“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,” Charles Dickens’ opening words in his novel A Tale Of Two Cities, are uniquely creative, applying to any time or place. And the words certainly apply to today. Our world is changing so quickly that we often have very little time to think about the implication of those changes. The rapid economic, political, and social changes would be enough to keep any conscientious pastor occupied. But we also have to navigate the changes occurring in the religious sphere, especially in Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism.
Our time is the best of times for many reasons—abundance of resources, technology which makes communication easier, building on the wisdom and experience of believers who have gone before us. But our time can also be the worst of times—degenerating moral standards, confusing ethical issues, coldness of heart among unbelievers and believers.
Independent Baptists are often characterized by many adjectives, some good, some unflattering. But one adjective which we are known for in particular is the first word of this paragraph: Independent. I grew up in Southern Baptist churches, know very well the good and bad of Convention churches, and am glad to be Independent. Yet our independence is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, independence eliminates many of the association and political problems of denominational connection. But on the other hand, being independent can lead to isolation and unnecessary separation.
For many years, Evangelicals have been writing books and articles which Fundamentalists read. Several years ago I was visiting a Fundamentalist school and sat in a small church history class. The professor asked the students what books had influenced them in their Christian life. Without exception, all of the books mentioned were written by Evangelicals, not Fundamentalists. Some assume that Fundamentalists have not been writing books, yet that assumption would be incorrect. For many years, Fundamentalists used their limited writing time to produce books for Christian schools. Although some Fundamentalists have been writing other material, the strategy of writing for Christian schools was actually very ingenious since it was an excellent way to influence the next generation of believers, providing a desperately needed resource for Christians. Today Christian schools have many excellent resources, and Fundamentalists have expanded our writing to other needed topics and issues.
As pastors, we are familiar with writing. Since many of us preach or teach at least three or four times every week, we do a lot of writing. But most of this writing tends to be for the benefit of our own churches, which of course is our first responsibility. I have occasionally wondered why we could not share the results of our study, learning, and experience with other Independent Baptist pastors in our state. Not only would we benefit from each other, but we would provide a helpful resource for each other. This Journal is designed to help do that.
People like reading about other people. In my personal library I have many secular and Christian biographies which have been very helpful to me. One feature of this Journal will be interviews with pastors, some well-known and some not well-known. Some of these pastors have been in the ministry for many years, some for only a few years. Some of these pastors serve large ministries, others serve small ministries. We can benefit from listening to what they have learned, what they have struggled with, and how they have grown in their walk with Christ.
Although controversy is not unknown to Independent Baptists, this Journal will try to avoid controversy and instead focus on what can be genuinely helpful to Indiana pastors serving the Lord in increasingly difficult times. I hope you will consider writing for this Journal, and I welcome suggestions.
Wally Morris
Charity Baptist Church
Huntington, IN
