“All I know about Southern Baptists is that y’all don’t dance.”  I don’t remember who said that to me (I think it might have been someone I went to elementary school with, it was a Lutheran school), but the statement stuck in mind.

A few minutes ago I read that one of my Facebook friends, another Southern Baptist, is taking dancing lessons with his wife.  It sounds great if you ask me.  He and his wife will enjoy the shared experience and their marriage will be even stronger.

 His post, however, made me think about who we are as Southern Baptists.  How do those around us perceive our churches, people, or denomination?  Are we relevant?  Do we address the issues we should?  Or are we just those strange folks who boycotted Disney?

 I’m a Southern Baptist for two reasons.  First, I was raised a Southern Baptist.  Second, by choice, I’ve remained a Southern Baptist because I believe our doctrine more closely reflects the Bible than other denominations.  If I thought another denomination to be more biblical, I’d join it.

 As Southern Baptists we have much to be proud of—a commitment to the inerrancy of the Bible, a strong emphasis on missions and evangelism, and a warm sense of cooperation among our churches.  We should be proud of what we believe and who we are.  The world should not think of us as the “non-dancers.”  Instead, it should see us as a group of people loving others and holding to our beliefs with all we have, without compromise, but always with love and compassion for the lost.