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ABSTRACT Transforming Views of Baptist Ecclesiology: Baptists And

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ABSTRACT Transforming Views of Baptist Ecclesiology: Baptists And ABSTRACT Transforming Views of Baptist Ecclesiology: Baptists and the New Christendom Model of Political Engagement Jason D. Whitt, Ph.D. Mentor: Barry A. Harvey, Ph.D. While most twentieth century commentators on Baptist distinctives note well the commitment to religious liberty, the context of the discussion typically treats religious liberty as a natural right secured through the emergence of the modern liberal democratic state. This view tends to interpret the concept of “religious liberty” as a univocal term throughout Baptist history, assuming that the meaning of this idea has been consistent during four centuries of Baptist presence within the Western world. Religious liberty has thus come to be understood as the securing of a natural right dependent for its preservation upon a form of liberal democratic polity. In this dissertation, however, I will argue first that Baptist conceptions of religious liberty and their concomitant views on the relationship between Christians and the state have not been univocal throughout Baptist history. In particular, I will suggest that contemporary Baptist models share significant foundational theological presuppositions concerning the realms of the secular and the religious with the New Christendom model of twentieth century Roman Catholicism. Second, having argued for the shared convictions between both models, I will then note the challenges from within Catholic theology to the New Christendom model and its failures, and by correspondence, suggest that similar shortcomings may be present in Baptist models. As a response to the critiques offered, it will be suggested that the church should instead imagine itself as an alternative body politic to the liberal democratic nation-state. This dissertation is therefore concerned with the development of a Baptist ecclesiology and concomitant social theory. Transforming Views of Baptist Ecclesiology: Baptists and the New Christendom Model of Political Engagement by Jason D. Whitt, B.A., M.Div. A Dissertation Approved by the Department of Religion ___________________________________ W. H. Bellinger, Jr., Ph.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved by the Dissertation Committee ___________________________________ Barry A. Harvey, Ph.D., Chairperson ___________________________________ William L. Pitts, Jr., Ph.D. ___________________________________ Barry G. Hankins, Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School August 2008 ___________________________________ J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School. Copyright © 2008 by Jason D. Whitt All rights reserved CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS v Chapter ONE INTRODUCTION 1 Purpose Methodology The Church as “Public” The Mythology of the Modern State Plan TWO FOUNDATIONS OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY 30 The Historical Origins of Baptists The Religious Environment in England John Smyth Thomas Helwys General Baptists in England The Particular Baptists The 1644 London Confession Conclusion THREE EARLY BAPTISTS IN NORTH AMERICA 94 The Life of Roger Williams Williams’s Liberty of Conscience Williams and Political Theory Williams’s Ship of State Implications of Williams’s Thought John Clarke—Physician, Minister, Statesman Ill Newes From New England Clarke’s View of the Church Clarke’s Defense of Religious Liberty Excursus on John Locke Locke’s Dualism and Natural Law Isaac Backus and John Leland Backus on Religious Liberty John Leland’s High Wall of Separation Government and Conscience in Leland’s Thought Leland’s Freedom of the Individual The Backus-Leland Tradition? Conclusion iii FOUR CONTEMPORARY BAPTISTS AND CHURCH-STATE 153 RELATIONS The Contemporary Context Theological Foundationalism Among Baptists E. Y. Mullins Southern Baptists after Mullins Mythology of the Lost Cause The Lost Cause and the Nation The Case of Douglas Hudgins Southern Baptist Theology Leaves the South The Modern Social Imaginary Conclusion FIVE JACQUES MARITAIN AND THE NEW CHRISTENDOM 197 Introduction The Primacy of the Spiritual Integral Humanism The Things of Caesar and the Things of God The Spiritual and the Temporal The Distinction of Planes The Democratic State Natural Law and the Human Rights The Common Good Maritain’s Social Imaginary Maritain in Latin America Gutierrez’ Critique of New Christendom Politics not Statecraft: The Critique of Daniel Bell The Church as Counter Performance: The Critique of William Cavanaugh Conclusion SIX CONCLUSION 252 Baptists and Maritain Towards a Baptist Ecclesiology BIBLIOGRAPHY 269 iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Most who begin graduate school do so with high estimations of their own abilities, only to discover very quickly that their success is far more dependent upon the support of a caring community of family and friends than they ever suspected. Such has certainly been the case for me, and I am thankful beyond words for the many who have been a part of my journey to this point. Simple words of gratitude are far less than is deserved for sharing this load with me, but hopefully they will make a beginning on the debt owed. I must first address gratitude to the Department of Religion at Baylor University for opening the doors for me to continue my theological studies. Not only has the department provided a rigorous academic program, but it has offered needed funding throughout my years of study. I wish to thank Dr. William Bellinger, Chair of the Department of Religion, and Dr. Bill Pitts, Director of Graduate Studies in the department whose leadership and commitment to their students have done so much to make the Baylor experience an outstanding one. I would like to offer additional thanks to Dr. Mikeal Parsons who graciously invited me to work each summer on the Baptist Bible project, providing both needed funds and valuable engagement with many of the significant Baptist figures who form my heritage of faith. Dr. Parsons has always seen in me more than I see in myself, encouraging me to be the scholar he knew I could be. I am grateful to the members of my dissertation committee: Dr. Bill Pitts and Dr. Barry Hankins. I greatly appreciate the time spent reading and commenting on my dissertation, assuring a much better finished product, though the remaining errors are my v own. As well I would like to thank the members of Dr. Harvey’s dissertation colloquium who provided feedback and challenged my thinking throughout the writing process. To Dr. Harvey, I express special appreciation. Throughout my time at Baylor, he has challenged me as a theologian, pushing my thinking, introducing me to a whole new world of theological scholarship, and encouraging me to imagine distinctly different ways that the church is to embody Christ in this present world even as it longs for the world to come. I have been profoundly shaped by his influence and will be forever grateful. Even as I was discovering theologically what it means to be the Body of Christ, the members of Dayspring Baptist Church were exemplifying this way of being church that is embodiment. They served as our family in Waco, loving us, nurturing us, and walking with us through the trials of graduate school. I learned from them daily what it means to be followers of Christ, and have been deeply formed in my understanding of worship and the life of faith. Mahlon and Melanie Tate have been gracious in-laws, offering their own support, sending reminders of their love and encouragement throughout our time here. My own parents, Danny and Sharon Whitt, have been my constant examples and heroes of the faith. From my infancy, they have pointed me to Christ and modeled true Christian commitment. Without their constant support, I could not have made it to this point. I can never repay the deep debt I owe to them. I can only hope to somehow try to be half the parent that they have been to me. Finally, none of this project would have been possible without the constant support of my wife, Maggie. She sacrificed so much of her own dreams to let me live mine. Without her encouragement, belief, and steadfast love, I could not have made it vi down this path. She truly believed this was possible even when I was not sure the cost was worth it. All that we have endured has drawn us so much closer together. She amazes me every day as a social worker, friend, wife, mother, and follower of Christ. May this and all that I ever do remain forever and always to the glory of God. vii CHAPTER ONE Introduction Whenever one discusses Baptist distinctives and historical Baptist commitments, very close to the top of the list is the advocacy of religious liberty. This commitment has been a hallmark of Baptist conviction from the emergence of Baptists in seventeenth century England to the present day with organizations such as the Baptist Joint Committee and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention advocating in Washington on religious liberty issues. Baptist historian Bill J. Leonard suggests that Baptists have been the “most outspoken advocates of religious liberty in modern Protestant history,” with the distinction of being “the first English- speaking religious communion to advocate complete religious liberty” for all varieties of belief and unbelief.1 Indeed, Baptists in the United States are quick to point to the efforts of Isaac Backus and John Leland to secure universal religious liberty during the formative years of the emerging nation. In recent decades, there has been significant disagreement among Baptists, particularly those associated with (or formerly so) the Southern Baptist Convention on how to best preserve and define the historic Baptist commitment to religious liberty. Yet despite differences in understanding to what extent the church and state may interact (if at all), largely for Baptists, the theological presuppositions informing their commitment to religious liberty are shared in common. 1Bill J. Leonard, Baptists in America (New York: Columbia University Press, 2005), 157.
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