L y o n (EBPS) – Pastor Etienne Lhermenault (Paris), General-Secretary of the French Baptist Union, has warned of worrisome theological tendencies. He stated in his opening address to the European Baptist Federation (EBF) Council sessions in Lyon on 28 September, that all churches “have a tendency to turn away from Christ, to reduce his importance as they elevate the importance of men, of traditions or institutional structures”.

In this context Lhermenault criticised charismatic congregations, “where the public reading of the Bible is surreptitiously replaced by lovely ideas that have little to do with Christ, His love and His kingdom“. He also sees objectionable tendencies among “some of our American brothers and sisters”, who have “given give up Christ as the cornerstone of Biblical interpretation, arguing that they were thus being more faithful to Scripture”. Many other Baptist congregations are in danger of proclaiming legalism instead of grace. They are “imprisoned in a stifling legalism that has more to do with the fear of sin than the freedom from the power of sin that the New Testament proclaims”.

Lhermenault also called for the development of a better liturgy. Some services using an out-of-date form of worship can only be understood by insiders. The result is a kind of “speaking in tongues that makes our visitors think we are mad”. In other congregations believers “whip themselves into a frenzy by singing the same short song over and over again”. “The service can look either like a commemoration of the dead or just a community sing-along”. Yet Lhermenault remains convinced that services can be celebrated in a joyful and creative style allowing for varying forms of expression, “where the people of God recall and rehearse the truth of faith, where they contemplate God’s greatness and His love“.

EBF-General Secretary Tony Peck (Prague) recalled that the EBF had been founded in Paris in 1950. Though tiny at its inception, the EBF has developed into a movement throughout all of Europe and the Middle East representing more than a million believers. A special characteristic of Baptists is their missions-mindedness: “Baptists are a missionary people.”

Denton Lotz (Washington), General-Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, underscored the significance of bilateral religious dialogue, not only within Christendom. “In Nigeria Christians and Muslims are living as neighbours, in India, Baptists and Hindus.” An official dialogue also exists between Baptists and Catholics. Lotz admitted that many areas persist in which we remain far removed from unity. We consequently need to speak about Jesus Christ, “the only one, who brings us together”. Lotz also noted that Christianity and consequently also Baptists are experiencing strong growth particularly in the Southern Hemisphere. “Some day these Christians will be coming to Europe and North America to re-evangelise us.”

France has 112 Baptist congregations with approximately 6.200 members.