Thank you for your thoughtful response.

I simply believe that a clear gospel witness–exclusivity of Christ to save included–is central to all our cooperative efforts under the banner of “Baptist.”

President Carter’s prominent role in the NBC distorts the witness, based on his unrefuted reported comments.

Concerning the NBC I have to admit I am trying to get my mind around this celebration.

The Covenant reads:
We Baptists of North America covenant together to:

* Create an authentic and prophetic Baptist voice for these complex times,
* Emphasize traditional Baptist values, including sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and its implications for public and private morality, and
* Promote peace with justice, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, care for the sick and marginalized, welcome the strangers among us, and promote religious liberty and respect for religious diversity.

If the question is about the covenant, what follower of Jesus could not affirm the stated mission and values of this covenant?

We do need to speak into the hearts and lives of people during these complex times we face. We should not be afraid to speak out and speak for those who do not have a voice, or an opportunity to be heard. Like the OT prophets of old we cannot remain silent.

What Baptist or follower of Jesus could oppose “sharing the gospel of Jesus”? Let face it in many ways we have not been as evangelistic as Baptist in the past. If we are going to preach the gospel, we must be willing to live out the gospel as Jesus outlined in the Sermon on the Mount.

In the Great Commission, it is clear we are mandated to “make disciples of all nations…baptizing them…and teaching them to obey everything”. Too often we have settled for converts rather than disciples. At our church we speak of “discovering, developing, and deploying fully devoted followers of Jesus”. The bottom line is not how many are in the building but how many are building the Kingdom.

The last section of the covenant reads:
* Promote peace with justice, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, care for the sick and marginalized, welcome the strangers among us, and promote religious liberty and respect for religious diversity.

Do I support peace with justice…Yes. Do I believe we should feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, care for the sick and marginalized, and welcome strangers among us…YES. Is this not the marks of the ministry of Jesus, and the genius behind the BGCT and the CP?

Do I believe we need religious liberty and respect for religious diversity? Yes, but this is where it gets very complicated.

As a firm believer in the priesthood of the believer I understand each of us stands under God and is accountable for his/her faith and actions. When it comes to large conventions and organizations I struggle with how to apply this principle.

I personally believe President Carter to be a good God seeking man. If as Chuck has reported Carter holds the views as stated:

Yet, President Carter, convener and keynoter, has been reported to have recently said that a Mormon is a Christian and Judaism is an equally legitimate path to God–entirely non-Baptistic views.

I would respectful disagree with his views, not based on my own personal views, but what I believe Jesus taught on the matter. Here is the rub, can I work with Carter on these worthy causes and disagree with him on these vital theological issues?

To be honest I don’t know right now.

On the other hand, this movement is much bigger than one man or one woman.

In addition, many are concerned about the political implications of the gathering. If part of the agenda of the NBC were to promote the influence of a national political party I would have grave concerns about it. I believe the church cannot be seen as a mouth piece for either political party. Our mission is to work for the sake of the Kingdom. If we are too closely aligned with a political party I believe we lose a vital part of our ability to speak into our culture. I have always admired how Billy Graham was a mentor and counselor to Presidents from both parties, yet he did not lower himself to leave his calling as a minister of the gospel for the sake of political power and influence.

I guess the crux of the question is what would I do if I were elected president of the BGCT?

To be as open and honest, I suspect I would gather around me a cross section of leaders from our convention and we would prayerful discuss the issues. I would seek their counsel and advice. I would seek to understand the challenges and the opportunities of NBC. I would seek to lead us to respond in a way that would advance the work of the Kingdom in the greatest way. I realize that a choice either way has consequences so it would be impossible to please everyone.

At this point I don’t have enough information to make a good informed decision, but I am seeking to learn more.

I would be open to your insights and warnings.

I guess to make a long story short:
I support the stated objectives of the NBC. I have respect for many who have already signed the covenant. I am not sure what the best course of action we should take as a convention. I would respect and support the freedom of all believers who choose to become actively involved in this movement.

As I have shared before I don’t have all the answers, but I am willing to work with our whole Baptist family to find the synergy of the Spirit, and win/win solutions for the sake of the Kingdom.

I trust these comments have been helpful to understand my heart on this matter.

David Lowrie

Yet, President Carter, convener and keynoter, has been reported to have recently said that a Mormon is a Christian and Judaism is an equally legitimate path to God–entirely non-Baptistic views.

Dr. Lowrie, should the BGCT look into these reports of an incompatible gospel message and, if the reports and reporters remain unrefuted, reconsider or recant its heavy promotion of the movement?

I would like to respond to a couple of your thoughts related to me.

First you wrote:
Patterson presented a paper in which he expressed his desire for “parity” or equal representation of inerrantists in denominational structures. Today, we know Paige Patterson & Company wanted CONTROL not PARITY. Now, Lowrie is singing the parity tune…

Same song. Different verse?

I would suspect Paige Patterson would be offended to be compared to me. If you will check the giving record of my church you will discover we give to the approved budget of the BGCT which means a large portion of our CP money has supported and financed our work together. I am serious about building bridges.

I am a “constructive conservative” as I mentioned before, but I am not closed minded. I am friends with a number of CBF supporters like Steve Vernon and Rick Davis. I have had person conversations with David Currie. David and I do not see eye to eye in a number of areas, but I believe we could find a way to cooperate for the sake of the Kingdom.

Concerning being a “centrist” from West Texas. Let me share with you a bit of my background. I was born in Fort Worth and attended Haltom High. I graduated high school from Texas High in Texarkana. I graduated from Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. My doctor’s degree is from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul.

I have served churches in Waco, Temple, Roanoke, Flower Mound, Mabank, Milwaukee, WI, and Canyon.

I help plant a church in Flower Mound.

FBC Canyon currently has 12 IMB missionaries, and 4 independent missionaries. We are the sponsor of the Palo Duro Cowboy Church in cooperation with the BGCT. We are the sole sponsor of an African American church on the campus of WTAMU.

I have a daughter on staff at Howard Payne, and a daughter who is a junior at Howard Payne. I am currently on the board of trustees of Howard Payne.

My wife Robyn is to be nominated as trustee for Worldconnex. I suspect Bill Tinsley,a long time personal friend and mentor, recommended her to serve. Robyn is an ESL instructor at WTAMU and works closely with students from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. If you want to know more about my heart you might give Bill a call.

I can understand your fears and suspicions. We have lived in a climate of mistrust for too long. It is time for us to come together.

I would encourage you to come to Amarillo and vote for Joy if that is how you feel the Lord is leading you. The important thing is for us to come together to express our visions of the future and to leave Amarillo with a renewed commitment to our common task.

I suspect this blog may sound a bit defensive and I apologize for that. Thank you again for the role you are playing in helping us to keep our eye on the ball.

Sincerely,
David Lowrie
Canyon

Thank you for your insights and feedback. Concerning my views of the CBF, I would be open to continued cooperation with them.

The BGCT needs to have a vision board and bold enough for all of us which includes SBC and CBF.

I have seen the light about extreme fundamentalism, but I cannot paint the whole mission and purpose of the SBC with the same brush.

As you can tell I am new at this, and I may at times struggle with communicating well my convictions. I believe I represent a large segment of our convention who continue to financial support the SBC, and want to plan a significant role in the future of the BGCT.

I am still learning at this. As I have shared before. I did not come to this place because I had all the answers. I simply want to help move us together into the future.

As I tried to identify how I fit in the big picture I have chosen to use a term coined by Russell Dilday. I see myself as a “Constructive Conservative”, which simply means to me that I am more about building up than tearing down. I am about building bridges not walls.

Thank you for your contribution to the conversation.

David Lowrie
Canyon