Read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, and Part Nine. This paper has sought to show from the founding of the CBF that there were several differences between the CBF and the SBC, and those differences have only increased over the last thirty years. Though these differences may have appeared minimal inContinue reading “The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 10 – Conclusion”
Category Archives: Pastoral Musings
The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 9 – Missions
Read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, and Part Eight. The CBF was originally founded as an alternative missions sending agency to the SBC. Because this was the primary reason for the founding of the CBF, the literature and rhetoric of this time often centers on the mission, and thereforeContinue reading “The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 9 – Missions”
The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 8 – Sanctity of Marriage
Read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, and Part Seven. The issue of the sanctity of marriage is a recent conversation in world history and consequently in church history.[1] This discussion, however, is not simply about marriage, but also about human sexuality and gender, and therefore the issues of marriage and LGBTQ+Continue reading “The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 8 – Sanctity of Marriage”
The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 7 – Sanctity of Life
Read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, and Part Six. Ethics Just as the understanding and application of the CBF’s core doctrines has evolved, so has the CBF’s understanding of biblical ethics. Two of the most contentious ethical issues of the last forty to fifty years, in American culture and the church, are theContinue reading “The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 7 – Sanctity of Life”
The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 6 – An Assessment of the Core Values
Read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five. Three Aspects of the Core Values The previous posts are merely a sketch of the four core values held by the CBF and therefore affirmed by its affiliating churches. However, three more aspects of these core values should be noted. First, there is nothing in theContinue reading “The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 6 – An Assessment of the Core Values”
The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 5 – Religious Freedom
Read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four. The final core value that Shurden listed in The Baptist Identity is religious freedom. Shurden states, “Religious Freedomis the historic Baptist affirmation of freedom OF religion, freedom FOR religion, and freedom FROM religion, insisting that Caesar is not Christ and Christ is not Caesar.”[1] This seemsContinue reading “The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 5 – Religious Freedom”
The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 4 – Church Freedom
Read Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. In 1991, Church Freedom was understood as “the historic Baptist affirmation that local churches are free, under the Lordship of Christ, to determine their membership and leadership, to order their worship and work, to ordain whom they perceive as gifted for ministry, male or female, and to participateContinue reading “The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 4 – Church Freedom”
The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 3 – Bible Freedom
Read Part One and Part Two. Bible Freedom was defined in 1991 as “the historic Baptist affirmation that the Bible, under the Lordship of Christ, must be central in the life of the individual and church and that Christians, with the best and most scholarly tools of inquiry, are both free and obligated to study andContinue reading “The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 3 – Bible Freedom”
The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 2 – Soul Freedom
Read the introduction. Shurden defines Soul Freedom as “the historic Baptist affirmation of the inalienable rights and responsibility of every person to deal with God without the imposition of creed, the interference of clergy, or the intervention of civil government.”[1] Soul freedom affirms individual choice and moral responsibility before God. Doctrines such as “soul competency”Continue reading “The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 2 – Soul Freedom”
The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 1 – Introduction
In May 1991, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) was formed in Atlanta, Georgia, to serve as an alternative mission sending agency to that of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).[1] While the CBF was not initially formed as a different denomination, differences between the CBF and the SBC were still acknowledged at the time. For example,Continue reading “The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 1 – Introduction”
Christian Book Notes 