Kudos to Tony Cartledge for blogging on the
Editor's Journal of the Biblical Recorder about the dramatic decline in the number of people willing to be identified as Southern Baptist. While the percentage of people who identify themselves as being Baptist has remained constant, the number of people who identify themselves as Southern Baptist has dropped from 10% in 1995 to 4% today.
Here's Cartledge's conclusion:
Many people who once took great pride in their Southern Baptist identity now look at the denomination like a wayward uncle with whom they no longer want to claim any relation, and that's a crying shame.
6 comments:
I am Proud and pleased as punch to be an Episcopalian, and have many signs around my office and car, and will tell anyone that even remotely exhibits an interest (no matter how tentative). But, then that is just me. ? Pax
I wonder how many people go to Southern Baptist Church that don't know that they are Southern Baptist.
I wouldn't get that puffed up over the report. Your rank and file person who was polled probably doesn't keep up with an ounce of the stuff that some politically minded mainsteamers assume they do.
Hashman
I think Hashman the point of the article is that it is the decline of SELF-IDENTIFYING SBCers.
You are right there are many people on the roles of churches that identify somewhat with the SBC.
My own church is one of them. We support CBF, the Baptist Convention of Virginia, and still give some money to the SBC, mostly Annie Armstrong and for the eldest generation in the church.
TECHNICALLY I am a member at a Southern Baptist Church, but I am neither SBC in thought, practice, or wish to be one.
Come on members of SBC church don't know there church is a SBC church. Maybe they should read the sign in front of the church.
Too many people have there head in the sand and don't want to know what is going on. There cry is don't rock the boat.
Maybe more of us should leave the church until they declare themself SBC or CBF.
matthew61:
I got the point of the article, I was commenting on the point of bringing it up. My guess is that is wasn't brought up in this blog as interesting comment on culture and our failure to propogate our beliefs to our child. Rather, I think it was to give a personal jab at the SBC. "See WE are right, we win!"
grandma1:
Out of the 40 SBC churches in my association "Southern" is not in the name of any of them. Looking at the sign doesn't help.
And since most people are received during 3 stanzas of Just as I Am it is not surprizing that many don't know much about the church their joining short of "they are really nice and I like the music"
Adios!
It is precisely the attitude expressed by Mom2 that makes those that were raised as proud Southern Baptists, baptised as Southern Baptists now wince. It's the my way or the highway mentality pervasive not just from the pulpit, but in the Sunday School classrooms. The students are to be the amen corner for the teacher and agree with everything said and how dare anyone think differently from the orthodoxy being spread by the quarterly. Denominationalism has been in decline for some time and that is why particularly Mega Churches take the name Southern and even Baptist off the sign. The largest SBC church in New Mexico is simply Hoffmantown Church, and yes half or more of the members don't even know it is a SBC church.
It's those of us who knew a time when Sunday School was for learning and education and a free flow of ideas in how to life a good Christian life supported by the fellowship of that close Sunday School Class that we weep for. Now its toe the line or leave. Enforced conformity is not Christian or educational or American and until the moral mafia gained power it wasn't Southern Baptist.
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