Unity to sweep the nation?

Former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, former vice president Al Gore and the pastor from Gaza Strip stood before a mass of people at what was the first-of-its-kind New Baptist Covenant Celebration, a three-day gathering in Atlanta, Ga., Jan. 31.

Resembling a convention, it pulled together more than 30 Baptist denominations and groups from North America. With nearly 15,000 people in attendance, a variety of races and backgrounds were represented. The event provided a common ground for many Baptists scattered throughout the continent.

Although many major groups were invited, leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention chose not to attend.

According to UMHB junior business management major Summer Caniglia, who attended the event, the five general sessions had a wide range of talent for worship as well as three main speakers.

“Every plenary (session) had a preacher give a sermon, one Baptist person shared their testimony and a lay person presented a message (on) Baptist life from their perspective,” she said.

Not knowing what to expect, Caniglia said there were a few disappointments, such as the small number of youth in attendance.

However, she views her opportunity to go as a good experience and a confirmation of her religious choice.

Caniglia said she imagines the event’s influence will be great among those who attended.

“I think this had a strong impact. I certainly felt a spirit of unity, and I personally saw some healing of people who have been hurt by the ‘Baptist Wars’ in the past,” she said. “My prayer is that people will continue to keep with the promises they made for unity and cooperation.”

Associate Professor of the College of Christian Studies Dr. Carol Holcomb also was among the masses who attended the meeting.

Like Caniglia, she also found the theme of National Baptist Covenant to be that of harmony.

“The overwhelming impression of the meeting was one of unity and finding ways that we can cooperate and serve the world by overcoming differences in Christ,” Holcomb said.

The speakers were not calling for conformity but unity to accomplish important things for the Gospel around the world, she said.

Holcomb saw the diversity of the meeting as another noticeable distinction and said the powerful music by many local choirs and groups as well as several musicians from around the world created a good worship time.

She also regards the assortment of speakers as another contributing factor of diversity. She said there were presenters from Gaza Strip and Burma as well as all from around the United States.

Many feared the political leaders would have an agenda, Holcomb said  but they focused their comments on the issues related to Baptists and the Gospel. She  said the mainstream media was not pleased with Clinton’s remarks because they were limited to the meeting’s purpose.

In addition, Holcomb noted that of all the speeches, the most heart-rending moment came from the women of the Karen peoples. She said because the people descend from one of the first missionary projects sent by Baptists, it was hard to hear about the persecution they are going through and to know no one cares much.

She also said the pastor from Gaza shed light on the discrimination the church there is receiving.

As   for UMHB’s    Baptist   Student Ministries Director, Shawn Shannon, she approached the event with curiosity.

“When I first heard of it, I did not know it was controversial. It sounded like a healing of a rift that I watched begin while I was in seminary,” she said.

Shannon’s focuses for the event were to be a blessing to those around her, worship freely in the congregation and get what message God had for her.

She was unsure of the message, but Shannon did say the worship was excellent.

“I was not really busy being a something kind of Baptist or this or that. I was there as a child of the King longing for His pleasure. There was excellent use of Scripture, beautiful music, a wonderful receiving of the gifts God has given His people, musicians especially.”

Shannon said in her attentiveness to the subject, she is aware that if someone wished to find heresy, that person would find it. She wondered if universalism was to be taught there.

She intentionally chose a seminar in which that issue might be in question but she found nothing
“It was such a clear and consistent message of Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. And from that, I thought ‘Good, ain’t got no universalism here,’” she said.

Although all who attended from UMHB found the event insightful and a reminder for Christians to come together, not everyone viewed it as a positive move for Baptists.

David Roach, writer for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Baptist Press, submitted an article about the New Baptist Covenant meeting. Titled “Confusion concerning kindness,” it found flaws with the way speakers presented love and unity. One of his concerns was that if people object to another party meeting together, then they are labeled as unloving. He also wrote about some of his experiences while there.

“I believe that while Christians must be concerned with alleviating social ills, the main focus of the church should be on celebrating the majesty of Christ and promoting the spiritual well-being of all humans. But once again, that was not what I heard from all speakers at the New Baptist Covenant.”

He goes on to say during one of the small sessions a pastor said Baptists should accept other ways to get to Heaven.

Regardless of the other opinion,  Shannon said she can only speak for herself. Referring back to the sights and sounds, she recalls a continual equilibrium for the positive focus in the purpose of taking the Gospel to the world.

She said. “I regularly heard what I thought was an intentional balancing. For examples, (often) when there was an approximation for something that was related to social justice, there was acclamation of evangelism.”