“I would ask all Southern Baptists to stop attacking people on a personal level, and please stop trying to score cheap points on social media by hurting others. All we have done is badly harm our gospel witness. Voddie Baucham is my brother in Christ, and he should always be treated as a brother and not an adversary,” Rice’s statement concluded.
Current SBC president Ed Litton expressed agreement with the statement, saying, “I’ll add my own amen to this statement from @WillyRice. We are better than these baseless attacks. Let us honor one another as brothers, sisters, and co-laborers in the gospel.”
“Thank you, Willy,” said former SBC president J.D. Greear, and fellow SBC pastor Dwight McKissic said, “Love your spirit. I agree.” Others lauded Rice in their responses to his statement, expressing that the statement was a strong show of leadership.
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Nevertheless, some found fault with the statement, including BNG.
BNG Responds to Willy Rice
In an article responding to Rice’s statement, BNG executive director and publisher Mark Wingfield took exception with Rice’s statement, as well as Litton’s endorsement of it.
Defending the opinion piece written by Pidcock, Wingfield wrote, “The problem is not that we’ve misreported Baucham’s theology. The problem is that it’s problematic for the SBC to be confronted with Baucham’s theology.”
“In truth, this is a conversation that needed to happen anyway, whether Baucham runs for SBC president or not. At last year’s annual meeting in Nashville, copies of his ‘Fault Lines’ book were handed out to messengers,” Winfield said, going to share about a pastor friend of his who is worried about the influence Baucham’s voice is having among his congregation.
“Here’s my offer to Voddie Baucham: If we’ve misrepresented your theology, please respond to our request for an interview and set the record straight,” Wingfield went on to write. “Here’s my offer to Willy Rice and Ed Litton: If you want to defend Voddie Baucham’s theology, I’ll publish what you write. You know how to reach me.”
In a statement to ChurchLeaders, Rice did not specifically address any criticism made by BNG but instead emphasized the need for charity among Christians who disagree with one another, saying, “Our hope is that we can lower the temperature of our rhetoric online and not attack people in a personal way.”
“Whether one agrees or disagrees with Voddie or any statements he may have made, we should treat him with brotherly kindness and we should desire that our words manifest the character of Christ,” Rice said.
Echoing Rice’s sentiments, Litton said, “Jesus told us that his people should be known for their love for one another. The New Testament also exhorts believers to strive to maintain unity and be kind and forbearing with one another. Southern Baptists are united by the gospel. We are also bound together by a passion for the Great Commission and our mutual affirmation of the Baptist Faith and Message.”
“We will always have points of divergence and disagreement on secondary and tertiary issues. But we must never sacrifice our character or excuse ungodly conduct as we address any points of disagreement,” Litton continued. “I was glad to affirm the statement put forward by Willy Rice because I believe it honors the clear teachings of Scripture and the heart of our Savior.”
This article has been updated to include Ed Litton’s comments.
