Many of the decisions facing the church and the SBC boil down to one simple question: Will we fear God or fear men? 

Some may decry such simplification as overstated, naïve, or heaven forbid, not winsome enough for today’s sophisticated evangelical culture. Yet I stand by the assertion.  

The history of God’s people illustrates this reality. To read the history of Israel in the Old Testament is to read a heartbreaking account of generation after generation refusing to submit to God and His covenant; a history of people who refuse to fear Him. Instead of enjoying the blessings from the good hand of a loving and gracious God, the people pursued worthless idols, set up blasphemous altars, and indulged in the worst actions of the flesh. 

A notable example of this sordid history is recounted in 2 Kings 17. As King Ahaz reigns in Judah, Hoshea takes the throne of Israel in Samaria. Verse 2 makes an interesting statement: “And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him.” 

The obvious question becomes, “What did he do?” It appears this means that he did not indulge in the same religious practices as Jeroboam I. However, he is still a wicked king for at least two reasons. First, he did nothing about the rampant sin, idolatry, and false teaching pervading the land. Second, he engaged in deceptive political activity forbidden by God’s law. Rather than pay tribute to Assyria, the region’s ruling power, he tried to strike a deal with Egypt. This invited the wrath of the Assyrians, and the consequences were devastating to the land.

But then the text offers a recap on the spiritual condition of the land. Beginning in verse 7, it says that Israel had sinned against the God who had rescued them from slavery. 

It specifically states, “and they had feared other gods.” 

They walked in the ways of other nations. They indulged in all manner of sin and rejected God’s call to repentance and faithfulness. They refused to fear God, and they “stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God (14).” When the king of Assyria populated Samaria with pagans from other nations, Scripture says that the people “did not fear the Lord” and thus God judged them. 

But here’s where the story offers a warning to God’s people in any generation. Those living in the land of Samaria assumed that judgment could be averted if they were instructed on how to fear the Lord. Sounds like a promising turn of events. A priest is enlisted to offer said instruction on fearing God and obeying His laws. But instead of correcting the problem, the people just created a gross perversion of pagan rituals and the rituals God had commanded. The text states, “They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods (33, 41).” God chastises them because the attempt to fear both God and false gods is idolatry. God suffers no rival because He has no rival. The people “shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them,” but instead serve the one true God. He is the God to be feared, obeyed, loved, and worshipped. 

I would contend that God hates fence straddling, the impulse to have one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom. An attempt to remain neutral, in the middle, is an attempt to worship God and the gods of this world. This isn’t the fear of the Lord but ultimately the fear of man. This is the double-minded man of Psalm 119:113 that is to be hated. We cannot vacillate between two opinions. We either fear God or we fear the world.  

I fear our Southern Baptist Convention is wrestling with the very same problem. While the intentions may be good, history is full of disastrous results that started from good intentions. Some of the most egregious theological errors in church history included appeals to ensure our message was “heard by the world.” I am concerned that a desire to have a “seat at the table” to facilitate our witness in our culture risks trying to fear both God and the world simultaneously. 

This desire has led some in our convention to advocate for positions that fail to adhere to biblical standards and harm the mission of the church. It has led us to capitulate to Side B arguments on sexuality, critical race theory, softening views on abortion, hesitating to decry the abuse of children in the transgender agenda, and willingly overlooking glaring theological issues, all in the name of “evangelism.”

I was in the room in Nashville in 2021 when messengers were chastised with fear of men, veiled under the guise of “testimony” and “witness.” “The world outside is watching,” we were told. We were obligated to pass these measures related to sex abuse because our witness hung in the balance. The implication was that our actions were required to assuage the expectations of the watching world. We were told that our votes on these issues would directly impact the effectiveness of our evangelism.   

We were warned by another prominent voice leading up to the vote on Mike Law’s amendment to the Constitution that it would lead to too much collateral damage, especially in ethnic congregations that use the word “pastor” for women. We were told they don’t really mean it like we think they mean it. In fact, it was suggested that those who favored the amendment were inhospitable for failing to appreciate the cultural nuance of the concept. We were further warned that making a stand on this issue would only lead to endless fighting over other issues. The argument was an obvious straw man and red herring; nonetheless, enough people listened to these kinds of voices for the amendment to fail to receive sufficient votes in the second year.  

The desire to see the gospel impact culture is right and good. However, this can cause a willingness to capitulate on biblical principles and commitments. It can be a subtle move that allows the foot of compromise in the door. Once in, compromise spreads like cancer. To keep our seat at the world’s table will always require conformity to the world’s principles. Ambiguity and a lack of clarity are not expressions of kindness and grace but a failure to truly love others.

Scripture’s call to fear God is unequivocal. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. We don’t begin our discussions and thoughts about how we engage the world by asking, “What would impact them?” or “What would keep them from being offended? or “What gets us a seat at the table?” We must ask, “What demonstrates a fear of the Lord?”

On every issue that threatens to tear at the fabric of this Convention (the names given to women serving in ministry, race, gender, sexuality, and politics, to name a few), we must submit to the fear of God. Psalm 147:11 says, “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.” For God to be pleased with His people, His people must fear Him. 

I understand the potential consequences. Doing that which fears God may not result in explosive growth, an abundance of financial support, or widespread acceptance and cultural relevance. In fact, doing the right thing often brings purging, financial difficulty, and disdain from the world. The metrics foisted upon us by a corporate view of ministry cannot be our standard.

Fidelity to Scripture, to the purposes of God, and to the betterment of His church should be our standard. 

To be clear, I’m nobody significant. I have no platform beyond the pulpit of my own local congregation. I have no social media following, no invitations to take the stage at the Convention’s conferences, no name recognition beyond those I’ve encountered over more than 25 years of pastoral ministry. While I do have SBC credentials (born and raised Southern Baptist, a two-time graduate of a Southern Baptist seminary, and have worked only in churches since my college days), mine is not a voice others recognize. 

However, in another sense, I could speak for thousands. For men just like me who have served faithfully for years, yet not in positions of larger influence. I might speak for others who grow weary of the latent Gnosticism that comes from some people in influence that suggests that the rest of us should just listen to them, to trust them, because they have, after all, “done big things.” 

I am grateful that others are rising to the occasion to recognize the seriousness of the moment.  I am grateful for the voices that do have influence that are calling our Convention to clarity, such as Dr. Mohler’s recent proposed Truth & Unity Amendment to the SBC’s Constitution to stop the spread of women “pastors” in the SBC. We need more of these voices and the voices of those of us serving in the highways and byways to be unequivocal in standing for truth, regardless of consequences. 

We also need new, faithful, and courageous God-fearing leadership. That’s why I am excited about the prospect of Pastor Willy Rice serving as the next president of the SBC, and I encourage my fellow Baptists to vote for him in Orlando next month.

The Bible reminds us that when God’s people are led by God-fearing men, they will be blessed. 2 Samuel 23 records David’s last words, which include this promise:

“He who rules over mankind righteously, who rules in the fear of God, is like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the fresh grass springs out of the earth from sunshine after rain.”

If we’re concerned about what the world thinks and what the world will see, then let the world see what it looks like when God’s people fear Him above all else.