SBC Opts Out of CCT Membership
The nation’s largest evangelical denomination declined a 3-year long invitation to partake in the potentially largest ecumenical organization
The largest evangelical denomination declined a 3-year long invitation to take part in creating the largest ecumenical organization in the US. The Southern Baptist Convention’s decision to decline membership in the Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT), was based on the oft-stated belief that ecumenism forces adherents to give up doctrinal beliefs in exchange for dialogue.
"For the most part, we don't do ecumenism because you usually have to give up some doctrinal beliefs or ignore or emphasize others to work with folks that really aren't on the same path, share the same doctrines, the same beliefs -- particularly about salvation," said Martin King, a spokesman for the SBC’s North American Mission Board (NAMB), to the Religion News Service.
Talks for the CCT began three years ago, at the height of financial and administrative crises in the two largest protestant umbrella groups in the US: the left-leaning National Council of Churches (NCC) and the right-leaning National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). Most of the NCC member churches and some of the NAE member churches already opted to join the CCT, which is due to officially launch next year.
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Additionally, last month, the Roman Catholic Church decided to join the CCT, making it the first group to successfully pull Catholics, liberals and conservatives together on one single platform.
However, without the SBC, observers question whether the fledgling ecumenical body will truly be fulfilling its goal of becoming a common voice for American Christianity. After all, the SBC alone accounts for 8 million evangelical Christians.
Nonetheless, the chairman of the CCT steering committee said he was not surprised about the SBC’s decision.
"It is pretty clear that this just wasn't a reasonable expectation of where they are right now," said Wes Granberg-Michaelson. "We never had a high anticipation that the Southern Baptists would be a part. We'd wanted to have as strong a participation as we could from across the board in terms of representing different constituencies."
The SBC sent “observers” to the steering committee meetings over the past three years of the CCT’s development, but has never taken part in the discussions.
During a November interview with the Christian Post, Michaelson acknowledged the difficulties in bringing together such a broad spectrum of theological voices, but expressed hopes that the churches may find a common ground on social issues, if not on theological issues.
“Certainly, with a wider diversity of voices, there will be a range of things we don’t agree on. However, I think we will find common ground, and when we come to that level, I think it will be very powerful. When you look at those who are drawn toward the CCT, most of them see the deep need for unity and trust within each other,” he said. “I think that despite theological differences, we can probably find a broad agreement on issues like these.”
