Let's Tell the Truth About CBF by Patrick R. Anderson

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Throughout the brief history of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, rumors and false accusations have been spread by Southern Baptist leaders, pastors, and others. Several years ago Morris Chapman, O.S. Hawkins and others wrote and said that "the CBF does not believe the Virgin Birth." No evidence, of course, to this absurd lie. But the tale spread anyway. We are accused of not believing the Bible, of course, quite regularly. To respond loudly and publicly only calls attention to the charges so we usually just "let the heathen rage," as my father used to say, having learned to consider the sources.

However, sometimes the misinformation is the "innocent" repeating of things heard. For instance an associational WMU leader in Florida recently told a gathering of Baptists that "the CBF appoints homosexuals as missionaries." This slander of sacrificial missionaries is too ludicrous for any sensible person to believe, one would think. But, when challenged on the statement, this WMU leader said she had heard that "fact" in a conference at Ridgecrest, the Southern Baptist Convention's Assembly Grounds. To her credit, the WMU leader apologized to me for repeating the lie.

Who dreams up this garbage? What kind of Southern Baptist representative would say such things?

Recently Daniel Vestal, Keith Parks, Gary Parker, and others from the CBF national staff toured Texas in order to "Tell the Truth About CBF," an effort to combat the most noisy misinformation originating in that hotbed of Fundamentalism. Also, Daniel produced a pamphlet titled "A Conversation With Daniel Vestal" which takes on the charges directly, kindly, and in a Christian spirit.

I am reminded of some words of Jesus, favorite ones that give us comfort, like "Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. This is how the prophets who lived before you were prosecuted."

Some of the words of Jesus are more difficult to live up to, like "Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us."

As I struggle with my own Christianity in the face of evil lies about CBF, which as a CBF leader I take very personally, I am reminded of a statement by C.S. Lewis who once said, "Most of us think grace is a wonderful thing to give, until we have something to forgive."