Southern Baptists' Political Activism Hurting Church Membership


	Seed Newsvine

It's actually a fairly recent phenomenon that Christian denominations organized themselves as a political bloc. While they may have held similar political views, evangelical Christians did not organize as a solid political force until 1980s. As a political force they certainly wield a lot of power and measured in this way the new organizational strength has to be considered a success. However; developing into a political bloc has its risks and the backlash is being felt, not in politics, but at the religious end. When a group aligns itself so tightly with one political party and one political ideology it is tied to the fortunes of that party and ideology. This is now being reflected in the largest American Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptists. Linked very closely with the far right wing of the Republican Party, they are now finding themselves tied to the fortunes of the Party. As the Party and right wing conservative ideology struggle with the unpopular war and economic difficulties, Southern Baptist membership also struggles. Membership declined for only the second time in the past 80 years.

Compared with declines among other Christian denominations, Southern Baptists' decline is slight. This decline; however, is more significant for SB's because they are among the most active proselytizers (preaching to seek new members). Aside from Mormons, no one tries harder and puts forth more resources to acquire new members than the Southern Baptists so their declining numbers are more significant than Catholics, for example, who rely more on birth than conversion for their membership. As they have narrowed their political and social views, they have narrowed their appeal. Consequently, as the fortunes of those political views go, so goes the Church's fortunes.

This year may be critical to the longterm health of the Church as they face the dilemma of a candidate they are not in love with. Despite John McCain's recent wooing of the social conservatives, he is not seen as a true representative of their belief system. He is jokingly referred to as the lesser of two liberals. If the Church leadership throws its loyalty wholeheartedly behind McCain they may find themselves gaining in political influence but losing members. It is a risky strategy to be so closely tied to one political party regardless of the beliefs of the party's nominee. Polls show that most Southern Baptists do not support McCain with a great deal of furvor so if the leadership continues its strong support its membership numbers may be negatively impacted. Oddly enough, this relationship was never considered significant as the fortunes of the Republican party were on the rise. The party's recent struggles may now cause a rethinking of this allegiance.

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