Let There Be No Doubt -- I Am A Baptist! There I said it.

As you may know from the past several posting I have been having a running conversation about the name change proposal for my Alma Mater, Houston Baptist University. Last Monday evening I attended via a live Internet feed a Trustee Town Hall meeting. The meeting was handled very well . . . pretty much as I expected. Ive been involved in these things on both the "hot seat" and the audience sides and have come to find that they all seem to follow the same pattern. It seemed to be principally focused on "how we got here" and "the benefits of a name change" with an acknowledgement without delineation that "there are some negatives." However, it is not the meeting itself or the issue for which it was held that is on my mind today. It is two things that I heard at the meeting that may or may not be connected.

I begin by saying there is not enough space here to say everything I would like on this. I just want to touch on one or two items. I am troubled by the superficial attitude toward the word "Baptist" in the name. Apparently the only reason for wanting to remove it is that a survey of non-Baptist potential students and their parents as well as a smattering of non-Baptist religious leaders stated that it would make it difficult for them to attend or donate to the University. As that survey was explained it consisted of about 1100 total people: 300 per potential non-Baptist students; 300 parents of potential non-Baptist students; the faculty; the Alumni Officers; selected Alumni and a few others. I could have saved them some money and told them what the results would be. What I am saying is that in my judgement the survey was flawed and the data it produced not very useful to an honest evaluation of the issue. Again, I digress.

The conclusion drawn from that survey is that the name Baptist is a barrier to recruiting and fund raising because it has taken on a negative connotation by the public in general. Now what got my attention was that the word Baptist had a negative connotation to the public. In defense of the founding father's choice of name it was explained that when the school was founded Baptist was a respected name but that over time and for a lot of reason it now has become a burden too heavy to carry. This movement was started by mega-churches or those whose church growth goals included becoming a mega-church. I could not help but notice that the great mega-church, Second Baptist Church of Houston, that once was known as "The Fellowship of Excitement" has placed its name in back on its signage and done so in huge letters.

Don't miss understand me. I am not questioning whether or not the word Baptist has become a burden for those who wear it and a barrier to those who do not agree with our theology. I would question whether or not it has ever been held in high regard outside of Baptist circles. However, it is a burden because it calls on us to live up to a high standard of Christian living and it is a barrier for the same reason. I see nothing in the meaning of the word etymologically, theologically or morally/ethically that would cause me to be pull back from wearing it proudly.

In fact, if I read the founding documents of my University correctly, that is precisely what the founder intended. They wanted a Christian institution that presented the gospel from a distinctively Baptist perspective. They wanted everyone to know that when you enroll in this University you are going to be exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ from a Baptist theological perspective. That's why from the beginning all the Christianity teachers were Baptist. That's why all the administrative staff, and virtually all the faculty was Baptist. It was to insure that in every discipline being taught on the campus there was a Baptist witness to the Gospel. These were by-in-large middle ground Baptist.

Now understand I am a Baptist and that means I was already a Christian when I became a Baptist. You see my theology teaches me that you cannot be a Baptist until first you are a Christian. That is the door through which you must pass to become a part of the Baptist family. Every Baptist church charter, Constitution and Bi-Laws I have ever seen clearly state that the membership of a Baptist church is restricted to those people who have become believers in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and have been Scripturally baptized.

Not all Christians are Baptist but all Baptist are supposed to be Christian. Main stream Baptist have never taught that they were the only people going to heaven. What they have taught is that only people who by faith receive Jesus Christ into their heart and life will go to heaven. It is not the denominational label that defines them as Christian . . . it is their relationship with Jesus Christ. Baptist reject all teachings that would allow for an alternative way of becoming a Christian. Baptist are not the only ones going to heaven but they are going to heaven the only way one can.

The term Baptist defines the kind of Christian I am as to doctrine. I am a Christian by birth and a Baptist by choice. Being a Baptist is my pedigree as a believer. Other Christian pedigrees would be Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, etc. Over time I have come to question whether or not there has been a Christian whose pedigree is pure. I am grateful to God that I can be called Christian and I am proud to be called a Baptist.

Our task is to so live and express our distinctive Baptist Christian faith so as to remain true to its tenants and to do so by living as peacefully as possible with all men. We as Baptist must conduct our business in and with the world at such a level of integrity that the non-Baptist world will see who the "real" Baptists are. Is that easy? No, in fact, it is nigh unto impossible. It requires us to lean heavily upon the indwelling Christ.

I do not believe that the word Baptist" or for that matter the word "Houston" in the schools name presents a significant problem regarding recruitment and/or fund raising. I believe both recruitment and fund raising require a clear explanation of the schools core values; a definitive demonstration how the school's curriculum, faculty and placement services meet the prospective students needs; an openness and honesty that fosters trust; and a clear demonstration to donors how their gifts to the school (1) provide a quality education (2) in a distinctively Christian context. Keep in mind that all school recruitment and fund-raising, like politics, is local. There must be a core of recruitment and funding that comes from the community where the school is located. International students are not going to be the answer to student growth and benefactors are not going to be found in distant states. Most people are going to build their legacy through donations to causes they endorse, and this is important, in THEIR communities. By the way - building a significant endowment should have been a priority from the beginning. Why not ask the College of the Ozarks how they have done it for the 106 years without federal student loan programs and where every student attends without tuition and graduates without any education related debt. Might be worth a look --- perhaps there are some lessons to be learned.