The history of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has been inextricably tied to the Confederacy and her heirs for over a century and a half. Great pulpit expositors, as well as seminary professors that left their mark in the area of Biblical thought and world view offered service to the Confederacy, as chaplains and men of arms, as well. Therefore, it was a profound disappointment and excruciatingly disheartening to hear the anti-Confederate Battle Flag resolution that was approved by SBC messengers meeting in St. Louis on June 14. The resolution offended on several levels -- first of all, simply put, it did not adequately deal with the Truth of the nature of the Flag, particularly disappointing as Christians should place a premium on the Truth. The 800,000 men that served the Confederacy held, and always will hold, full title to that banner -- it is a soldiers' flag and their political agenda was nothing more than defense of their home. Furthermore, as the Fifth Commandment compels us to "honor father and mother", those of us who enjoy Confederate ancestry are bound to tell the Truth of our ancestors fight and flag. Finally, the tone of the resolution has the effect of intimidating the consciences of Southern Baptists into holding a terribly negative opinion of Confederate symbols.
All that said, the SBC is not a hierarchy; local congregations are in no way bound to the resolution. They may continue on as they have done, in some cases, for many years, in helping their community to retain its history and honoring the men that rebuilt their community after a tragic war and devastating reconstruction. Today, we call upon the great SBC congregations throughout the South to do just that, ignore this distraction and get on with the priorities of Gospel proclamation, building up of the fellowship of Faith and pursuing a witness of goodwill in the community. Untold numbers of these SBC churches, over the years, have cultivated great relationships with SCV camps by opening their facilities for regular meetings and special occasions, not to mention the cemeteries owned by SBC churches where the remains of legions of Confederate heroes lie -- these are sites for numerous memorial services.
Of course, in addition to the historical ties of the Confederacy and SBC, thousands of SCV members are also members of SBC churches. In closing, we call on our camps to pursue "peace with all men" (Heb. 12:14) by cultivating good relationships with all organizations in their community, particularly houses of worship, be they SBC, other Christian denominations or Jewish Synagogues.
Deo Vindice!
Charles Kelly Barrow
Commander-in-Chief
Sons of Confederate Veterans