View from the Other Side

by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                                  Vol. III, No. 4, May 1990

It is often instructive to consider events from the perspective of the "other side." Whatever competition one is in, the opposition may appear ten feet tall. In the case of the Southern Baptist controversy, looking in from the outside, the moderate-liberal political movement has a number of impressive strengths:

--They have an attractive, inerrantist pastor as their presidential standard bearer, and he has been campaigning harder and more blatantly than any other nominee in memory.

--They clearly have a lot of money contributed toward winning the New Orleans elections.

--The immediate past Executive Director of the WMU was chosen to be their candidate for first vice president, and she has also been campaigning widely.

--They publish a very professionally done 28 page newspaper monthly.

--They have been organizing a new seminary in Richmond for some time.

--They clearly recognize the critical importance to their cause of winning in New Orleans.

Nevertheless, there are cracks in the armor:

--Not lost upon many chosen to be messengers is the fact that Dan Vestal a year or two ago branded all convention politics as "immoral." Now he is campaigning more strenuously and openly than any previous candidate. When asked about this contradiction during a campaign meeting in Virginia, Dr. Vestal admitted that his actions are politicking, but indicated that his is good politics while the actions of his opponent are immoral politics. Somehow that does not compute.

--Reports from several states indicate that the moderate-liberals are subsidizing bus and room packages for their messengers. Now if someone on a particular side wishes to donate his money for that purpose, that is his prerogative. The point is not to condemn the subsidizing but rather to point out the duplicity of those who have so vocally for so long charged conservatives with bussing in messengers now quite openly following the practice they condemn.

--Many WMU members were less than enchanted with Carolyn Weatherford's (now Carolyn Crumpler) leadership of the WMU. Indeed, in a recent letter the President of the WMU, Marjorie J. McCullough, states, "Let me state firmly that Woman's Missionary Union is not endorsing Carolyn. Certainly we have not and will not give her our mailing lists for her own promotion."

--Their newspaper, SBC Today, is feeling a pinch. In a May 1990 mailing headed SBC Today Needs Your Help! editor Jack Harwell wrote, "...For 18 months after I came to SBC Today, we had dramatic growth in circulation and finances. Circulation more than doubled and we were able to put some cash reserves in the bank. But that early surge has levelled off, and we are now using those reserves. That can't last long. We need a new surge of circulation and financial growth to continue at the level you have come to expect from SBC Today.

--The new seminary was originally intended to open its doors this coming September, but that has been delayed a year to September 1991 because their fund drive fell short of the $500,000 goal. Most recently, Morris Ashcraft, acting dean or the new seminary and former dean and professor at Southeastern Seminary, has announced his resignation. Details are not known, but further problems are implied.

With all the effort and considerable expense, with a frank acknowledgement that New Orleans is their last real chance, with candidates they regard as ideal, one has to ask what the impact would be if they fail to win in New Orleans. In that case there may be such discouragement, such a letdown, that the moderate-liberal machine may shatter upon the wreckage of its own expectations. That is not something that conservatives should expect or count upon, but it is a possibility.