THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM

When the Cooperative Program was adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1925, it was a creation of the Southern Baptist Convention, not the State Conventions. The State Conventions were designated as collecting agencies for the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program. Churches were asked to send their Cooperative Program gifts to the various State Conventions and the State Conventions after taking what they actually needed to carry on the work within the States would send the balance to the Southern Baptist Convention. The Cooperative Program not only saved the institutions and agencies of the Southern Baptist Convention from bankruptcy but it also prevented the closing of State Institutions. It not only was a lifeline to the Southern Baptist Convention but was also a much vitally needed lifeline for the State Conventions. The need for the CP grew out of a period between World Wars I and II that were very harsh and chaotic in many ways.

Dr. Robert A. Baker, Distinguished Professor of Church History at Southwestern Seminary for many years, stated that "the principle of events characterizing the history of the Convention between the Wars were the struggle to carry on the ministry despite the severe and continuing financial crisis, the impact of the attacks of Liberals, the attempts to revise the structure of the Convention in order to provide an effective vehicle for the work of the Denomination, the response of Southern Baptists to ecumenical efforts, and the substantial growth effected in the midst of a complex and evolving culture". It was also a time when the nonsense of evolution set forth by little Charlie Darwin in 1859 with the publication of his ridiculous work called "The Origin of Species". Karl Marx, who had joined the Communist Party in 1847, immediately embraced Darwin's work because he had rejected Christianity and it enabled him to explain the origin of man without God. These events were followed in 1878 by Julius Wellhausen who published the infamous Documentary Hypothesis which denied the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch and, of course, the validity of the Genesis account of Creation, among other heresies.

All of this nonsense made its' way into Southern Baptist life through a Professor at Southern Seminary by the name of Crawford Toy. While James P. Boyce insisted that he himself did not believe in the Evolutionary theory he allowed Toy to teach at the Seminary for ten years before the Trustees finally insisted that he dismiss Toy. During that time, Toy influenced many young students who became the leaders of the Convention in the early Twentieth Century since Southern Seminary was the only Seminary that Southern Baptists had at the time.

When the Cooperative Program was adopted in 1925, it was a pivotal year in Southern Baptist life. It was also the year that the Baptist Faith and Message was adopted over some strenuous opposition led by the Liberals. Immediately, the Evolutionary controversy reared its' ugly head. While Dr. E.Y. Mullins in both 1922 and 1923 had decried the use of psychology, biology and geology to attack the supernatural element of Scripture, this was not enough to assure the vast majority of Southern Baptists; so, in 1926 President George W. McDaniel headed off what he felt would be a nasty and schismatic debate declared in his Presidential Address that "the Convention accepts Genesis as teaching that man was the special creation of God, and rejects every theory, evolution or other, which teaches that man originated, or came by way of a lower animal ancestry". After his Address, a motion was made and passed that declared this statement to be an expression of Southern Baptist sentiment concerning the matter and that there be no further debate about the issue of Evolution. On the fourth day of the Convention, a Messenger by the name of S.C. Tull, introduced a Resolution insisting that all the Convention's Institutions, Boards and Missionary representatives should embrace the McDaniel Motion. The Resolution was adopted.

Here is where the Cooperative Program became involved. On November 10, 1926 the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma voted to withhold Cooperative Program funds from any Southern Baptist Institution or Seminary whose faculty refused to sign the McDaniel Statement. This brought a crisis of relationships between the Southern Baptist Convention and State Bodies. The Executive Committee brought back a report in 1928 giving a detailed Policy Statement regarding the relationship between the Southern Baptist Convention and State Bodies. That, according to Dr. Baker, "has become the basis of their relations". The Policy Statement declared that the Convention "is not an ecclesiastical body composed of churches, nor a federal body composed of State Conventions". While the Southern Baptist Convention disclaimed any authority over State Conventions, it laid out four guiding principles for relationships between State Conventions and the National body.

First, State Conventions are collecting agencies for southwide, as well as state funds. The Report made it clear that such a relationship is just a matter of convenience and economy and may be changed at any time.

Secondly, while State Conventions are responsible for the collecting of funds, the Southern Baptist Convention retains as "inalienable and inherent" not only the right to change the relationship but to appeal directly to the churches for funds and that the Southern Baptist Convention will retain complete control of its' own affairs, set forth its' own program objectives and determine the amount of money that it will allocate to various missionary enterprises.

Third, the authority to appoint all members of Boards and Committees of the Convention resides in the Convention itself, even though the Convention may consult with State Convention personnel in the matter.

Fourth, the Southern Baptist Convention nor any State Convention may impose its' will upon the other in any matter or degree at any time.

The Document further states that the Southern Baptist Convention "has no authority to allocate funds or to divert funds from any object included in a State Budget. In like manner no State body has any authority to allocate funds or to divert them from any object included in the southwide Budget".

WHERE ARE WE TODAY?

The above mentioned agreement was a good agreement. It served Baptists well for many decades. But now, Convention Liberals are tampering with this very clear policy concerning the relationship between the National Body and State Bodies. For many years, any local congregation that desired to designate Cooperative Program Funds were allowed to do so but the funds would not be counted as Cooperative Program Funds. Now, some State Conventions are allowing churches to designate Cooperative Program Funds and still call them Cooperative Program. That is a blatant violation of the agreement that was in place for many decades. Why? It is being done because some Liberals object to the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention who have been actively leading the Convention back to its' historical roots as Southern Baptists. A few states are starting their own mission programs, often in competition with programs sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention. For many years, Conservative Churches who were offended by the fact that Liberals seemed to run everything in the Convention, continued to support the Cooperative Program as it was set up. Now, since Liberals are no longer in charge of everything, they have developed splinter organizations to give voice to their pet peeves or support their own favorite projects. They have refused to accept the very clear voice of the Southern Baptist Convention Messengers. They scoff at Baptist Democracy. Some were formed to create jobs for Liberals who could not be happy with the return of the Convention to its' historical roots.

There's a new monster on the scene. It is called the "Emerging Church" which is steeped in Post-modernism. Some are advocating that drinking beverage alcohol is acceptable. Some are involved with Jimmy carter and Bill Clinton in the phony programcalled "A New Baptist Covenant for a New Century". It is a very thinly veiled political move to garner support for the election of Hillary Clinton to the White House. Baptists already have a New Covenant that serves us very well, thank you!! It begins with the Gospel of Matthew and concludes with the Book of Revelation. Since when are Carter and Clinton theologians!! These people are nothing more than Liberals in sheep's clothing. When they write or speak, they never find themselves able to say much good about Southern Baptist Leaders. It remains to be seen whether or not rank and file Southern Baptists will be duped by this new and latest nonsense on the theological horizon. We can only pray that Southern Baptists in the local churches will see this cancer upon our Convention for what it is.

Robert Tenery