The BJC issue - a Baptist solution

The issue confronting the denomination is whether to remain affiliated with the Baptist Joint Committee. Some of us disagree with the approach taken by the BJC, others to their positions on issues. Other Seventh Day Baptists consider their work to be an integral part of the Baptist commitment to religious liberty. The disagreement is fundamental. There is an approach that would permit each side to be true to its principles - and that approach is provided by the BJC. The BJC makes it possible for individuals to support their work.

One of the fourteen bodies represented on the BJC Board is the Religious Liberty Council. From the Baptist Joint Committee website:

Religious Liberty Council

The Religious Liberty Council of the Baptist Joint Committee is an association of individuals that works to provide education about and advocacy for religious freedom and the separation of church and state and to ensure adequate funding for the BJC. ...

RLC members receive:

• Report from the Capital, the monthly newsletter of the Baptist Joint Committee;
• RLC Action Alerts, informing you when issues arise that warrant grassroots action;
• Invitations to workshops and conferences.

All donors to the Baptist Joint Committee automatically qualify for membership in the Religious Liberty Council.

If the denomination withdrew from the Baptist Joint Committee, those of us who object to aspects of its work would no longer be implicated in them. Those who wish to support the work of the BJC could become members of the Religious Liberty Council. This solution would seem consistent with Baptist liberty - no-one would be forced to submit to a majority position. To support, or not support, the BJC would be an individual decision.

Source: Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty