally Baptist school, is one of the leaders of the 2008 Meeting, stated,
In addition to building Baptist unity and collaboration, the group hopes to offer an alternative voice to "the Baptists who have the microphone," Underwood told leaders of the North American Baptist Fellowship one day earlier. "The only image most North Americans have of Baptists," he said, "comes from right-wing leaders who frequently appear on television news shows or other media, representing some of the most negative rhetoric, most conservative political views and most fundamentalist theology."
He went on in the article to say that what was needed was a "true Baptist witness" which meant that the conservative Baptists they oppose, are not presenting a "true Baptist witness," at least in their view.
The "Baptist Witness" that this group envisions is simply Rauschenbusch's theology and philosophy repackaged a century later. The present day social gospelers should review the history they are trying to build on (in the article President Carter's review of history in relation to the Northern and Southern Baptists does not present much hope that they will or will get it right). Rauschenbusch personally, and his theology practically, were crushed by the reality of sin that was World War I.
While there is a significant place for biblically centered social action within evangelical Christianity, it must be an exegetically driven, biblical theology that drives the action. Social action begins, not with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs; but rather a Biblical "Hierarchy of Needs," which starts with the Biblical Gospel: the sinfulness of man, the futility of self-effort to be right with God, and the need to trust in the substitutionary atonement of Christ for salvation.
(Click Here for a clear explanation of the Gospel).
The "Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant" will undoubtedly draw a lot of attention and publicity next year, but like Rauschenbusch's theology, little or nothing of eternal consequence will emerge from it.