The organization sponsoring an upcoming historic pan-Baptist gathering has told two gay-friendly Baptist groups they cannot participate in an official capacity.

The North American Baptist Fellowship, under whose auspices next year's "Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant" is being held, has informed the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists and the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America that they cannot join NABF. Therefore, they cannot be official participants in the event.

"This is not a rejection of either organization or the people in those organization[s]," wrote Alan Stanford, general secretary of the NABF, in a July 18 e-mail alerting leaders of the two groups to NABF's decision. "[I]t is a recognition that we can not hold together the large coalition of Baptists needed to create a new Baptist voice in North America and address the issue of sexual orientation at the same time. We ask for your forbearance and understanding." [    ]

But Ken Pennings, executive director of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, said organizers are ignoring one of the biggest social-justice issues by avoiding the controversial topic of sexuality and the church.

"This sort of thing ought not to go on in Christ's church," he said in an e-mail responding to Stanford. "Here we are at a critical juncture when Baptists of all stripes are coming together to take a strong stand for justice for all of God's children, and the very people in American society being scapegoated and marginalized the most ... are not going to be invited to participate." [     ]

But Pennings said such an attitude betrays the purpose and name of the celebration itself. "This really is more like the Old Covenant than the New Covenant," he said July 23. "Why would we want to participate in this? There's nothing new about this; it's the same old exclusion."