Southern Baptist Want to UnSouthern

My denomination is considering a name change. We have been the Southern Baptist Convention since 1845. But rumblings of discontent over the name have been felt for years. As of today I am not in favor of changing the name. Maybe someone can give me a good reason to in the future? But for now I offer these thoughts:

1. When did "southern" become so important? The word "southern" is the least of our concerns. Most any city of marginal size has a "southside" or a southside grocery or southside high school or southside bank. You can go to South Dakota just like you can go to south Florida. The word is not the problem. Perception of our denomination is the problem. Changing the name appears to be a way of hiding the truth. Calling a truck a Mazda B-Series doesn't mean it's not a Ford Ranger. You can change the label and make a few stylistic alterations but it's still what it is. People love southern cooking and southern accents. You don't have to live in Alabama to stir up some southern cooking, and I doubt your neighbors will turn away from your table if you offer up some fried okra and corn bread.

2. Where do we stop? If the name Southern is offensive what about the gospel? Or the cross? Are we really so seeker sensitive that we want to avoid anything that someone might find offensive? Do we want to give people in the community that much power? Will we stop reading words like sin and repentance out loud in our churches, like they are not in the Bible? Have we completely succumbed to the customer service model?

3. What about boasting? Consider the near miraculous change in Southern Baptist life. Yes our denomination started because we were on the wrong side of the slavery issue. But that failure has not defined us. We teach repentance and change through faith in Jesus Christ. The Southern Baptist Convention is an example of a large group of people who have experience just that. We continue to overcome the failings of our past. At our next Annual Convention we will most likely see the first African American elected president of the SBC. These are days to boast about the good that God had done. If we hide our name we hide part of our story. I hope we don't.