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Spiritual authority in Baptist life

Baptist History and Heritage, Wntr, 2004 by Walter B. Shurden

Where does spiritual authority lie in Baptist life?

First, for Baptists ultimate spiritual authority is to be found in Christ Lord (Mt. 28:18; 1 Cor. 15:24-28). Baptists believe Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, the incarnate manifestation of the Eternal God. To say, therefore, that "Christ is Lord," is to say that "God is ultimate." That is the Protestant Principle and the Baptist conviction. The goal, therefore, for Baptist people has been a Christocracy, the rule of Christ over our lives.

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Second, for Baptists, penultimate religious authority is to be found in the Canon, the sixty-six books of the Bible. Many Baptists believe that within the biblical canon, the twenty-seven books of the New Testament are preeminent. Practically speaking, almost all Baptists agree that the New Testament takes precedence over the Old Testament. Because Christ is Lord, Christ is the lens through whom Baptists read the entire Bible (Mt. 5:21ff). Baptists seek the rule of Christ (Christocracy) over our lives by reading and obeying the Bible in the light of the actions, attitudes, and spirit of Jesus of Nazareth.

Third, for Baptists the rule of Christ (Christocracy) is defined by the local Church as it seeks the mind of Christ through the examination of scripture and the leadership of God's Holy Spirit. While the Baptist goal is a Christocracy, Baptists believe that the best means of achieving that goal is through the democracy of the local church, not through the autocracy of a single individual or the aristocracy of a few individuals. In the end, the local church, not the ecumenical church, the denomination, civil government, or the individual believer, is the final arbiter of Christ's will for the local body of believers.

A fourth aspect of spiritual authority for Baptists is individual conscience. This is a reference to personal experience as authority and the right of the individual to follow God's leadership for his or her life. It is Luther's "Here I Stand." The authority of individual conscience includes the freedom to submit one's soul to the authority of Christ, the freedom to interpret the Bible for oneself, and the freedom to speak one's conscience within the local congregation of believers.

A fifth, often unrecognized and certainly informal but very real, authority in Baptist life is the charismatic authority of powerful individuals. While Baptists do not have an official "magisterium," as do the Catholics or Eastern Orthodox, we are unofficially subject to the powerful and persuasive voices of our preachers and theologians. While this has been the case in all of Baptist life, it appears to be especially the case in fundamentalist Baptist life and to some degree in African American Baptist life. While formally preaching the priesthood of all believers, Baptists have often informally practiced the priesthood of the priest, the authority of the pastor. However, the pastor does not acquire any authority in Baptist life by virtue of position and calling. The pastor has no constitutional authority. Rather ministers earn authority/power in Baptist life by virtue of service in Christ's name, servant leadership, and pulpit persuasion. Charismatic authority is not restricted to the pastor; a powerful and influential lay person may also be a charismatic leader for Baptist people. The person with the authoritative and persuasive voice can become a leader and informal authority in Baptist life.

These five C's of Christ, Canon, Church, Conscience, and Charismata work together to constitute a constellation of authority in Baptist life. These five C's help to guarantee that authority in Baptist life is DYNAMIC, not STATIC.

Walter B. Shurden

Executive Director

The Center for Baptist Studies

Mercer University

Spiritual authority in Baptist life

Baptist History and Heritage, Wntr, 2004 by Walter B. Shurden

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