G. Frink's

About half of North Carolina churchgoers are Baptists, and for years have been increasingly divided against one another by the 1979 fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention.

On Nov. 12, the fundamentalists at Baptist State Convention of North Carolina meeting in Greensboro ended almost two decades of budgetary cooperation with the moderate Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Although the action was technically an end in 2010 to the channeling of funds through the BSCNC to the CBF, without forbidding member churches to write a check directly to the CBF, it was clear that the intention was further imposition of theological conservatism on the BSCNC.

Not only was it clear when the action was taken that a number of the remaining moderate churches in the BSCNC would leave, some of the conservatives crowed about that prospect.

The CBF is an offspring of the culture wars and the split was in a fundamental sense inevitable. Although, according to the Biblical Recorder, a financial shift toward the CBF was already well under way.

The CBF was founded in 1991 in response to the fundamentalist takeover of the SBC. It is a fellowship of churches which call both men and women into the ministry, accepts homosexual members and are otherwise tolerant. Not a denomination, the CBF doesn't own or operate divinity schools or similar institutions but partners with like-minded institutions. Among those are 14 theology schools and seminaries and a variety of independent agencies, all of which operate autonomously.

The big Baptist tent is still up in North Carolina, most fundamentalists say with varying degrees of passion, and almost no one in sight really believes that. Certainly not Tony Cartledge, former editor of the Biblical Recorder, who wrote:

The hooters and hollerers have had their say and won the day. They have declared an end to the toleration of CBF supporters in their midst. They have sold their Baptist birthright for a can of spinach.

Or Mark Mofield, pastor of First Baptist Church of Elon, N.C., who wrote:

There are going to be those who argue, as there were today, that churches can just send their money directly to CBF and negatively designate the SBC out of their missions giving. CBF churches are still welcome in the Baptist State Convention of NC, they will say.

They are lying.

Tensions are clearly already high. Division resulting from Wednesday's action will mean fewer opportunities for conservatives and moderates to meet and reconcile, and that will increase the intensity of conflict among Baptists in public debate.

This division may not be a new Civil War, but in North Carolina, the culture wars have entered a new phase and given the number and influence of Baptists here, that has broad implications for public life.

Stay tuned.

More fireworks to follow.