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Editorial Review Product Description
With 16.3 million members and 44,000 churches, the Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Baptist group in the world, and the largest Protestant denomination in the United States.Unlike the so-called mainstream Protestant denominations, Southern Baptists have remained stubbornly conservative, refusing to adapt their beliefs and practices to modernity's individualist and populist values. Instead, they have held fast to traditional orthodoxy in such fundamental areas as biblical inspiration, creation, conversion, and miracles. Gregory Wills argues that Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has played a fundamental role in the persistence of conservatism, not entirely intentionally. Tracing the history of the seminary from the beginning to the present, Wills shows how its foundational commitment to preserving orthodoxy was implanted in denominational memory in ways that strengthened the denomination's conservatism and limited the seminary's ability to stray from it. In a set of circumstances in which the seminary played a central part, Southern Baptists' populist values bolstered traditional orthodoxy rather than diminishing it. In the end, says Wills, their populism privileged orthodoxy over individualism. The story of Southern Seminary is fundamental to understanding Southern Baptist controversy and identity. Wills's study sheds important new light on the denomination that has played - and continues to play - such a central role in our national history. ... Read more Customer Reviews (6) 
History is written by the winners
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859-2009
by Gregory Wills
As someone who enjoyed doing a Ph D in New Testament Between 1968 and 1971, I have watched from afar the comings and goings at Southern Seminary and the parallel events in the Southern Baptist Convention in the 39 years since I returned to my native land of Australia. During my time in Louisville I came to appreciate the diversity of Southern Baptist life. There were people who availed themselves of the freedom to study the Bible with the best scholarly tools in the light of the Lordship of Christ. Such people followed Jesus like their Baptist ancestors without the restrictions of creed or clergy, gender or government. They related to local Baptist congregations and participated in the larger Christian community. They ministered as witnesses of Christ in thought, word, and deed. They came to Southernwith hopes and dreams and left to serve with skills as preachers, pastors, lecturers, missionaries, religious educators, musicians, and social workers in churches, colleges, and church agencies.
Against this background I have read the Seminary History by Gregory Wills. I was intrigued to read the behind scenes stories of the last three presidents McCall, Honeycutt, and Mohler. The references to the professors I knew academically and personally were very revealing. There seemed to be little appreciation of their deep commitment to truth in the academy and to ministry in the church. The criteria for assessing them appeared to be narrowly confined to one somewhat strained view of the Bible. Wills is unaware of the distinction between evangelicals and fundamentalists beyond the shores of the United States. Wills does tell a sad tale of suspicion and almost hateful treatment of people who do not follow particular interpretations ofbiblical authority, pastoral leadership, sexual ethics, and calvinistic theology.
The move from an internationally recognised Baptist seminary to a regional Southern Baptist seminary under Mohler has been evident in various ways. For example, McCall like his predecessor Mullins served as President of the Baptist World Alliance. Mohler, on the other hand, has been part and parcel of the withdrawal of the Southern Baptist Convention from the BWA. Mohler presided over the demise of the Carver School of Social Work in 1995 because he failed to see the compatibility of Social Work and Southern Baptist Churches. At one stage, Mohler weighed into the debate on the use of inclusive language in the Today's NIV. Furthermore, the world famous Pastoral Care programme inaugurated by Wayne Oates and his colleagues in the 1950s was replaced at Mohler's insistence in 2005.
Where does all this leave the reader of Wills' Seminary History? Someone has said that history is written by the winners. Wills writes on behalf of the winners. I would advise readers to appreciate the research that has gone into writing the book. At the same time I would recommend readers to look at chapter 3 of Barry Hankins, Uneasy in Babylon: Southern Baptist Conservatives and American Culture (University of Alabama Press, 2002). It analyses the Louisville situation in the 1990s during the changeover of trustees and faculty fairly from both sides.
It is a pity that we Baptists cannot observe the sentiments of the much quoted precept: `In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.'I do like the story of the Kentucky farmer and Baptist deacon who would often pray, `O God, help us to remember where we came from, how much we've got to do, and how much we need one another to do it.'
A fascinating story with many lessons for today; I couldn't put it down!
I wrote several blog posts as I read through this excellent work, and I've reproduced them here:
1. Al Mohler on the Conservative Takeover of Southern Seminary
I've read about 200 pages of Gary Wills' history of Southern Seminary, including the final section on the Mohler years (I couldn't wait!), and I'm really enjoying it. God used James Boyce to perform Herculean tasks to keep the seminary alive in the early years, and faculty members like John Broadus made deep sacrifices, too. The seminary was firmly Calvinist in those days, as was the denomination, and the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy hadn't happened yet--so it was a dynamic quite different from today.
However, the SBTS of today is more like the SBTS of the 1860s than it has been in a century, a point the book makes well. Al Mohler is, humanly speaking, the major reason for the recovery of Boyce's original vision. Mohler performed Herculean tasks of his own, and every good conservative will thrill to hear how the wolves in sheep's clothing were removed from the faculty.
2. Sadness Over Southern
I can hardly put Gregory Wills' history of Southern Seminary down, and I'm willing to call it a must-read for conservative seminarians.
It was thrilling to read of Boyce and Broadus' doctrinal rigor and foresight, and it's been deeply saddening to read how quickly all their life-spending labors were co-opted by the "mediating" theology of E. Y. Mullins. How different our whole country might be if the SBTS founders' vision and doctrine had maintained control at their institution!
I thought this little paragraph about Mullins, who began his tenure right at the turn of the twentieth century, was telling and tragic:
"Southern Baptists relinquished Calvinism in the early twentieth century due largely to the influence of pragmatism, experiential theology, and a growing emphasis on the priority of individual freedom. E. Y. Mullins provided leadership in all three areas." (p. 240)
Wherever you stand on Calvinism, lovers of the gospel will agree that when it went out the SBTS back window into the bluegrass, a lot of good things went with it.
Incidentally, the way Wills tells the story, the conservatives lost the presidency to Mullins in part because of the sinful vanity of Boyce and Broadus' successor, William H. Whitsitt. Personal sin led to institutional downfall.
3. A Truly Great Line from a Truly Great Book
I'm still thoroughly enjoying--and receiving historical instruction from--Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859-2009.
I just got through the major fight liberal-moderate president Duke McCall had in the 1950s with a group of liberal-moderate faculty. McCall won, and because he was not viewed as liberal, rank and file Southern Baptists viewed his victory as a purge of unsound theology from the school. But they weren't quite right. Wills' little line at the end of this paragraph is brilliant:
"Herschel Hobbs's assessment prevailed widely: 'This was Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's finest hour as she stood in the breach and said to modernism and its kind that it shall go no further in Southern Baptist institutions and life.' McCall's purge had saved the school and the denomination from liberalism. The orthodox soon discovered, however, that it was not a case of once saved, always saved."
4. You Lie!
I finished up the history of Southern Seminary. I couldn't help it. It was a riveting read. I knew the conservatives would win in the end, I just couldn't guess how Providence would manage it.
The story was worse than I expected. When liberal-moderates realized that they were losing both the denomination and its flagship seminary, they embarked on a policy of obfuscation. "Obstructivism," Wills called it. "Lying" would not be too strong.
"Liar" and "Hitler" have the same pedigree in debate terminology. I've long opposed the extremist rhetoric--shouted by right and left alike--that resorts to either. The meaning of "lie" is specific and universally agreed upon: telling an untruth which one knows to be an untruth.
That's why Rep. Wilson (SC) had to apologize for his infamous recent outburst. President Obama, like President Bush before him, is certainly guilty, in a specific sense, of telling untruths. Someone who has to speak constantly, relying on advice from others, can't help it in this fallen world. But it's another thing to charge that our president knows certain of his words are false and utters them anyway.
That, however, is just what successive liberal-moderate presidents of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary did repeatedly. They insisted to their constituency that their faculty were doctrinally sound--according to their constituency's definition of soundness--when they knew otherwise. One even released a statement, signed by the five other liberal SBC seminary presidents, claiming to believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. That president subsequently told his faculty that, basically, he had not intention of honoring his words. He felt that any action he took was justified in light of his goal of saving the seminary from the fundamentalists.
Conservatives can be guilty of the same casuistry, but in this case they were the good guys. A fascinating story I highly recommend. And the final line was quite affecting.
A Magnificent Achievement
Published by Oxford University Press, historian Greg Wills' book, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859-2009 is now the definitive resource for understanding the history and identity of the oldest of the six Southern Baptist seminaries.
The research in these 500+ pages is groundbreaking. Over a period of several years, Wills combed through more than a million pages of documents. His access to recently-discovered records illuminates the details surrounding the crucial moments in Southern's history.
Last year, I read and reviewed William Mueller's book, A History of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859 - 1959. Mueller sought to establish a line of continuity between the Seminary's founders and the administration in the late 1950's. What Mueller tried to do, Wills actually accomplishes. Since Mohler has been president, Southern Seminary has been brought in line with the theological vision of the founders.
The book begins by telling the story of James P. Boyce and his tireless efforts to establish a seminary in the south. Boyce brought together the best Southern Baptist minds of the time: Basil Manley, Jr., William Williams and John A. Broadus.
The school's founding took place in 1859, just two years before the Civil War. The war would temporarily close the seminary and place its future in jepoardy. But the founders exerted enormous energy to raise the financial support needed to give the school long-term viability.
Wills charts the seminary's path toward liberalism. In the 1880's, Crawford Howard Toy, an Old Testament professor, was forced to resign because of his higher critical views of the Bible. During the presidency of E.Y. Mullins in the early 20th century, the direction of the faculty moved in a leftward direction. I do not agree Wills that Mullins should be categorized a liberal. Wills uses the term based on Mullins' methodology, but I would reserve that label for theologians whose doctrinal affirmations actually depart from orthodoxy. Wills is right, however, to point out the importance of Mullins for laying the foundation for the later controversies of the SBC.
The 1958 controversy, in which 13 members of the faculty were dismissed, is described in great detail. The 1958 controversy helps the reader understand the tension of being a left-leaning academic institution tethered to a largely conservative denomination.
The later years of the 20th century were filled with controversy, as the Southern Baptist Convention reaffirmed its commitment to conservative theology and sought to bring the seminaries in line with the prevailing sentiments of Southern Baptist constituents. Wills recounts the battle for the seminary's theological direction, expressing his agreement with the conservatives. Yet he seeks to portray the facts in a clear and objective manner.
Anyone interested in Southern Seminary or the history of the Southern Baptist Convention simply must read this book. I could not put it down! Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859-2009 is a magnificent achievement.
Scholarly, Yet Engaging
Institutional histories tend not to make for engaging reading, but Wills' history of the Southern Baptist Convention's flagship seminary is a welcome exception to the norm. Wills is both scholar and storyteller, consulting from over a million sources in order to present a history that not only covers the important names and dates but tells a very human story about the personalities who have shaped the seminary over its 150 year history. Southern Seminary is a unique institution that originated as a doctrinally conservative Baptist school, progressively incorporated liberal ideas throughout most of the twentieth century, but remarkably swung back towards its conservative roots under the administration of Al Mohler in the 1990s. Wills argues that the school was able to recover its conservative identity on account of its confession of faith, called "Abstract of Principles," and its inseparable ties to the Southern Baptist Convention. Though Wills is a professor at the seminary, he has labored to remain objective in his analysis and accurately presents the viewpoints of the diverse characters who make up the story of Southern Seminary.
I recommend this book for Baptists, Evangelical Christians, or even critical readers who want to understand the development of American Christian higher education over the last two hundred years.This is a book that people will be talking about for years to come.This is one of three excellent Southern Baptist history books which have come out in 2009 (the other two being James Slatton's biography of William Whitsitt and Thomas Nettles' biography of James P. Boyce). It's been a very good year for Baptist historical appreciation.
Intriguing Institutional History
Institutional histories often go unnoticed; this one is worth the read.Baptist historian Gregory Wills provides an insightful, in-depth, and intriguing look at one of the most important theological seminaries in the country.From its difficult founding in antebellum South Carolina to its contentious shift from liberalism to orthodoxy, the history of Southern Seminary mirrors the struggles of the Southern Baptist Convention through the years.Beyond baptist history, this book addresses many of the seminal debates in seminary education: academic freedom, denominational identity, and struggle for orthodoxy are recurrent themes.Wills is a scholar par excellence.He gives careful attention to the primary sources, citing frequently from an expansive breadth of original documents including personal correspondence and other unique documents.The result is a full and faithful picture of the lives of those connected with the Seminary and a careful catalog of important events and their consequences.Wills is fair but unflinching in recounting the many turbulent controversies surrounding the Seminary.The history is lively and engaging; his analysis is perceptive.It is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in baptist history or the pivotal role seminaries play in American religion.
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