No doubt, you will notice that this is strongly from my own personal perspective, but I thought you might find it interesting by seeing some of this week's LBC Convention from my point of view (I am not attempting to be comprehensive here) ...

The LBC Pastor's Conference was held at FBC West Monroe, Louisiana. Morning and afternoon speakers focused on the theme "The Old Path for the New Day, Jeremiah 6:16." Six speakers addressed topics, including Expository Preaching, Soul Winning, Pastoral Ministry, and Revival.

Two keynote speakers, Albert Mohler and Tommy French, spoke on "The Old Path of Bible Doctrine" and "The Old Path of Contending for the Faith." In various ways, both speakers brought into their presentations the historic conflict between the false gospel of sacramentalism and the one true Gospel of Christ. Al Mohler assailed the proliferation of "parachurch" organizations as evidence of the compromise and impotence of the Lord's churches today. Recounting early church history, Tommy French spoke of the biblical separation caused among the early churches by false teachings and practices, including the perverted doctrine of regenerational baptism.

Mohler and French both pointed to tragic times throughout history when leaders in the churches have departed from the pure Word of God by throwing aside confidence in its infallibility, inerrancy, and authority. Pointing to this same error today in (ecumenical) compromises being pushed by many church leaders, both speakers called on pastors to be faithful to God's Word and to uncompromisingly "contend for the Faith."

The LBC Convention meetings convened at the Monroe Civic Center on Monday evening. The first item of business came just minutes into the session. Rick Henson, pastor of First Baptist Church, Lecompte, made a motion to amend the Credentials Committee report to allow for the seating of messengers from the Bayou DuLarge Baptist Church. (I had only heard hours before that Rick would do this.) Henson's motion was seconded, and he then spoke to the motion. He explained that the Bayou DuLarge Baptist Church was constituted as an autonomous church in 1936 and although during a time of financial need they had agreed to an arrangement whereby they were considered a "mission-type church," that relationship had been terminated in 1995. He pointed out that the Bayou DuLarge Baptist Church has consistently contributed to the Cooperative Program.

No one spoke to oppose the motion and the Convention then voted overwhelmingly to seat messengers from the Bayou DuLarge Baptist Church. Thus, Convention messengers very clearly affirmed the fact that this local congregation is and always has been an autonomous church voluntarily cooperating with the Louisiana Baptist Convention. (This recognition of our church's autonomy has been opposed by some LBC executives for the past five years - since our church's confrontation of HMB president Larry Lewis over his endorsement of the heretical ECT document. Recognition of our church's autonomy was opposed again this year just before the Convention meetings. After consulting with LBC executive leadership, the Credentials Committee had written in reply to us that they would refuse to seat our messengers. This is why brother Rick Henson decided to make this motion.)

The Convention program progressed along smoothly until it was time for the State Missions Report, offered by LBC Executive Director Dean Doster. After giving his usual overview of activities promoted through LBC agencies, etc., Dr. Doster spent the last half of his report time addressing what he obviously sees as an unnecessary conflict within the convention. Dr. Doster labeled opposing groups of LBC moderates and conservatives as "liberals" and "fundamentalists" and lambasted each group's efforts to inform fellow Louisiana Baptists of their concerns and convictions. Dr. Doster accused both of these groups of creating a danger to "unity" in the LBC and a threat to the evangelistic efforts of the Convention.

In an emotional display of denunciation unprovoked by any action in the Convention meeting and certainly out of sync with the harmony being beautifully demonstrated until that point, Dr. Doster held up copies of the publications of both liberal and conservative groups and openly called for messengers to reject what both groups were saying. He also called for a "moratorium" on any such publications. Dr. Doster "respectfully suggested" (quite forcefully) that the Convention move to strip the Convention president of his authority to make appointments, and instead to throw these important positions up for grabs from the Convention floor each year. (In my opinion, this would cause an even greater amount of public conflict at annual meetings and risk moving the Convention to actually having less input from grassroots Louisiana Baptists.) Many later voiced shock at Dr. Doster's emotional display and aggressive stance against the long established LBC constitutional process and the historic Baptist belief in free speech and open discussion among the brethren.

Amazingly, after such an emotionally charged call to what could only result in an escalation of conflict if adopted (promoted under the banner of seeking "unity"!), the important Committee on Nominations and Committee on Committees reports were accepted without any opposition voiced. Heretofore, these reports have been areas of conflict at convention meetings, but this year there seemed to be a real determination among convention messengers to work together. After a period of corporate worship and preaching, the Convention adjourned until the next morning.

The Tuesday morning session went smoothly, with the election of the Convention president. In a close vote between outspoken theological conservative Tommy French and theological moderate John Alley, Dr. French was elected. Theological conservatives were later elected to first and second vice-president positions.

The program went along well until late in the afternoon session when the time came for the report from the Resolutions Committee. Acceptance of all but the last resolution went smoothly, exactly as they were printed in the Book of Reports. But the Resolutions Committee chairman had apparently decided to change the last motion. A substitute motion was handed out to Convention messengers with instructions to vote for either the motion printed in the Book of Reports or the substitute motion. (Several Resolution Committee members were unaware of this change being made, and respectfully voiced their opposition from the floor... to no avail.)

The last motion had been unanimously approved by the Resolutions Committee prior to the Convention and had been printed up in the Book of Reports. It had to do with affirming the inerrancy of Scripture. The substitute motion did not state that the Bible is inerrant, but simply quoted a portion of the Baptist Faith and Message. Some Convention messengers, including Bill Ascol of Heritage Baptist Church, Shreveport, were concerned that they were being forced to make a choice between two resolutions and that the rejection of either would present a false impression of what Louisiana Baptists wish to say about the Bible.

After considerable debate and wrestling with this matter, including efforts by some to amend or kill both motions, the Convention voted to approve BOTH resolutions on the Bible. Together, these resolutions present a clear united proclamation regarding the historic Baptist belief in the infallibility, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture.

The convention meeting was ended an hour past schedule with Randal O'Brien (an executive from Baylor University) using his Convention Bible Study time to explain that families sometimes have disagreements but each person still remains a family member. (This is not necessarily so in regards to local congregations and denominations of cooperating congregations of Baptist Christians... as pointedly demonstrated this week in the biblical separation overwhelmingly approved by the Georgia Baptist Convention by their expelling two churches for accepting homosexuals as Christians.)

So, where will Louisiana Baptists go from here? Hopefully, with a loving and consistent presentation of the Truth, we can continue to see progress back to the "Old Paths" of God's Word, which is infallible, inerrant, and therefore AUTHORITATIVE.

WHEREAS, Some have questioned the authority and sufficiency of the Bible; and

WHEREAS, Some have questioned the truthfulness of some accounts in the Bible; such as the first eleven chapters of Genesis, a young prophet's ax head floating, Jonah's living for three days in a great fish's stomach, and Baalam's donkey's speaking; and

WHEREAS, Some today do not believe the Bible is completely trustworthy and accurate in non-religious areas, such as, science or history; and

WHEREAS, Our Southern Baptist Convention has strongly and deliberately reaffirmed its commitment to the inerrancy of the Word of God; and

WHEREAS, In 1997 at the Southern Baptist Convention held in Dallas, Texas, all of our Southern Baptist Convention seminary presidents publicly signed a covenant with our churches committing our seminaries to teach and uphold the inerrancy of the Scriptures;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That we, duly elected messengers to the Louisiana Baptist Convention meeting in Monroe, Louisiana, November 16, 1999, declare that the Bible is the inspired, infallible, inerrant, and sufficient Word of God and is truth without mixture of error in every area of which it speaks; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we affirm the historical Baptist position that the Bible is our only authority for our faith and practice.