You Cannot Paint All ABC-USA Churches With A Broad Brush.

 I have said before that I grew up American Baptist, and I have also said that I have found beliefs within the organization that are contrary to Scripture (see exposure here).  Yet, while it is true that any church or minister in association with ABC-USA is likely being unequally yoked together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14, to what extent the association is UYT, I don't know), not every church or minister within the ABC-USA network believes the same thing (which, on a side note, is an ungodly thing in and of itself, see I Corinthians 1:10).

ABC-USA itself confirms this in their article "10 Facts About American Baptists":

9 American Baptist Churches USA celebrates the racial, cultural and theological diversity witnessed within its membership. 

American Baptist Churches USA today is the most racially inclusive Protestant body. Represented in our churches are equally diverse worship styles, cultural mores and approaches to Scriptural interpretation. The resulting challenges and opportunities have made us stronger —through fellowship, respect, mutual support and dialog, all based on a belief that unity in Christ involves growth and understanding.

Firstly, this diversity of Scriptural interpretation is a slap in the face to I Corinthians 1:10 (KJV):

"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

This Scripture does not allow for "understanding" in order to be unified in Christ.  It requires God's intervention, as He promised in Jeremiah 32:39 (KJV):

"And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:" 

I have heard of at least two distinct styles of preaching and Scriptural interpretation, both of which are quite different.  The ABC-USA article simply confirms what I've witnessed.

In the meantime, if I am to "prove all things" (I Thessalonians 5:21), the individual church and the individual pastor must be examined.  If any believer knows of a local ABC-USA church and pastor, I implore you to do the same (the Bereans in Acts 17:11 are praised for this).  Their association with ABC-USA is problematic enough, testing the individual church and pastor will paint a clearer picture.

“10 Facts about American Baptists.” ABCUSA, 17 Apr. 2024, www.abc-usa.org/10facts/.