Criswell on Neo-orthodoxy

by Lamarr E. Cooper, Sr.                                                                                        Vol. XVIII, No. 9, October 2005

I recall my first time to hear Criswell in person, and to experience the impact of both the pathos and ethos of his preaching. It was at a conference in Dallas, sponsored by the Sunday School Board in the spring of 1970, and billed as the "First Nationwide Bible Conference." Dr. Criswell was just completing his second term as President of the Southern Baptist Convention. He had just written Why I Preach That the Bible is Literally True, a volume that brought the disdain of liberals and the applause of conservatives. He preached a powerful message in which he exposed the bankruptcy of neo-orthodox theology. In it he said, "I dreamed one of these neo-orthodox theologians stood before the Lord Jesus. And the Lord Jesus said to him, `Whom do men say that I am?' The theologian replied, ‘Well some say you are Elijah or one of the prophets reincarnate. Others say you are John the Baptist raised from the dead. Some even have the temerity to say you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.' So the Lord asked, ‘But whom do you say I am?' And the theologian replied, 'Thou art the ground of being. Thou art the great-uncaused cause. Thou art the great leap of faith into the impenetrable, eschatological unknown. Thou art the indescribable culmination of the unpropositional affirmation of inherent subjective experience,' to which the Lord Jesus replied, `Huh?"' The anecdote brought the house to its feet with cheers and applause.