As a lifelong Baptist, I hold strongly my allegiance to the Bible, the word of God.  It is my only guide to truth about God and his grace in Christ Jesus, and my only guide to proper conduct as a follower of Jesus.  Growing up in a Southern Baptist Church, attending a Baptist college and attending the Southern Baptist Seminary has shaped my understanding the Bible.  Various authors have also honed that understanding, as have fellow Christians and the various churches I have served. 

            A lot of people don’t believe the Bible as I do.  I think many people, including some Baptists, are sorely mistaken in their understanding of the Bible.  The first temptation is to dismiss them as just not believing the plain teaching of the Bible.  And I’m sure some would assert that I am the one who doesn’t believe the plain teaching of the Bible.  There are many disagreements and disputes over both doctrine and ethics among good and sincere believers.  The list of such disputes is endless.  There is the temptation to dismiss those on the other side of a dispute as heretics.  In the past Christians have killed other Christians because they dared to disagree.        

            The big question today is, “With whom may I associate, with whom may I cooperate in serving others in Jesus name?”  Inconsistent lines are often drawn.  Baptists often cooperate with non Baptist Christians with whom they disagree, but not with other Baptists with whom they disagree.  Some Christians work with other Christians with whom they disagree on one particular issue. But these same believers will not work with other Christians with whom they disagree on a different issue.

            Arguably, the forty million Baptists in North America are the most fragmented and dispute riddled group of all Christians.  The challenge of the New Baptist Covenant is for Baptists to move beyond disputes to work together in ministry and missions.  Some have told me it will never happen.  I will agree to this extent, it will never happen unless God is in it.  Only God can lead Baptists to move beyond turf protection and heretic hunting to go on mission together.  He can if we will!

            We Baptists would do well to remember an incident in the life of Jesus recorded in Luke 9:4-50.   "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.”  Jesus did not say, “Go back and examine his theology, and if he believes every point like you do, then don’t stop him.”  If someone wants to give a cup of water in the name of Jesus, I can hold the jug for him.  We don’t need to agree on all points of theology or ethics.