I love Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.  Back home in Lafayette I was often criticized for my love of this “chain” doughnut place instead of the local home grown doughnut shop.  There is just something about a Krispy Kreme that sets it apart from other doughnuts, no mater the flavor.  In fact I would like to put forth the hypothesis that Krispy Kreme Doughnuts can teach us a lot about the importance of a firm Baptist Identity.

Go to your local Krispy Kreme and take a peek within that glorious glass case.  You see a variety of shapes sizes and colors there, perhaps even what could be called a diversity of types.  But one thing that remains the same is that they are all Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  That identification is more than just the sign out front of the building, or that oddly hypnotic red glow when the doughnuts are fresh.  They are Krispy Kreme because they are made of the same fundamental ingredients, cooked in the same set of appliances, made by the same well trained doughnut making staff, etc.  Whether sprinkles or jelly filled they are all Krispy Kremes. 

There are fundamental elements that set them apart from a Dunkin Doughnuts doughnut, an Einstein Bros. bagel, or a Michelin tire. Though the previously mentioned items bare similar characteristics, they are not Krispy Kreme doughnuts and have little to do with each other in the overall mission of the store.  It could be said that Krispy Kreme is extreme in their views of what makes a doughnut.  It could be said that they are narrow-minded or exclusionary for not also selling bagels and tires since they share similar characteristics of being round and having a hole in the middle.

These arguments, of course, are ridicules.  Krispy Kreme doughnuts are what they are for very specific reasons.  These doughnuts are made the way they are because the managers of the stores fulfill the prescribed methods set out by their procedures that would best accomplish their goals as a store.  However similar logic is used by those who decry a narrowing of parameters amongst the various SBC agencies and continually ridicule those who call for a serious commitment to a firm Baptist (i.e. biblical) Identity.

There are core foundational principles that set Baptists apart from other Christian denominations.  These differences are not just cosmetic (the sign out front) but core values to how we approached God’s word, His gospel, and His church.  There are real reasons why we should commit ourselves to Baptist distinctives and not seek unity at the cost of Biblical Baptist convictions.  There is also room for diversity without compromising these foundational characteristics.  Some may have sprinkles of Reformed theology with a creamy filling of amillennial eschatology.  Some may be coated in a plurality of elders, or prefer the classic glaze of a primary elder view.  But those that (for example) seek to do away with the necessity of believer’s baptism as a requirement for church membership, or an extra-biblical view of charismatic gifts……well they might as will be selling 13” Radial Tires with that cup of coffee.

I realize the analogy is flawed in many areas, but all illustrations by their very nature are flawed.  There are real reasons why I am a Baptist and a Southern Baptist in particular.  We must not give up on these Biblical distinctives for a feel-good quasi unity.  We must reject the calls for “a focus on the primary doctrines” (since they seems to be always shrinking) that makes us feel good about ourselves now, but will lead to a degeneration of biblical truth. 

Despite all of the calls throughout the blog-world for a reshuffling of primary doctrines, I would like to draw your attention to Bart Barber’s Fifth Century Initiative.  Many of you have probably already read this, but I would encourage you to do so again.  This document focuses on real priorities for moving our convention forward, rather than on the rhetoric of demonizing our past and minimizing our doctrines.  We must get back to the Bible as our standard of practice, not the lowest common theological denominator as the standard.  We must get back to a culture of respect and service, rather than a culture of criticism and entitlement.  We must get back to being Baptist.

Peace be with you,

Bishop Joe  

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