Our Bible Heritage: John L. Dagg

                                                                                                                                                                            Vol. VI, No. 5, June 1993

This is a new feature which will appear in the Banner from time to time. Its purpose is to provide our readers with (1) quotes from outstanding Southern Baptist forebears setting forth their convictions about the nature of Scripture and (2) other selections from biographies, official documents, and other sources which will gradually produce a broad appreciation of the true stance of Southern Baptists regarding biblical authority and related matters. The Banner suggests that readers may wish to keep a file of Banners to share with others and from which to review specific articles as those subjects arise in the life of your church, local association, state convention, or SBC affairs.

The Southern Baptist Convention was established in 1845. Our next heritage item came just twelve years later in 1857 when John L. Dagg, president of Mercer University, wrote in his Manual of Theology the following:

"...what was spoken and written by inspiration, came with as high authority as if it had proceeded from God without the use of human instrumentality.... Their peculiarities of thought, feeling, and style, had no more effect to prevent what they spoke and wrote from being the word of God, than their peculiarities of voice or chirography [handwriting]. The question, whether inspiration extended to the very words of revelation, as well as to the thoughts and reasonings, is answered by Paul: "We preach, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth."

Without question, John L. Dagg was an inerrantist.