Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 3, 1993 TAG: 9309030173
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
The Rev. Tommy Taylor, pastor of London Bridge Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, said that "probably means few, if any, letters to the editor" of the state Southern Baptist newspaper and an effort to avoid any public statements that could be "inflammatory or misconstrued."
Taylor was speaking at the end of a three-hour meeting in which the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia formally adopted a constitution and bylaws, passed a budget and elected officers.
Taylor, known as an outspoken critic of the moderate Baptist leadership in the state, called for prayer for healing in the denomination and for leaders on both sides to "back off the rhetoric."
Nationally, as well as at the state level, Southern Baptists have been fighting over issues of doctrine for more than a decade.
Conservatives have gained control of the national bureaucracy, but continue to be a minority at the annual meetings of the Baptist General Association of Virginia.
Disagreements have revolved primarily around the authority and interpretation of Scripture.
Conservatives generally insist that Scripture is without error in matters of history, science and religious dogma. Moderates generally allow for a wider range of interpretation of specific Scriptures.
The notion of inerrancy - a cornerstone of the new conservative group - proved a sticking point even in a meeting at which the 300 or so present would insist the Bible is without error.
The charter group debated language about inerrancy in its new constitution and finally decided to stick with references to the "original" documents being without error.
That is the widely held position among Christian conservatives, who agree that some translations of the Bible may contain inconsistencies or errors attributable to their human transcribers.
Virginia conservatives also have been distressed by what they see as "soft" stands by the state group on such issues as homosexuality and abortion and by decreased financial support for the national Southern Baptist Convention.
The group's new constitution makes specific provisions for examining prospective new members about their allegiance to the organization's doctrinal position and for expelling individuals or groups that don't agree with it.
Taylor acknowledged that there was only "minimal" response to a survey sent earlier this year to churches to gauge potential support for the new group.
Of 114 churches contacted, 14 agreed to put donations into escrow for the fledgling association. As of Thursday, fewer than half of them had actually sent contributions.
The conservatives adopted a budget plan for the rest of this year and 1994.
It anticipates revenues of $100,000 by the end of this year - $32,000 has been donated so far - and a budget of $150,000 for 1994.
by CNB