Staff Articles
Anti-Missourianism - Saturday, May 31, 2008
During the debate in the 1820s about if Missouri should be admitted to the Union as a slave or free state, the Missouri Compromise was adopted by Congress that set a geographical boundary for slavery. That line dividing the nation would basically be right where the country split during the Civil War.
During the heated debate, former President Thomas Jefferson penned a letter condemning what he called "anti-Missourianism." He feared that the "line of division" that literally separated the country would soon "burst on us as a tornado" and result in the nation being "obliterated." He did not live to see his prophetic words come true just forty years later. As the two sections of the nation divided themselves from each other, a head-to-head conflict eventually and tragically became inevitable.
The lessons of the controversy surrounding Missouri's statehood, the Missouri Compromise, and anti-Missourianism are ones that Missouri Baptists should remember today. The division that led to sectarian and isolationist actions ultimately ripped the nation apart, and we are still haunted by the ghosts of that time.
Likewise, Missouri Baptists have been involved in divisive conflict that has led some to try and separate themselves from the rest of the Baptist family. Some Missouri Baptist leaders pushed the Southern Baptist Convention to leave the Baptist World Alliance, which unites Baptists around the world for ministry, fellowship, and worship. Other Missouri Baptists have worked to kick out churches and ministry organizations, resulting in lines being drawn between them and their brothers and sisters in Christ. It seems that many Missouri Baptists are tragically bent on repeating the errors of the past.
If the lessons of history are ignored, Missouri Baptists could find themselves literally cut off from most of their Baptist and Christian family. The terrible consequence of this perspective is that it could result in Missouri Baptists becoming unable to effectively share the love of Jesus with the many that desperately need to hear it in Missouri and beyond.
The Baptist General Convention of Missouri is working to learn from these past errors and avoid the current harmful attitude of division. The BGCM is a member of the BWA and excitedly supports its ministries. The BGCM joined many Baptists recently for the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant, which demonstrated a biblical focus on working together to live out the teachings of Jesus. The BGCM supports all nine historic Baptist ministry organizations in Missouri, and many other important ministries. The BGCM is working with Baptists in other states to improve ministry efforts here and across the nation. The BGCM is serving any Missouri Baptist church that asks for help because that is our mission and purpose.
Missouri may have been at the center of the conflict that ripped our nation apart 150 years ago, but the BGCM is working to make Missouri a model for ministry that brings Baptists together to share the love of Jesus. It is time to stop separating people and start serving them. Borrowing from Jesus, the President who dealt with the consequences of anti-Missourianism said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." The BGCM is taking such wisdom to heart by joining hands with Baptists around the state, nation, and world.
