BF&M 2000–The SBC Totem Pole?
By Bill Simpson, Retired Baptist Hospital Chaplain
San Antonio, TX
It appeared to be quite a celebration. All the newly installed professors in one of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) seminaries, wearing their academic robes, were each signing the Baptist Faith & Message (BF&M) 2000 in a well publicized ceremony. It appeared to be akin to a genuine worship experience. I imagine that such a ceremony has been duplicated in many SBC institutions.
Upon seeing a photo of this in one of our Baptist papers, I recalled a taped message, by Tony Campolo, which I heard some 18 years ago. In the introduction of his message Campolo told of the escapades of world renowned Sociologist, Emil Durkheim, who did much of his work toward the end of the 19th century. Durkheim had the distinction of being able to lead an expedition into a part of Australia where a tribe of Aborigines were actually coming out of a Stone Age existence. The purpose of this expedition was to study how a tribe came up with their concept of god.
Durkheim`s group discovered that the tribe gathered, led by appointed leaders, to discuss the traits that members of the tribe needed to possess in order to ensure the survival of their tribe. Such traits as speed, wisdom, strength and cunning were among the traits selected. The tribe`s next step was to assign these traits to animals that displayed each trait. Speed was assigned to the deer (quick as a deer); wisdom was assigned to the owl (wise as an owl); strength was assigned to the ox and bear (strong as an ox/bear); cunning was assigned to the fox (sly as a fox). Symbols of these animals were then made into a totem pole to be displayed in an area where the pole could be clearly seen. The next step in the process was the tribe began to worship this totem pole, made up of these animals that represented the traits the tribe felt were required for its survival.
Sociologists, therefore, concluded that religion was the group worshiping its own value system. The tribe`s members, according to the researcher`s conclusions, were essentially worshiping themselves.
I see a tremendous parallel to this in the SBC`s relationship to the BF&M 2000. Is not this document a compilation of traits assigned to it by the SBC leadership as being absolutely necessary to ensure the survival of doctrinal integrity and purity? Is it possible that the BF&M 2000 has become the object of worship, and has caused the SBC leadership to demand that all SBC employees worship the same totem? Is it possible that the SBC has fallen into the Aborigines tribe`s practice of essentially worshiping themselves, by bowing at the BF&M 2000 altar?
Food for thought!
