An Historical Overview of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia
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LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY FORGED BY CONVICTION: AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONSERVATIVES OF VIRGINIA A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF A DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY JEFFREY R. PINDER LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA SUMMER, 2010 'Copyright © 2010 by Jeffrey R. Pinder All rights reserved. ii LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY THESIS PROJECT APPROVAL SHEET GRADE__________________________ MENTOR________________________ READER_________________________ iii DEDICATION This work is dedicated to the courageous men and women of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (SBC of Virginia). Their love for the Lord Jesus Christ, unyielding commitment to the inerrancy of the Scriptures, passion for cooperative missions, zeal for evangelism, commitment to the local church, and dedication to church planting blazed a remarkable trail that gave birth to a new state convention. Their faith and courage in the face of overwhelming opposition is exemplary. May God's hand of blessing continue to be displayed through the cooperative efforts of the SBCV. iv Table of Contents Abstract...................................................................................................................vi Introduction: The Controversy within the Southern Baptist Convention................1 Chapter One: The Origin of the SBCV Fellowship...............................................14 Chapter Two: A Step of Faith................................................................................43 Chapter Three: A New Convention is Born...........................................................71 Chapter Four: The Impact of Decentralization....................................................102 Chapter Five: More Beyond.................................................................................126 Chapter Six: Conclusion......................................................................................147 Bibliography........................................................................................................160 Appendix A..........................................................................................................165 Appendix B..........................................................................................................488 Appendix C..........................................................................................................489 v ABSTRACT FORGED BY CONVICTION: AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONSERVATIVES OF VIRGINIA Jeffrey R. Pinder Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, 2010 Mentor: Dr. Carl Diemer The purpose of this project is to capture the history of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (SBCV). The information presented in this dissertation can benefit other state conventions engrossed in overwhelming bureaucracy. The SBCV also serves as a model assisting other state conventions in reclaiming their convention‘s conservative theological moorings. The organization, structure, and example of the SBCV can help other state conventions in need of either restructuring or revitalization. This project reveals how God providentially guided the SBCV, and as a result of their faithfulness and efforts, the world and prevailing culture has been impacted by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Abstract length: 106 words. vi INTRODUCTION The Controversy within the Southern Baptist Convention The birth of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) took place in Augusta, Georgia on May 10, 1845. Its beginning was laced with controversy due to the steps taken by the Acting Board of the Triennial Convention in which slave holders were refused appointments as missionaries. This fact was realized when Georgia Baptists recommended James E. Reeve, a slaveholder, to the Home Mission Society to serve as a missionary in the south. Their refusal to appoint him led delegates (known today as messengers) from eight states and the District of Columbia to assemble in Augusta, Georgia in order to form a new convention.1 According to the official Southern Baptist Convention‘s website, Since its organization in 1845 in Augusta, Georgia, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has grown to over 16 million members who worship in more than 42,000 churches in the United States. Southern Baptists sponsor about 5,000 home missionaries serving the United States, Canada, Guam and the Caribbean, as well as sponsoring more than 5,000 foreign missionaries in 153 nations of the world.2 However, much of the controversy in the past thirty years has been fueled by theological differences, institutional bureaucracy, and educational infidelity. Since 1845, the Southern Baptist Convention along with its educational institutions and agencies continued drifting towards theological liberalism. Through the teaching of higher criticism, also known as the historical-critical method, Darwin's evolutionary theory (naturalism), rationalism, and liberal theology continued their 1 H. McBeth, The Baptist Heritage, (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1987), 381-391. 2 The Southern Baptist Convention, About Us – Meet Southern Baptists, http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/default.asp (accessed August 15, 2009). 1 unrelenting assault on the authority of the Scriptures. The historical-critical method grew out of theories proposed by two nineteenth-century Old Testament German critics, K. H. Graf (1815-1869) and Julius Wellhausen (1844-1918). These two men theorized that four sources, known by the letters J-E-D-P, account for the first five books of the Bible. The men used the J-E-D-P theory to assign various dates to the Pentateuch. David O. Beale summarizes the problem with the J-E-D-P theory when he writes In essence the historical-critical method assumes that the Bible is not a trustworthy and straightforward record which God revealed to "holy men" who "spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (II Peter 1:21). [And] If one accepts the historical-critical method, then the historical accuracy of the Bible is out of the question; Moses could not have written the Pentateuch, even though Christ Himself ascribes it to him.3 This constant erosion became a crucial battle-cry for conservative Baptists. The uprising eventually ignited into a raging wildfire of criticism and controversy. The average lay-person within Southern Baptist life was ignorant of the changes taking place within their institutions and national leadership. The challenge to biblical authority found a home within the hallowed halls of the Baptist seminaries and colleges. The educational system provided a fertile environment for liberal professors and seminary trustees to add credence to the notion that the Bible was simply a man-made book. As a result, the seminaries and colleges increasingly produced pastors and ministry leaders who questioned the accuracy of the Scriptures. In light of this liberal drift, it is interesting to note that the SBC operates several of the largest seminaries in the world, two to which, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS), were originally "established as staunch, 3 David O. Beale, S.B.C. House on the Sand? Critical Issues for Southern Baptist, (Greenville: Unusual Publications, 1985), 6-7. 2 conservative institutions."4 One does not have to look far to find the scholarly and theologically conservative giants who resided at these two schools. "The four original faculty members [at SBTS] -- James P. Boyce, John A. Broadus, Basil Manly, Jr., and William Williams . stood adamantly for the full inspiration, total inerrancy, and absolute authority of the Scriptures."5 Benajah Harvey Carroll (1843-1914) was the founder of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His writings depict a man who "held staunchly to the verbal, plenary inspiration, full inerrancy, and absolute authority of the complete Bible."6 However, it did not take long for each school to begin to welcome liberal speakers to its campus and to embrace liberal teaching within the classroom. Because the four other theological seminaries, New Orleans, Golden Gate, Midwestern, and Southeastern, were formed at a later date, they were all founded with a definite propensity toward theological liberalism.7 During the 1960's, the Elliott controversy along with several words and/or phrases within The Baptist Faith and Message gave credence to the fact that theological liberalism had taken root. In 1961, Broadman Press published a little book by Ralph H. Elliott entitled, The Message of Genesis. The book approached Genesis from an historical-critical point of view. Elliott espoused that "Genesis is not science. In the material attributed to J and P, the early writers were in no way trying to give a scientific or literal explanation. The stories are what Alan Richardson called parables – ‗parables 4 David O. Beale, 21. 5 Ibid., 22. 6 Ibid., 51. 7 Ibid., 59-83. 3 of nature and man in order to convey deep religious insight."'8 It is also interesting to note that the book was written at the suggestion of individuals at the Baptist Sunday School Board. Opposition to the book was immediate and far reaching. The book was used as a vehicle to clearly demonstrate how deep theological liberalism had penetrated the ranks of Southern Baptist life, its leadership, and educational institutions. This theological controversy would later prove to be a major crisis for the Southern Baptist Convention. The wording of The Baptist Faith and Message (1963) continued to provide a convenient