TWO LOCAL BIBLE CHURCHES MAKE ME GLAD TO BE A BAPTIST

TWO LOCAL BIBLE CHURCHES MAKE ME GLAD TO BE A BAPTIST

By PASTOR BRUCE OYEN

FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH

20 N. STACY - MILES CITY, MT 59301

This article is about a subject I wrote about previously, but from a different perspective.

In recent years, it has become common for Baptist churches to drop the name Baptist in favor of non-denominational names such as XYZ Bible Church or XYZ Community Church.

The reasons for doing so are the fact that some Baptist churches have given that name a black eye in various ways, and there is a trend away from denominational tags, and they do not want to lose prospects by using the name Baptist.

However, I want to confine our thoughts to the first reason given. It occurred to me recently that two local Bible churches make me glad to be a Baptist.

One of these has for years been strongly charismatic, even espousing the falsehoods of Kenneth Hagin. It was not called a Bible church until only recently. Its doctrines have not changed, but its name has.

The other Bible church is not charismatic, but it endorses the unscriptural Promise Keepers movement, and it promotes so-called Christian rock.

Therefore, following the logic often used for dropping the name Baptist, I am glad to be a member of a Baptist church instead of a Bible church. I do not want to be identified with the charismatic doctrines of one Bible church in our town, nor do I want to be identified with the Promise Keepers and so-called rock music of the other one.

Moreover, to drop the name Baptist to be called a Bible church could very well draw new-comers to our town to our church from Bible churches whose doctrines and practices are in conflict with ours. It could also draw persons from our town's Bible churches to our church, thinking similarity of name implies similarity of doctrines and practices.

Which means, in either case, they will not tolerate our church's positions, and will soon attend elsewhere. Or, they will have to remain inactive attenders of our church because they cannot join under those circumstances. Or, we might even have to take steps to stop their attendance if they would try to bring their ideas into our church by some means.

I want to make it very clear that there are many Bible churches that do not endorse what our town's Bible churches endorse. Many of them are truly fundamental and separatistic. But, our town's Bible churches prove that to drop the name Baptist for the name Bible church might seem like the path to progress. Actually it could be a means of identifying one's church with what one objects to, which means you are right back where you started.