Southern Baptists made their views on 'religious liberty' known

Although Southern Baptists' concerns about in vitro fertilization have drawn a deluge of attention in recent weeks, the faith group also has spoken out about another hot-button topic: Christian nationalism.

Delegates, called messengers, gathered for the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in mid-June and approved a resolution entitled "Defending Religious Liberty" that essentially denounced the premise of Christian nationalism.

Critics of Christian nationalism condemn it as an ideology and political movement with the premise that includes beliefs that America has a special place in God's plan, that the federal government should declare America as a Christian nation and that violence may be necessary to get the country back to a hierarchical order in which Christians are at the top. Its adherents describe Christian nationalism as an "America first" ideology that encourages Christians to become active in politics, including seeking public office to bring Christian influence to government.

Resolutions are seen as the Southern Baptist Convention's way of expressing opinions or concerns about a variety of topics. The resolutions are nonbinding, but they have always been an important way for Southern Baptists to share their thoughts on relevant — and sometimes controversial ― topics.

There was some debate about the religious liberty resolution, but the majority of messengers representing the nation's largest Protestant denomination and Oklahoma's largest faith group, remained undeterred and approved the statement.

The recent resolution stated that Southern Baptists have adopted numerous resolutions advocating religious liberty and recognizing that "true faith can not be legislated, coerced or inherited." It sought to affirm the principle of separation of church and state (from the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment), with several key phrases: "We oppose any effort to establish a state religion of any nation, including the United States of America" and "We oppose any effort to use the people and the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention to establish Christianity as the state religion of the United States of America."

The statement also touched on the idea that America was founded on Christian ideals.

"Through nature and conscience, others have come to recognize that our natural rights and responsibilities derive from our Creator, an open truth that the founders of the American nation also explicitly recognized," the resolution said.

The resolution also encouraged and supported "robust Christian engagement in the public square," to include Christians pursuing elected or appointed office "in order to influence government by living out their Christian worldview while advocating Christian morals with respect for the consciences of all people."

Ultimately, the faith group rejected the idea that "God has commanded any state to establish any religion or any denomination; and we reject any government coercion or enforcement of religious belief, including blasphemy laws."

Offering perspectives

The Rev. Blake Gideon, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Edmond, attended the recent Southern Baptist gathering and he said he thought there was certain reasoning behind the timing of the religious liberty resolution.

"Recently, fears concerning Christian nationalism had arisen," he said. "This is primarily due to concerns about the potential fusion of religious beliefs with political power, which may lead to discrimination, intolerance and the erosion of secular values."

Gideon said the concept of Christian nationalism involves the intertwining of Christian identity and national identity and politics, often emphasizing a particular interpretation of Christianity as the basis for governance and policy making.

He said he was aware that critics of Christian nationalism have argued that it may marginalize religious and cultural minorities, undermine religious freedom and blur the lines between church and state, but it's essential to recognize that not all forms of Christian nationalism are inherently negative or threatening. He said it was crucial to distinguish between healthy expressions of faith-based activism and harmful forms of religious extremism.

"Embracing Christian values in the public sphere can inspire individuals and communities to uphold principles of compassion, justice and solidarity," Gideon said. "Christianity has played a significant role in shaping historical movement for social justice, human rights and humanitarian aid, demonstrating its capacity to promote positive change and moral guidance."

Several ministers not affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention also shared their perspectives. Weighing in on the recent development were the Rev. Shannon Fleck, an ordained Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister serving as executive director of the Oklahoma Faith Network, and the Rev. Robin Meyers, pastor of First Congregational Church-United Church of Christ in Norman.

Evangelicals and Christian nationalists are not equivalent — "not one in the same," Fleck said.

"Christian nationalism is a far, far extremist view and so I am not at all shocked that a major Christian denomination is standing up and saying absolutely not, because as people of faith, as Christians — real Christians, not Christian nationalists — we see in value and understand the whole message of the gospel," she said.

"And this forceful process that Christian nationalists are implementing is not congruent with a Christian faith. In fact, Christian nationalism is actively killing the Christian church."

Meyers offered another perspective.

He said the Southern Baptist Convention "did the right thing by affirming religious liberty and defending the separation of church and state."

But the minister said the "specter of Christian nationalism" also made its voice clear as a few Southern Baptist messengers seemed to object to the suggestion that their view of God and salvation should not rule America. Meyers said that one pastor from Kentucky seemed to scoff at the term "religious liberty" and told his fellow messengers that God has already ordained America be a Christian nation.

Meyers said the U.S. Constitution, and the First Amendment both make it "crystal clear" that Americans should enjoy both freedom of religion and freedom from religion.

"The founders knew that the history of church/state collusion was a bloody disaster and wanted to save America from it," Meyers said.

"Non-binding resolutions at national church meetings are often ignored by people in the pews when they get back home, yet the separation of church and state protects us all, including Southern Baptists."