I received this email today from Homeschool Legal Defense Association:
Dear HSLDA members and friends:
The Southern Baptist Church is in the midst of a debate about the
suitability of public schools for Christian children.
The Southern Baptist Convention, which will be held this year in
Indianapolis June 15-16th, votes on resolutions which will be policy
for the churches belonging to the Convention.
A pro-homeschool resolution has been submitted by T.C. Pinckney and
Bruce N. Shortt to the Southern Baptist Convention Resolutions
Committee. This committee will decide whether the resolution will be
approved for a floor vote at the Indianapolis Convention. The
resolution instructs church members to either homeschool or send their
children to a Christian school.
Christian Education Resolution
HSLDA strongly supports this resolution.
REQUESTED ACTION
For Southern Baptist Church members only.
If you agree with the Pinckney – Shortt resolution please contact
members of the Resolutions Committee. These members need to hear from
Southern Baptists who support the resolution in order for it to clear
their committee and be presented at the Convention.
Homeschooling is growing rapidly and successfully producing mature
Christian citizens with a Biblical worldview. It’s time for the wider
Christian community to make the choice for homeschooling.
Please send this message “Allow an up or down vote on the Christian
Education Resolution.” Your letter could also include how your family
has benefited from homeschooling.
Please write, e-mail or call now!
Unfortunately, I had to send HSLDA a correction.
First of all, I, too, support the resolution submitted to the SBC by Mr. Shortt and Mr. Pinckney. However, you need to realize that the SBC is not set up the same way other hierarchical institutions are. Southern Baptist churches send messengers, not delegates, to their convention. The Southern Baptist Convention actually only exists for a few days each summer. Resolutions approved by any given convention are expressions of the convictions of a majority of messengers attending that convention and are not binding for any Southern Baptist church or for any individual Southern Baptist. Therefore, the Christian Education Resolution, if passed by the convention, would not “be policy for the churches belonging to the Convention.” Rather, the adoption of such a resolution would be an encouragement to churches and Southern Baptist agencies to support and encourage homeschools and Christian private schools.
This uniquely Southern Baptist polity may be a bit confusing to those who adhere to other denominations that have a more authoritative structure. Southern Baptists believe strongly in the autonomy of the local church under God and the priesthood of the individual believer under God No convention or Southern Baptist agency can tell the churches what to do. Local churches and individual believers decide their own policies with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, a large group of Southern Baptists talking about the Christian education of our children and debating a resolution such as this one is a positive development and should be supported.
Finally, the email address you gave in your email was wrong. The correct address (and spelling) for Rev. Wittman is;
calvinwittman@msn.com
Other committee members’ email addresses that I was able to find are:
Rev. Kelly Boggs brotherkelly@macvalleybaptist.org
Rev. Caton caton@cottonwoodcreek.org
Rev. Walker jwalker@biltmorebaptist.org
I did send an email to these men requesting that they report the resolution out of committee. I think it should be debated.