This is Part 3 of a Gloriscope news summary about New Baptist Covenant, an unprecedented gathering of 14,500 Baptists from 30 Baptist denominations in Atlanta, Georgia, in late January 2008. We give details about the importance, purpose, participants, activities, achievements, and planned follow-up of this historical event.

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Published 10:40pm, Feb 02, 2008 in Minneapolis - London 4:40am 3/2
Buenos Aires 2:40am 3/2 - Jerusalem / Johannesburg 6:40am 3/2
New Delhi 10:10am 3/2 - Beijing / Manila 12:40pm 3/2 - Sydney 3:40pm 3/2

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit –
just as you were called to one hope when you were called –
one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all”
(Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV)

By Gloriscope staff

Basic facts about New Baptist Covenant

New Baptist Covenant was a meeting of U.S. Baptists from 30 Baptist denominations from all over the United States. Some 14,500 people attended at least part of the gathering. The gathering took place in Atlanta, Georgia, from January 30 through February 1, 2008. The co-chairs of the gathering were former President Jimmy Carter and William D. Underwood, president of Mercer University in Atlanta.

What was the theme of the gathering?

The theme of the gathering and its plenary sessions was “Unity in Christ.”

What was supposed to be the focus of Baptist unity?

There was no agreement on that. Rev. William Shaw, pastor of White Rock Baptist Church in Philadelphia and president of the National Baptist Convention, USA (a black Baptist convention), said in his speech that Baptist should seek to change the society to uproot injustice.

Dr. Tony Campolo, founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education, said that Baptists should seek unity by rescuing the poor.

Former Vice President Al Gore focused on protecting the environment and spoke about “creation care” in prophetic terms.

Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, said that Baptists should unite on the basis of protecting children.

Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell, pastor of First Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia, said that respect for diversity among Baptists was not enough to build unity and that the key to Baptist unity is love. She said that respect alone had no power to mend broken relationships, only love can do that.

What themes and topics were discussed?

The official list of themes was as follows:

1. Unity in Bringing Good News to the Poor
2. Unity in Respecting Diversity
3. Unity in Seeking Peace with Justice
4. Unity in Welcoming the Stranger
5. Unity in Setting the Captive Free

The gathering addressed some traditional Baptist topics, such as freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. Other topics were mostly about social matters..

Special sessions were held on prophetic preaching, the criminal justice system, poverty, interfaith dialogue, youth, evangelism, reaching the sick, peacemaking, welcoming the stranger (immigration), faith and public policy, sexual exploitation, race relations, HIV/AIDS, One of the special sessions was on HIV/AIDS, religious liberty and separation of church and state, and responding to natural disasters. .

The gathering was not discussing theological or ecclesiastical topics, education, military affairs and foreign policy, the 2008 elections, or relations between faith and science.

What activities took place at the meeting?

In addition to the plenary sessions, there were 32 special-interest sessions, sermons by white and black Baptists, worship music by black and Hispanic groups, and corporate Bible reading by men and women.

Who were the main speakers?

The key speakers in the plenary sessions were:

– Dr. Charles G. Adams, Pastor of Hartford Baptist Church in Detroit
– Dr. Tony Campolo, professor emeritus at Eastern University and founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education
– Former President Jimmy Carter
– Former President Bill Clinton
– Marian Wright Edleman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund
– Former Vice President Al Gore
– Dr. Joel Gregory, professor of preaching, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University
– U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (from Prairie Lake Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa)
– John Grisham, best-selling author
– Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell, pastor of First Baptist Church, Decatur, Georgia
– Dr. William J. Shaw, pastor of White Rock Baptist Church in Philadelphia and President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.

Another prominent speaker was the Rev. Joseph T. Lewis, president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and pastor of Petersburg Second Baptist Church.

The closing address of the meeting was delivered by former President Bill Clinton

How political was the meeting?

The gathering did not have a political agenda, said William Shaw, president of the National Baptist Convention.

The organizers kept the gathering away from partisan politics. Some divisive political issues were not on the agenda, such as gay and lesbian issues and electoral topics

Nevertheless, the gathering was Left-leaning because it did not include typical Right-leaning topics and issues, for example, abortion or biblical inerrancy. Moreover, the gathering was addressed by some very prominent Democrats, such as former Presidents Carter and Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore. The gathering was not addressed by any prominent Republicans, with the sole exception of Senator Grassley of Iowa.

Some people could have seen the gathering as propaganda for the Democratic Party. As one observer put it, the gathering was a meeting of liberals who happened to be Baptists.

Why was the meeting held in this election year?

Originally, Jimmy Carter wanted to have the gathering in the fall of 2006, but preparations to gather people from so many Baptist denominations took longer time than expected.

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This story is part of a series of news stories on New Baptist Covenant published by Gloriscope February 2, 2008.

• Overview: New Baptist Covenant: A turning point in Baptist unity?
• Part 1 — New Baptist Covenant 2008: Why it was a historical event
• Part 2 — New Baptist Covenant 2008: Its promise and purpose
• Part 3 — New Baptist Covenant 2008: Its topics and activities
• Part 4 — New Baptist Covenant 2008: What did it achieve?
• Part 5 — New Baptist Covenant 2008: What is next?

NOTE: The official website of New Baptist Covenant is at http://www.newbaptistcelebration.org

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TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!

Published in the U.S.A. Copyright © 4T4C News Corp. 2008. All rights reserved.