For several years, various SBC entities have come under fire for various reasons, leading some SBC pastors to encourage churches to withhold funds from those entities. For example, some have criticized the North American Mission Board for funding the planting of churches that empower women to preach. Others have criticized the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for its approach to abortion legislation. Still others have alleged that one or more of the SBC’s entities lacks financial transparency, particularly with regard to compensation of executive leaders.
Nevertheless, Iorg condemned the practice of churches financially supporting some of the denomination’s entities while withholding funds from others.
“This is more than an accounting challenge. It is redefining the Cooperative Program as a catch-all phrase, masking a return to an old approach of societal giving,” Iorg said. “This approach has been rejected by previous generations of SBC leaders as inadequate to fund a vast global mission enterprise.”
Iorg argued that selective Cooperative Program giving is “rooted in a worldview shift that has marked Western culture and unfortunately bled into SBC life. The problem is the fracturing influence of expressive individualism, the dominant worldview of our time.”
“Expressive individualism is the root of cultural developments ranging from obsessive sharing on social media to convincing children they can choose their own gender,” said Iorg. “It is the worldview which demands mass customization and at the same time fuels aggressive tribalism. Southern Baptists live in this cultural milieu and are being influenced by it.”
Iorg argued that “expressive individualism is theologically and philosophically antithetical to cooperation.”
“Cooperation means working willingly with people who do not agree with you on everything. Expressive individualism insists you have your way and only work with people who agree with you or will reward you for your individual choices,” said Iorg. “Cooperation means you sacrifice to achieve common goals, not leverage gifts to enforce your personal preferences. Cooperation means you surrender control to fellow Baptists you elect, which is an anathema to expressive individualists.”
Iorg urged Southern Baptists to “recommit to cooperation, rejecting expressive individualism and the inroads it has made.”
“We must reaffirm cooperation, not conformity, as the best biblical methodology for working together,” said Iorg. “We must reaffirm what I call the messiness of cooperation, particularly as we become more geographically, racially, economically, and politically diverse.”
“Yes, as I’ve said before, I am willing to cooperate with some churches I would not join as a member. I am willing to support SBC entities even when I have reservations about some of their initiatives,” Iorg said. “I am willing to remain in the SBC when we make unwise decisions at our annual meeting. And yes, I am willing to commit these years of my life to challenging Southern Baptists to focus more on God’s eternal mission than on minor denominational divisions.”
“We must reaffirm cooperation, not conformity, as the best biblical methodology for working together.” — Dr. Jeff Iorg @Jeff_IorgClick to Post
