Jim Hamilton gave me a copy of the booklet Building Bridges by David Dockery and Timothy George which, I think, was written to encourage irenic relationships and a co-operative spirit to recent debates in the SBC. It is an excellent guide to the history of the SBC and how to affirm one's baptist identity in the context of a wider Christian orthodoxy. It is a quick and enjoyable read!
Dockery affirms : "A model of dynamic orthodoxy must be reclaimed. The orthodox tradition must be recovered in conversation with Nicea, Chalcedon, Augustine, Bernard, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, the Pietists, and the revivalists. In sum, our Southern Baptist Identity must be rotted in the consensus fidei of the Christian Church". In terms of mission co-operation he adds: "We need a new spirit of mutual respect and humility to serve together with those with whom we have differences of conviction and opinion. It is possible to hold hands with brothers and sisters who disagree on secondary and tertiary matters of theology and work toward a common good to extend the work of Southern Baptists around teh word and advance the Kingdom of God. We need a like-mindedness on first order issues - particularly on the exclusivity and uniqueness of the Gospel that is found only in Jesus Christ and in Him alone."
Update: Denny Burk has just notified me of this book by David Dockery which covers a much similar topic.
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