Walter Shurden wrote an interesting essay about healthy religion for Mercer's Baptist Studies Bulletin a few months ago. Entitled "The Supreme Religious Challenge" it recast statements from Charles Kimball's best selling book "When Religion Becomes Evil" under the title "When Religion Becomes Healthy."
After highlighting the historic Baptist principles comprising a healthy faith, Shurden asked, "Do you understand why I once told Charles Kimball that I thought he was unaware of how Baptist a book he had written?"
Voluntary religion, separation of church and state, liberty of conscience, the priesthood of all believers, a voice for everyone, free inquiry and open debate. These historic Baptist principles are still the hallmarks of healthy religion.
It's a shame that so many Baptists are abandoning these principles and embracing ones that are sure to make them weak and sickly.
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