Website owner:  James Miller

  CONSERVATIVE BAPTISTISM --- A LOPSIDED RELIGION           10/77


   When one looks at conservative Baptistism in perspective 
   certain salient features stand out.  One is that it preaches a 
   very slanted, skewed, version of Christianity.  The entire 
   emphasis is on "the plan of salvation" and the doctrine of 
   "eternal security".  They dwell on these subjects totally.  
   They totally slight the value and rightness of Love, Kindness, 
   Forgiveness, Peaceableness, etc. or the folly and wrongness of 
   Hate, Malice, Strife, etc..  They preach only the part of 
   the Bible they want to preach, the scriptures that support 
   their doctrine, and totally ignore everything else.  They don't 
   see anything else.  They don't want to see it and really don't 
   see it.  Their minds are blinded to it.  Why is this?  I think 
   there are two reasons: 

     1. The modernists, their enemies, preach love so they won't 
        preach it. 

     2. Their doctrine on salvation causes it.  In particular the 
        "eternal security" (i.e. "once saved, always saved") 
        aspect of the doctrine.  How does it do it?  The doctrine 
        of "eternal security" causes almost of necessity, by its 
        very nature, the following attitude:  "Follow the formula 
        or recipe for salvation.  Be saved.  Give your heart to 
        Jesus.  That is all that is important.  Once you have done 
        that you are 'in'.  If you haven't done that you are 
        'out'.  Once you have done it you have 'arrived'  --- you 
        are 'there'.  There is nothing more --- nothing more to 
        desire or to be had".  In this attitude there is no 
        appreciation of the importance of Spirituality --- no 
        appreciation of the absolute vitalness of spiritual 
        values, attitudes and outlooks; of right thinking and 
        feeling, of a right heart towards God.  Salvation is 
        simply an action.  Once you have done it it is done.  The 
        questions of "following", "doing", "implementing 
        Christianity in your life" and "spirituality" are 
        questions apart and get no emphasis.  They tend to assume 
        that the totality of Christian responsibility, the 
        totality of Spirituality, lies in "witnessing", "soul-
        winning" and evangelization.  Instead of being a religion 
        focusing on "what you are" and "substance" it focuses on 
        "an action performed".  Consequently, since the questions 
        of Spirituality, Morality, and Right Living are questions 
        apart and not relevant to Salvation, since it is only 
        "Salvation" that is really important, they choose to not 
        talk about the subjects of Morality and Spirituality at 
        all.  Their reason?  It might cloud their simple and easy 
        formula for Salvation.  Unsaved people might get confused, 
        might think "works" are part of "Salvation".  The result 
        is a kind of spiritual vacuum.