Practicing a Third Ordinance

I have often said that “being Baptist is messy”. One could understand this statement about Baptist-ness in more than one way. Baptists are messy because we are an interdependent group of churches who value autonomy over hierarchy. (There is no One greater Baptist Church, just many churches). We are messy in our congregational polity, giving each member a voice and vote. But maybe we are our messiest in our historic toleration of varied opinions and outlooks that exist within a congregation, or denomination, of people. As such Baptists have been organized, in whatever fashion that organization takes, to appreciate the “big tent” of “differents” (different opinions, viewpoints, experiences and people) that we tend to be.

A characteristic that allows this to be part of both our heritage and our present is the appreciation for dissent. What is dissent? Dissent is an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity (i.e. congregation) or individual. (source: Wikipedia.org)

For example, when the United States Supreme court delivers a split opinion in which a majority of the justices rule one way, while a minority see the issue another – the minority are invited to write and share the “dissenting” opinion. In this way, if the ruling is 5-4 or 6-3, those in the minority are still afforded the opportunity to articulate another viewpoint, even if that viewpoint will not be followed.

In Baptist life this reality of dissent often exists within congregational meetings and votes. I will not forget one of my first congregational meetings as a pastor when two respected laymen voiced opposite opinions on some matter that was before the church. Each man was listened to respectfully by the congregation, then a vote was taken resulting in one man’s opinion carrying the majority. After the meeting the two men met and shook hands, as the man whose minority opinion had been rejected said, “I may not agree with you, but I will support the will of the congregation”. That is about as civil an example of dissent as you can hope for as a pastor!

The point is that dissent is part of our polity, part of our tradition and part of our means of mission and ministry together as Baptists. Some have gone so far as to suggest that dissent is the equivalent of a third ordinance in Baptist life, right after Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. It’s part of our freedoms. Just as Baptist’s believe in Soul Freedom, Church Freedom and Religious Freedom, we extend to the other the freedom to be wrong (if we disagree). I write that “tongue in cheek” but there’s some truth here. If I disagree with you, I can still extend to you the courtesy of listening to your viewpoint and allowing you to express it. I do not need to deny you the opportunity to communicate simply because we disagree.

This was often brought home to me when I served as part of a staff of several wise and gifted people in a Baptist judicatory position. It was not uncommon in our staff meetings for many voices to be expressed and heard as we worked toward common ground. Often, just as it seemed we were coalescing around some decision, a member of our staff would say, “Well, now wait a minute!” He would then proceed to offer a dissenting opinion. Truthfully, that opinion often carried wisdom that the group needed to hear and consider. Sometimes the dissenting opinion, if given time to incubate, might even have altered the conversation to such a point that it ended up carrying the day.

This is how dissent can work. It can both be heard, acknowledged and considered; and it can occasionally (usually over time) redirect thinking and action. Just consider these historic examples from our American experiment that, without dissent, we would not have benefited from as a nation:

• The separation of church and state (thank you Roger Williams)
• The abolition of slavery (thank you dissenting abolitionists)
• A woman’s right to vote (thank you dissenting suffragists)
• The Civil Rights Act (thank you Dr. King and others)

As you can see from the above examples, none of which were popular in the majority at first, were it not for dissent, the collective mind would not have changed. Dissent makes listening to another point of view possible. Dissent makes it possible for minority voices & viewpoints to be heard and expressed.

When one is in the minority, within a free environment, dissent is the vehicle by which objection and protest can be lodged. Dissent can lead others to change their opinion, join the opinion of the dissenters, and invoke change.

When dissent is discouraged, or not allowed, we risk the loss of voices who bring alternate viewpoints and insight, even wisdom. When a person or group is so insecure as to insist that all must agree with him/her/them, there is a danger of the autocratic scrapping of progress by process of dissent.

I am thinking about these things now because we are witnessing a rise of dissent in our country as things are being dismantled via the will of autocracy. To this point the minority group has yet to coalesce on how best to dissent. Perhaps it will be the people who show them? Dissent is being heard and felt in protests, public gatherings and town hall meetings, and across communication mediums.

But dissent only carries weight when it is allowed and valued by all, especially those who are in the majority or in leadership. Roger Williams was thrown out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony for advocating for freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. His views were labeled “new and dangerous”.

The suffrage movement in America started in 1847 in Senecca, New York as women and men signed a Declaration of Sentiments modeled after the Declaration of Independence. Twenty years later a suffrage amendment would be introduced and two years after that it was ratified.

In both cases dissent eventually found a way. Persistence, perseverance and a strong belief in the causes represented, drove that way forward. So it was with the American revolution – a dissent against King George and his grievous autocratic policies.

In times of oppression and authoritarian behavior, dissent is often the best available, sometimes the only available means of protest and response. But it requires people being brave enough to speak up and speak out. It requires involvement, even when you know it may not be popular, or lead to instant change. The work of dissent is often that of a long obedience in the same direction for a worthy cause and purpose.

Freedom has often been the foundation of such worthy causes. Take it from a Baptist who has lived amongst the messiness of congregational polity all of his days.

Daniel M. Cash © 2025