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Haggray, who is the first African American to lead DCBC, met with Reccord soon after taking office last August. No SBC funds pay Haggray's salary. Haggray says that two years ago the convention stopped contributing to an interfaith coalition that holds a pre-Thanksgiving sacred song service involving multiple religions.

Besides oversight of its funds, NAMB is calling on the district convention to avoid promoting cultural festivals that include non-Christian religions. "I value the interfaith effort," Haggray says. "I don't agree with [other religions'] views, but I uphold their right to worship without being denigrated and attacked. September 11 showed the failure to understand these differences can lead to all kinds of violence."

Dever believes the district convention has a confused theology.

"There's no personal animus," Dever says. "That's what I keep hearing from the DCBC, like somebody's out to get them. I don't think they have a good category for genuine theological disagreement."

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related news stories include:

Area Baptists face cutoff over stand on issuesSouthern convention would sever ties — The Washington Post (Dec. 12, 2001)

NAMB proposal to clarify SBC ministries draws criticism from D.C. Baptist leader — Baptist Press (Dec. 12, 2001)

Southern Baptists question joint witness in nation's capital — Associated Baptist Press (Dec. 11, 2001)

SBC leaders cite differences with American Baptists in rift — Associated Baptist Press (Dec. 11, 2001)

See the official Web sites for the District of Columbia Baptist Convention and the SBC's North American Mission Board.

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February 4 2002, Vol. 46, No. 2