Discuss Theology

Wade Burleson: Open Letter to SBC

Since I’ve talked with him before, I decided to email Wade Burleson about the new IMB policies. He is a trustee of the IMB and a pastor in Oklahoma. He wrote me back with a very interesting email and now has offered an open letter to the SBC on the matter. Here it is.

I think I have the content and formatting in order (it was a real ordeal). If you find any glitches, please let me know.

This is an open letter, and I would love to see some interaction from other leaders in the SBC with their take on this.
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An Open Letter to My Beloved SBC,

The work of the Southern Baptist Convention through the International Mission Board takes my breath away. Some of the finest, godliest men and women I have ever met are right now serving us as SBC missionaries and are taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to people groups around the world.

I wish everyone could hear the reports I hear as a trustee of our IMB. Anytime you get an opportunity, attend an appointment service in your area. It will forever change your perspective about missions.

Having voiced my support of the IMB staff, missionaries, and the ever expanding mission work of the SBC, I wish to voice a deep concern about the direction some of the trustees of the IMB seem to be moving. Not all trustees, but many in key positions of leadership.

In essence, I am deeply saddened by the actions of the board regarding the new baptism and tongues policies.

Though I am a new trustee to the IMB, I fought hard over the past six months to stop the new polices from going into effect.

In essence, the new polices state that if you ever used a “prayer language” in your Christian life you are not qualified to serve on the mission field as a Southern Baptist. The former IMB policy , under which the IMB operated for decades, stated that a person who “advocated” or “practiced” tongues publicly on the mission field would be fired, but in the past, the IMB refused to concern itself with what a missionary did in the privacy of his prayer closet.”
Though I have some serious theological reservations regarding “prayer language” or “speaking in tongues” I fought long to oppose this new policy for three reasons:

(1). Christians have disagreed for centuries (including Baptists) on Paul’s writings concerning “tongues” and/or “prayer language.” I did not see that this issue is one that should keep a missionary, called of God, off the field, particularly since the former IMB policy was sufficient, and clearly stated that if you practiced tongues publicly on the field you would be fired. Why go further?

(2). The President of the IMB, Jerry Rankin, made it publicly known when he was hired that he had a “private prayer language.” Now we are in the absurd position of having the President of our International Mission Board not qualified to serve as a field missionary. This does not make sense. Yes, the policy is not “retroactive,” but if a person is “honest” about a PRIVATE prayer language, he will disqualify himself from appointment.