What is Next for Mainstream Baptists?

The February issue of the Baptist Studies Bulletin is online. Among the articles is a brief essay I wrote on "What is Next for Moderate Baptists." Here's what I foresee for the Mainstream wing of the moderate Baptist family:

I see Mainstream Baptists strengthening their involvement in issues that CBF and other moderate Baptists find difficult to address aggressively. Every moderate church needs someone to be continually focused on assuring that every generation within the congregation is educated about the Baptist principles of soul freedom, Bible freedom, church freedom and religious freedom. Every state needs someone to monitor and address the actions of Christian fundamentalists―in every denomination―who are undermining the gospel, hijacking churches and organizing both denominational and political takeovers. Every community desperately needs someone to organize a network of Christian activists who will speak out on First Amendment issues, educate others about the Baptist legacy for liberty of conscience, challenge legislation that breaches the wall separating church and state, and foster respectful dialogue about differences between people of different faiths.