Select quotes from Dr. David Currie speaking at a 2001 CBF General Assembly “breakout” session about the National Network of Mainstream Baptist organizations

Referring to the CBF internal funding and hiring policy which prohibits the “purposeful” hiring of homosexuals as staff and as missionaries, CBF Coordinating Council member David Currie states:

“Yes, there is a ditch on the other side of the track of liberalism.  It’s very real.  Its comprised of folks that really don’t believe anything.  And I see more of it than I’d like to see from time to time in places, [people] who feel you can just believe anything you want.  And that’s never been part of being a Baptist.  It’s part of the local church level.  Who you accept at the local church level is your decision.  That’s one of the issues we’re struggling with in this fellowship itself:  Do we need to define ourselves?  And I think we do.” 

Calling for the de-funding of the SBC’s International Mission Board, Currie states: 

“You can go to our [Baptist General Convention of Texas] new mission study committee report that’s just released that talks about the concerns we have about what’s happening at the Southern Baptist Convention and their mission program.  We studied CBF, IMB and the North American Mission Board.  Couldn’t hardly find anything wrong with CBF’s mission program. 

“I’m fixing to publish an article.  I’m very happy they no longer burn at the stake.  It’s going to be a nice article, but I’m going to raise the question:  Did the $14 million that Texas Baptist gave Lottie Moon last year keep missionaries from going to the field to tell people about Jesus?  Folks, the answer is yes.  The answer is yes.  You know why?  Southern Baptist Convention got $113 million in Lottie Moon Christmas offering.  The $14 million Texas Baptists gave was about 10%, but it didn’t get any more missionaries out on the field.  It built their reserves a little larger.  But if that $14 million had come to CBF, there would be another 100 missionaries probably out on the field.  And somebody has to ask that question.  Somebody’s got to ask that question.  If that money had been given somewhere else  --  and in Texas I have to phrase it:  ‘Or if Texas had sent their own missionaries’ --  But if that money had been sent somewhere else there could be 100 more couples out on the field telling people about Jesus.  Somebody has got to ask that question.  And the Mainstream Baptists are the ones to ask that question.” 

Expressing his frustration over CBF supporters who continue to support SBC missionaries, Currie states: 

“This discussion is touching on the heart of the real issue in Baptist life…  Baptists have been taught so much to love missions that that’s what’s keeping Baptists tied to the Southern Baptist Convention.  We’re at a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship meeting but there’s still a concern for Southern Baptist missionaries.  I understand that  --  I’m sympathetic to it.  But folks, were already two denominations.  And sooner or later, you’re going to have to say  --  ‘that’s not who I am anymore.’  Others who want to support that, I wish them well.  I’m going to do the Kingdom work over here, because this staying together is like a guy on a trapeze, and he’s swung out and he grabbed the other bar.  But then he decided to not let go of this one.  And just picture that and the agony of that…  And you’ll understand where a whole lot of Baptists are.  And sooner or later, somebody has to let go of one bar or the other, or it’s going to tear you apart.  But this is the biggest issue  --  it’s the biggest issue we face in Texas…  The Annie Armstrong [NAMB] thing is a little bit easier to deal with, there’s not as much emotion.”