Liberalism at Southern Seminary

I am not Southern Baptist. I have never been Southern Baptist. I never intend to be Southern Baptist. However, I appreciate that of all the larger and mainline denominations in the United States, it seems only the Southern Baptist Convention has successfully pushed back against theological liberalism in any meaningful way.

In “The Conservative Resurgence and Southern Baptist Seminary,” Mark Terry sheds some personal light on what he experienced during his early tenure as a teacher at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. It is inconceivable that it had been allowed to get so bad, but perhaps more unbelievable that the conservatives in the SBC were able to oust the liberals from Southern.[i]

A few examples:

“He reported that he was the only student of ten who believed in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. The professor himself did not believe in the physical resurrection of Christ.”

“The faculty members who studied at Southern in the 1980s shared experiences from their student days. One reported that he kept a running count of the curse words one professor uttered in class. He stopped counting at 152.”

“…one of the ethics professors often spoke at abortion rights rallies and made pro-abortion statements on local television.”

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[i] I suspect, as happens in most things like this in religion and politics, that some “liberals” turned “conservative” as the tide was turning.

The Law Amendment

On April 24th, I posted about Southern Baptists and The Law Amendment. In a vote taken at the SBC meeting Wednesday June 12, 2024, the Law Amendment failed. A majority of the messengers of the Convention voted for it – 61.45% to 38.38% – but it failed to reach the required 2/3 majority.

This represents a major division in sentiment of the churches (at least the messengers) of the Southern Baptist Convention. Over 60% of the assembled messengers believe that only churches that affirm, appoint, or employ only men as any kind of pastor or elder should be members of the Southern Baptist Convention. Yet not quite enough to enshrine it in the governing documents. This may not bode well for the future harmony of the body.

Southern Baptists and The Law Amendment

In a post on March 1, I mentioned that though I am not Southern Baptist, I recognize and understand that the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is the largest and most influential body of Baptists in the United States. This Convention is more often in the news than any other body of Baptists. In the minds of many Americans, what Southern Baptists believe and practice is what Baptists believe and practice. For that reason, as an outsider I sometimes address issues specific to the SBC. An SBC issue in the news, as well as lighting up YouTube, blogs and X posts, is what is called the “Law Amendment.”[i]

This is a proposed amendment to the SBC Constitution, Article 3, Paragraph 1, which defines the makeup or composition of the Convention, including what kind of churches can be deemed in “friendly cooperation” with the Convention. The amendment proposes a sixth affirmation clarifying such cooperating churches.

The Convention will only deem a church to be in friendly cooperation with the Convention, and sympathetic with its purposes and work (i.e., a “cooperating” church as that term is used in the Convention’s governing documents) which…6. Affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture. [bolded portion is the proposed amendment]

The intent of the amendment is to exclude from the SBC churches that have female pastors.[ii] The use of the word “pastor” by churches in the SBC may range from the main preaching pastor to a woman who is the “pastor” overseeing the nursery program. For many it becomes an opportune word rather than a biblical word.

In February of 2023, the SBC Executive Committee voted to remove from its ranks the prominent Saddleback Church founded by progressive Rick Warren for having a female teaching pastor functioning in the office of pastor. In June the messengers of the Convention rejected Warren’s appeal and sustained the vote of the Executive Committee. At this time they also passed the first approval of the “Law Amendment.” It seems that the amendment intends totake the decision to oust a church out of being a subjective case-by-case decision made by the Executive Committee to being one firmly founded in the Constitution itself.

Proponents of the amendment argue that it will stabilize the convention “and guard us from the drift toward liberalism.” Opponents offer all sorts of arguments, from parliamentary matters to at least a light defense of women in pastoral roles as long as they are not “senior pastors.”[iii] They claim there is no “drift toward liberalism.” As an outsider looking in, it is my opinion that the “Conservative Resurgence” was not as much Conservative or Resurgence as either defenders or detractors of it like to think.[iv] Regardless, conservatism must be continually reasserted and reapplied. Often liberals simply duck down in their holes until the time seems right to pop their heads back up.

Some links with information about the controversy (pro & con):

• Can Anything Clear Come Out of Confusion? The Self-Contradiction, Omission, and Myopia of the Law Amendment -- “For the Law Amendment to be taken seriously, all supposed improper uses of the title should be addressed.”
• Can’t we all just get along in the SBC? -- “The SBC has no official power over any congregation, for better or for worse. The SBC does, however, have power to determine its own composition.”
• How Many Female Pastors are in the SBC? -- “The information collected is all publicly available. We checked every church against official SBC listings.”
• Letter: A Call to Keep Our Unity -- “The signatories to this letter join me in urging you to recommend the above amendment at the 2023 annual meeting. This action will bring clarity to the current confusion in our Convention...”
• Open Letter to Baptist Women -- “Even today, men are taking actions against women who are ministering, leading, and pastoring to spread the love and grace of Jesus Christ. They are wrong.”
• Responding to Opposition to the Law Amendment -- “The amendment simply clarifies what our Constitution already provides—that Southern Baptists wish to cooperate with churches that call biblically qualified men as pastors.”
• The State of the SBC -- “The question is going forward, do we want to have to consider every one of these things on a case-by-case basis? Because, I think the answer to that has to be no.”

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[i] So-called because it was proposed by Mike Law, pastor of Arlington Baptist Church, Arlington, Virginia. As of 31 January 2023, a letter from Law about the amendment had gained over 2000 supporting signatures from SBC pastors and professors. I do not know its current status, numerically.

[iii] It is my understanding that this amendment was passed by the SBC messengers in June 2023, and that the constitution requires a second vote – that is, an amendment must be approved by 23 of the messenger in two consecutive annual meetings of the Convention.

[iii] Whatever that is. It is nothing, biblically speaking.
[iv] And certainly not a “takeover,” as the opposition grumbles. In 1978, the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and other entities sponsored a forum called the Consultation on Women in Church-Related Vocations. Now in 2023-24, after some perhaps 40 years of so-called “takeover,” the SBC is dealing with the fallout of women in church-related vocations (particularly ordained ones).

Credential Creep, Credentialism, and False Credentials

Top Southern Baptist Convention news this past week probably is the resignation of Willie McLaurin from interim president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee. I first read about it at Baptist News Global, a liberal news and opinion site that gleefully reports any foibles of the convention and skewers them for it.

McLaurin, interim president and considered most likely to be hired for the permanent post, resigned August 17th. He resigned because of the finding that he had falsified information on his resumé. His resumé included earned degrees from North Carolina Central University, Duke University Divinity School, and Hood Theological Seminary – all of which were false (as well as a claim of military service).

Previously, McLaurin had served 15 years on the staff of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, as well as a pastor at Greater Missionary Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tennessee, and pastor Greater Hope Baptist Church in Union City, Tennessee. He was elected to serve on the SBC Executive Committee staff in 2020. In 2022, after the departure of EC president Ronnie Floyd, he became the interim president of the Executive Committee.

All this lengthy introduction to make a few related points.

From what I have read about Willie McLaurin, he is a hard-working, personable man – a really nice guy that people like. Many Southern Baptists thought he was doing a great job as EC interim president, and were rooting for him to be elected to the permanent post. Nevertheless, he chose a false way to rise to the top. He lied. He falsified records. “Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.”

I think we all can agree that falsifying a resumé is wrong. (Even most who have done so inherently know it is wrong.) Most folks want their resumés to look their best, but to create information out of thin air cannot be justified. I have not noticed anyone mention or report what credentials/education Willie McLaurin actually has. Regardless, he apparently believed his actual education would either disqualify him or not be good enough qualifications. So, he lied. This raises a question to me, “Why would pastors, preachers, and Christian workers falsify a resumé?” What pressure do they feel that makes it seem necessary or beneficial? 

I believe the answer is “Credentialism” – or as one respondent at SBC Voices called it, “credential creep.” That writer, Nathan Petty, pointed out how that historically Baptists had grown in the United States mostly without the benefit of seminary trained preachers. Then they progressed in formal education. As this progress moved forward in the 20th and 21st centuries, the amount of degrees offered and education expected grew exponentially. According to Petty, the counsel of many would be for a man to get seven years of formal education (DMin) in order to be “really” be qualified to serve a local SBC congregation.[i]

This is not only an SBC issue. Many Baptists feel this pressure for credentials – or perhaps simply lust for the glory of the title. Our Baptist congregation is not affiliated with the SBC, neither any organized association, convention, or fellowship. Because of that, apparently, we received a lot of unsolicited “independent fundamental” correspondence. I have noticed in these circles a tendency for every Tom, Dick, and Harry – no matter how ignorant or uneducated – to be “Dr. So and So.” Whether they have legitimate degrees or bought one from the pawn shop, they tout their status. Every speaker at a conference is a “Dr.” What’s the deal? No doubt some of it is base human pride. I believe the other factor is “Credentialism.” We have unfortunately created communities of Christians who cannot “search the Scriptures” whether things are so, but need to be told it is so by “Dr. So and So.” If Paul’s Apostleship was not good enough for the Bereans, your “Doctorate” is not good enough for me!!

When we turn to the Bible discussions of qualifications (1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9), a clear case can be made for honesty and integrity. Level of formal education is nowhere to be found. Yes, apt to teach. No Doctor of Ministry. I have no fondness for ignorance. Nevertheless, the Bible is our rule of faith and practice. Throw away those practical qualifications your church or ministry has created. Go back to the Bible. The qualifications there are inspired by God.

My intent is not to beat up on Willie McLaurin. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. However, may this incident be a teaching moment.

• Let us look to the Bible for the qualifying credentials of the ministry.
• Let us see the church founded by Jesus Christ is the primary biblical educational institution.
• Let us commit to telling the truth, regardless of the consequences.[iii] 

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[i] For example, the Duke Divinity School Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program is normally completed in three years. They require a prior Master of Divinity (M.Div.) or comparable master’s degree before enrolling in the program. Therefore, in this case, the DMin takes about six or seven years. (Duke also requires at least five years in full-time ministry before entering the program.)
[ii] While working on this, at the top of the Word Doc I had something else on which I was working — the hymn/poem “The Church’s Desolation.” The second verse (and others) seemed to have some correlation. “Her pastors love to live at ease, They covet wealth and honor; And while they seek such things as these, They bring reproach upon her. Such worthless objects they pursue, Warmly and undiverted; The church they lead and ruin, too— Her glory is departed.”
[iii] Mark Terry writes, “If we cannot depend on pastors and church workers to tell the truth, then we’re in bad shape.”

Bigger problems than women pastors

The Saddleback Church (i.e. Saddleback Valley Community Church) in Southern California recently has been a news focus by being out of step with the Southern Baptist Convention on the subject of female pastors. In February2023, the SBC Executive Committee affirmed a recommendation from the Credentials Committee to consider the Saddleback Church “not in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention.” In Article VI of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the articles of faith of the SBC state that “the office of pastor /elder /overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.” “Purpose Driven” founding pastor Rick Warren appealed the Executive Committee decision to the meeting of the Convention in June. He appeal failed in a big way – with about 88% of the messengers rejecting the appeal.

In “Turning worship into a clown show” on World News Group, Carl Trueman asserts that “Saddleback Church has even deeper problems than female pastors.”

“Leading worship while dressed as characters from the Toy Story franchise suggests theological problems that go way beyond debates about the nature of Paul’s teaching on eldership.”

“…the church is not called to mimic the world. Far from it. There is only one description in the New Testament of how an outsider should react when he blunders by accident into a church service. It is in 1 Corinthians 14:24–25. Paul tells us that such a person will be convicted and fall on his face, knowing that God is there. Presumably, this is because he finds himself in the presence of a holy God and is overwhelmed by his own sense of unworthiness. Turning worship into a comedy skit seems unlikely to produce the same result. In fact, far from being sensitive to the needs of any seeker, it sends a clear signal that the gospel is unworthy of attention by any serious-minded person, believer or unbeliever.”

“...trivialization of worship rests ultimately upon a trivialization of God Himself.”

“Women in ministry was the focal point of the SBC controversy this year, but this inane childishness parading as church seems to indicate that there are problems much deeper than that of who leads worship.”

Sheri Klouda, Wade Burleson, SWBTS

Old Southern Baptist news, which I had saved, and decided to save here rather than delete.

Oral and Videotaped Deposition of Dr. Sheri L. Klouda February 26, 2008

Q. All right. Have you talked to Wade Burleson? ... 

A. He called me, I think, in January of 2007 and asked me about the truth with regard to what he had heard about my leaving Southwestern and I told him some of the story, not knowing that he was going to post it on his blog. When he told me that he was in fact going to do that, I objected.

Q. And did he publish any of the stories that you told him that you objected to?

A. He did. That was the first one or that was the one -- that was the one that he -- that told -- he posted it -- he put it on his blog and I’d objected to it and I even told Dr. Patterson about it.

Sheri Klouda: Gender Discrimination, Federal Law and the Law of Christ in the SBC and SWBTS

Dr. Sheri Klouda about Her Time at SWBTS under Dr. Paige Patterson

Southern Baptist problems and their seminaries

In It Is Not Just the Southern Baptist Convention That’s At Stake. Here’s What You Can Do, Rod Martin makes a plea for his fellow Southern Baptists to “show up” for the annual convention. He says, “In an average year, only 7.2% of SBC churches are represented.” He wants conservatives to come make a difference.

This probably will fall on many deaf ears in the SBC. Moreover, it certainly does not mean much to those of us who are not in the Convention, who cannot, will not, and have no interest in sending messengers. However, there is one little bit that caught my eye, and is interesting in its effect (or possible effect) on preachers and churches outside the SBC.

“Southern Baptists make up 11% of America’s churches. But what you probably don’t realize is that the six SBC seminaries educate roughly one-third of America’s seminary students. That’s a lot more than just Southern Baptists.

“If those six seminaries go bad, all of evangelical Christendom is infected…”

Many students who are not Southern Baptist attend Southern Baptist seminaries. Therefore, these institutions, who they hire, what they teach, what they stand for, etc., can have a profound effect on others. Not sure what we outsiders can do about it, but we can be aware.