A Fresh Spirit (6/29/04)

Since the days of William Carey, moderate, Mainstream Baptists have tried to engage in dialogue and fellowship with other Christians. In the past, those leading such efforts always had to run a gauntlet of opposition from the exclusivist, Fundamentalist wing within the denomination.

One unexpected consequence of the schism within the Southern Baptist Convention, which has now spilled over into the Baptist World Alliance, is that moderate, Mainstream efforts to link Baptists with other Christians can now proceed without hinderance.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's participation in "Christian Churches Together," an ecumenical organization, may well be a portent that a Spirit of renewal is moving within the entire Christian community in America.