The Freedom and Responsibility of the Baptist Individual to Engage in Serving

The Freedom and Responsibility of the Baptist Individual to Engage in Serving

Robert E. JOHNSON

Historically, Baptists have been a people of dreams. Dreamers long to correct the things that are wrong. They stand in contrast to power holders, who want to keep things the way they are because they benefit from the status quo. Baptist heritage includes the sacrificial service of individuals and communities whose lives have embodied the things dreamed. Christian service takes place as part of a complex interplay between power and dreams. Each Baptist body has the tendency to feel certain that the theological interpretative intentionality it employs is the right one and also feels certain that its own convictions would be embraced by any other true believer if he or she were genuinely enlightened by God's truth. This article treats the difficult side of service — service that complicates the life of the servant, that is not easily or quickly resolved , that costs the server, that often hurts, that does not always end the way the servant imagined or hoped. Serving God requires dreams (or vision) greater than ourselves. Service can mean running up against power holders intent on maintaining a status quo that perpetuates evil. Serving requires that we be clear about whom we serve above all else (discipleship) and why we are doing what we do (vision or dreams).