LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)–The Southern Baptist Convention must continue to build upon the reformation that began 25 years ago with the “Conservative Resurgence” if the SBC is to have a healthy future, according to essayists in the latest edition of the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology.
In addition to examining the Conservative Resurgence, contributions to the SBJT’s spring 2005 edition chart a course for continued reformation that builds a comprehensive doctrinal structure on the foundation of biblical inerrancy.
Essayists include three Southern Seminary scholars: President R. Albert Mohler Jr.; church history professor Gregory A. Wills; and Thom S. Rainer, dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth. Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina, and David S. Dockery, president of Union University in Tennessee, also contribute articles.
In his editorial, journal editor Stephen J. Wellum sets forth the SBJT’s twofold goal in analyzing the Conservative Resurgence.
“First and foremost, we want to give our Triune God thanks for what he has done among us,” Wellum writes. “Apart from his sovereign work of power and grace this resurgence would not have been possible — soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone).
“Second, we want to remember the past twenty-five years in order to prepare ourselves for the future. It is not enough to rest on the accomplishments of the past. Instead we must continue to proclaim, defend, and stand firm for the gospel for the next generation. We must learn afresh that until our Lord Jesus comes again to consummate all things, the battle for truth is ongoing, and we need to think carefully about what challenges we will continue to face.”
Mohler writes that the Conservative Resurgence does not guarantee a healthy future for the SBC. The denomination must not succumb to theological inertia but move forward on the wheels of a robust confessionalism and a commitment to teaching the doctrines central to historic Christianity, he notes.
“We live in a day that is allergic to theology and irritated by doctrine,” Mohler observes, warning: “If Southern Baptists find themselves irritated by doctrine, we will find ourselves with mainline Protestants, only delayed. Issues [ranging] from open theism to universalism and inclusivism, to the compromise of justification by faith — all these point to the fact that tectonic plates are shifting under the theological landscape.
“Southern Baptists must embrace the challenge of confronting these issues not merely defensively, but rather, as a process of using contemporary debates on present issues to frame a theological reality that is in constant conversation with the apostles, with the [church] fathers, with the reformers, with the evangelicals,” Mohler writes.
Wills recounts that Baptist identity changed dramatically during the 20th century. Previously, Baptists had defined themselves according to an objective set of biblical doctrines in unity with other evangelicals.
But the 20th century brought a radical shift among Southern Baptists, as theological progressives within the SBC began to define Baptists in terms of individual autonomy and soul competency, Wills writes, referencing a new perception of identity that necessitated a resurgence.
“The essence of the Baptist faith, as Baptist liberals viewed it, was not in its doctrines, but its life, its spirit,” Wills writes. “And that spirit, most progressive Baptists felt, was individual freedom. The unique mission of Baptists is to inculcate individualism.
“… This meant that no person or institution had a right to encroach upon the conscientious beliefs of any individual.”
Rainer, in his article, seeks to demonstrate that the heartbeat of effective evangelism in the SBC is growing weak, placing the denomination “on the path of slow but discernable deterioration.” However, Rainer points out that the state of affairs would be far worse if not for the Conservative Resurgence.
After offering six possible reasons for the SBC’s evangelistic struggles, Rainer concludes by recommending a “modest proposal” for restoring a healthy evangelistic zeal to the denomination. The proposal includes five components; in the fifth, he urges pastors and other local church leaders to lead their churches to a time of corporate confession and repentance for their lack of evangelistic zeal.
“Ultimately, evangelistic apathy is not a methodological failure — it is spiritual disobedience,” Rainer writes. “The Bible is replete with commands and admonitions to communicate passionately the gospel with others. Our failure to do so is nothing less than sinful disobedience to the God who gave us unmerited favor through His Son Jesus Christ.”
In looking to the future, Akin sets forth 10 mandates for “what Southern Baptists should be in the 21st century.” Akin’s mandates include the nonnegotiable of a regenerate church, the essential nature of believer’s baptism by immersion, the recovery of church discipline and genuine disciple-making, and the emphasis and practice of a genuinely Word-based ministry.
Dockery shows how the doctrine of Scripture fell on hard times in Baptist life and traces changes in the doctrine through the 20th century until the Conservative Resurgence when Southern Baptists re-embraced inerrancy.
“Theology in the SBC continues in transition, moving toward a more conservative and (I would say) evangelical orthodox consensus,” Dockery writes.
“The issues that now must be addressed are theological as we reaffirm a full-orbed historical orthodoxy that will serve the church and a biblically informed apologetic that can engage a shifting postmodern culture. In order for this to happen we need to reaffirm our commitment to the truthfulness of Scripture.”
In the “SBJT Forum,” D.A. Carson, Paige Patterson, Mark Coppenger, Jerry A. Johnson and Richard Land reflect on the past, present and future of the Conservative Resurgence. The journal also includes 10 book reviews written by various scholars.
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To obtain a copy of the SBJT or to subscribe, write to [email protected] or phone (502) 897-4413.
