By Harold Segura
“Every man’s conscience must be free,
even if it differs in its view of God or truth”
Roger Williams (1603-1683).
In the final part of his brief, decisive text, Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms, Walter B. Shurden affirms that Baptist principles (beyond other temporary and often anachronistic statements of faith) are more necessary today than ever.
“The world has not outgrown the need for Baptist principles. There has never been a greater need for them than there is today. Our principles have not yet manifested themselves with all the force that is in them. New light and power are about to blossom before them in the days to come. Release them and let them go.”
He refers to what he calls the four fragile freedoms—Bible freedom, soul freedom (freedom of conscience), church freedom and religious freedom.
The first of these, biblical freedom, refers to the fact that each individual has the right and responsibility to interpret the Scriptures for himself or herself, guided by the Holy Spirit. This freedom rejects the imposition of official interpretations by ecclesiastical or state authorities, underlining the principle of free examination of the Bible.
The second, soul freedom, declares the right of each person to exercise his or her own faith and convictions without coercion. This includes religious freedom for all, not just Baptists. And it is linked to the principle of separation of church and state.
The third, church freedom, emphasizes that each local church is autonomous in its governance and decision-making, free from external control by ecclesiastical hierarchies or institutions. This implies that congregations have the responsibility to organize their worship, ministry and mission according to their collective understanding of God’s call.
And lastly, religious freedom, which holds that all people should be free to worship their own God (or not) according to their own convictions, without interference from the government or other external powers. It is a defense of religious pluralism and the non-imposition of religion by the state.
In other words, in these four freedoms, there is the Christian assertion and affirmation for a world (not only for a church) free of dogmatic impositions and free of discrimination—a world without centralization of power, whether political or religious—a world that encourages respect for diversity and protects the rights of minorities against the political or religious absolutism of majorities.
These are principles of liberty, even though they have been endorsed and desseminated by Baptists, that go beyond denomination itself. They are liberties that are Christian and evangelical in the broadest sense of those terms.
There is a need for alternative communities in a world trapped by political totalitarianism, religious fanaticism, ideological fundamentalism and, most devastating, nationalist capitalism.
Communities that live their faith as protest, illuminating a social life with models of humanized coexistence and firm convictions, bear witness to freedom, inclusion, justice, peace and tolerance.
That is precisely the core of these Baptist freedoms (which are indeed fragile, by the way), proclaimed by early Baptists more than 400 years ago. These freedoms are profoundly biblical and should belong to the entire Christian world with their broad universality or catholicity.
From the above, an inevitable question arises: Why have those of us who still identify as Baptist chosen, in practice, to ignore these freedoms? Why have we stubbornly clung to an archaic faith that has little of freedom and too much of traditionalism?
Having reflected on this for many years (since my first blessed experience of being a pastor in Cali, Colombia (1980-1995)), I believe that in order to be a good and principled Baptist today, it is necessary to challenge the traditions that limit us. In other words, it is necessary to risk looking bad from the perspective of the institutional denomination in order to be faithful to the Gospel.
What is required, then, is to live out the Baptist spirit with authenticity, even if that means leaving behind the empty forms of Bapitst tradition—or to be a “bad” Baptist (allow me this rhetorical play on words) in order to be an “authentic” Baptist.
It’s an authenticity that has to do with living in solidarity with freedom. Being an authentic Baptist today is all about being free and proclaiming freedom—even in the midst of a world that imposes silence, conformity and subordination with systems that oppress diversity and personal autonomy.
To be Baptist then is to resist these impositions, to raise our voices in defense of human dignity and to live a faith that not only proclaims but also embodies justice, equality and mutual respect. It is a call to witness to the freedom that Christ bestows, defending not only our own freedom, but also that of others, especially those whose voices have been muffled by oppression. To be free in Christ is to be an active advocate for freedom for all!
Pastor and theologian Harold Segura is Colombian, based in Costa Rica. He is the director of Faith and Development at World Vision in Latin America and the Caribbean and the author of several books. Previously, he was dean of the International Baptist Theological Seminary of Colombia.