Reports on First Night of the New Baptist Covenant Celebration

Marv Knox and Greg Warner report on the first night of the New Baptist Covenant Celebration:

"This is the most momentous event of my religious life," said an emotional [Jimmy] Carter, who at 84 has been a Baptist since he was a child. "For the first time in more than 160 years, we are convening a major gathering of Baptists throughout an entire continent, without any threat to our unity caused by differences of our race or politics or geography or the legalistic interpretation of Scripture."

The convocation-the first trans-racial gathering of its kind since North American Baptists split over slavery in 1845-fulfilled the prophecy of Martin Luther King Jr., [Mercer University President Bill] Underwood told the crowd.

"Forty-five years ago, a native son of Atlanta, a Baptist pastor, shared with all of us his dream: One day, on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners would be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood," Underwood said to sustained applause.

"Today, here on those red hills of Georgia, Baptists have come together to take a step in the long and difficult journey toward achieving Dr. King's great dream. After generations of putting up walls between us-separation, division by geography, by theology, but most of all division by race-a new day is dawning. . . .

William Shaw, president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, one of four prominent African-American Baptist conventions, preached on the evening theme: "Baptist Unity in Seeking Peace with Justice."

"You can't embrace the mission of Jesus and not encounter the reality of injustice.
He came not with actions of charity. He came to change. … Justice says we need to change the structures of victimization.". . . .

The convocation has brought Baptists to a "new moment," insisted David Goatley, president of the North American Baptist Fellowship.

"The New Baptist Covenant is a public witness to our common commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed," said Goatley, executive secretary of the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention.

Participants came to Atlanta "not to endorse things as they are, but to name … our failures to live up to the will of Christ," he said, noting the event also provides an opportunity "to explore networking and collaboration for ministries … particularly for persons who are marginalized."

"Welcome to something that has never happened before," Goatley added. "Never before have Baptists on this scale sought to cross the boundaries we choose to live behind-ethnicity, ideology, theology. Never before have Baptists on this scale sought to explore ministries of this impact. Never before have Baptists on this scale come together for cooperation and collaboration for missional ministry impact.

Bruce Prescott also has a post on tonight's events, and here's the AP story.   There's video of the day's events here.