Outspoken Pastor Reproves Huckabee's Withdrawal from New Baptist Covenant
An influential Southern Baptist pastor has reproved former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's decision to pull out of a 2008 Baptist convocation and the presidential candidate's subsequent criticism of it.
"This, to me, is a clear confounding of the two kingdoms. What conservatives are about to do is pull out of the program (even though they've been invited) and then criticize it for being too liberal. You can't have it both ways," wrote Marty Duren, pastor of New Bethany Baptist Church in Buford, Ga, in his web log Tuesday.
Earlier this week, Huckabee told Florida Baptist Witness that he would decline an invitation from former president Jimmy Carter to join next year's New Baptist Covenant Celebration – a broad Baptist meeting in America part of a new initiative to counter the "negative" Baptist image and demonstrate Baptist unity around social concerns. Huckabee expressed disappointment in Carter, who spearheaded the new Baptist push, for his remarks last week criticizing the Bush administration as "the worst in history."
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Carter admitted his remarks "were maybe careless or misinterpreted" on NBC's Today show on Monday.
Still, Huckabee's decision to withdraw was also in light of the roster of speakers for the January meeting, which the presidential hopeful said "does seem to tilt left."
"In light of the program and roster of speakers, as well as the very harsh comments toward our president this weekend, I feel it would be best for me to decline the invitation and to not appear to be giving approval to what could be a political, rather than spiritual agenda," Huckabee told the Florida newspaper on Monday.
Duren wrote on his popular blog page, SBCOutpost.com, that Huckabee "appears to hold conflicted position."
"[A]s long as the issues are potential theological liberalism then he can participate in a meeting. But, when pure partisan politics is involved, he feels the need to decline the opportunity," stated Duren.
The Buford pastor had joined a number of other pastors from the Southern Baptist Convention last week in a meeting with Carter who is trying to involve more Southern Baptists and Republican Baptists in the gathering in January. Although Duren attended the meeting, he has not confirmed his participation in the New Baptist Covenant and plans to decide after meeting others who are already committed.
But he said he wants to be "hopeful rather than doubtful."
"It was my clear understanding that the New Baptist Covenant was not supposed to be about politics, and in the minds of the organizing committees, I think that was and is the goal," he stated. "If the gospel is the issue, then the gospel needs to be the issue across the board."
January's meeting, organized under the umbrella of the North American Baptist Fellowship, is expected to draw some 20,000 people and explore opportunities to work together in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ through such causes as poverty, justice and AIDS.
Organizers of the meeting have stressed that the convocation is not a political move but an effort to demonstrate the unity of Baptists and the compassion gospel of Jesus Christ.
The early enlisting of former president Bill Clinton and former vice president Al Gore, however, has led some Southern Baptists to raise questions, alleging that the meeting – in the year of the presidential election – may have political overtones.
"Perhaps some of the confusion could have been avoided if no politicians were on the program, lay people and preachers only," stated Duren.
But without high-profile figures, the new Baptist effort would get little media attention, said one participating Baptist.
"The fact is, if we have a meeting and only preachers preach, the national press will not cover our message," said David Currie, executive director of Texas Baptists Committed, according to the Associated Baptist Press. "If prominent politicians of both parties speak, the national press will cover it."
Duren's advice to conservative Baptists: "Either go and take the opportunity given or stay home and keep quiet, but get off the high horse. The balance will not be found in the individual speakers, but in the entirety of the [New Baptist Covenant] program. That will happen if, and only if, conservatives who are invited actually attend."
