Can Southern Baptists adopt elements of charismania and still be considered Southern Baptist?

Can Southern Baptists adopt elements of charismatic theology and still be considered Baptist?

How Southern Baptists answer this question -— prompted by recent debates about policies regarding speaking in tongues and “private prayer language” at the International Mission Board and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary -- may turn on the historical record.

Is there historical evidence that Baptists were willing to embrace elements of charismatic theology while remaining in the Baptist fold?

For Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, the answer is yes. The 18th-century Sandy Creek Baptists, based in North Carolina, held to elements of what may be regarded today as charismatic theology and were able to unite with Charleston Baptists, based in South Carolina, whose theology rejected such views. Both Baptist movements, according to McKissic, were willing to set aside their theological differences in order to cooperate together in missions.

To advance a similar coalition in Southern Baptist life today, McKissic convened the Sandy Creek-Charlestonian Convergence last December. About 100 Baptists and other Christians from about a dozen states attended the meeting and developed several strategies to gain acceptance of their views in the SBC.

In April, McKissic will host a “Baptist Conference on the Holy Spirit” to explore various interpretations of spiritual gifts in Southern Baptist life.

McKissic has argued for “latitude” among Southern Baptists on tongues and private prayer language in correspondence to various SBC leaders, as well as a position paper published to explain the rationale for the Sandy Creek-Charlestonian Convergence. In each, McKissic grounds his argument for religious liberty in these matters on the Sandy Creek-Charleston Baptists analogy. Among McKissic’s objectives is an amendment to the SBC’s statement of faith, the Baptist Faith and Message.

(Snip, press here for more details on Southern Baptist apostasy.)
By James A. Smith Sr.
Baptist Press