Southeastern: Liberals' Judgment
Vol. VIII, No. 3, March 1995
Just as "Heritage" demonstrates in the very words of well known Southern Baptists or our predecessors that mainstream, orthodox Baptists have always believed in the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture, "Anti-Heritage" contrasts the views of those who question the authority of God's Word. May we suggest that you keep your Banners so that you collect a growing file of quotations which demonstrate (1) the problem of liberalism which repeatedly seeks to "creep in unawares" (Jude 4) and (2) the pure biblical faith of our forefathers. In the last Banner "AntiHeritage" featured a quote from the book Servant Songs, each chapter written by a different member of the pre-conservative Southeastern Seminary faculty. This month's "Anti-Heritage" will present several more brief selections from the same book.
Pp. 95-96: "In these interviews [of prospective faculty members] trustees James DeLoach and Robert Crowley interrogated the nominees to determine their stand on the issue of the inerrancy of scripture (sic). DeLoach invoked the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy as his standard for judging the two candidates, despite the fact that this document had no recognized status at Southeastern. The Chicago Statement holds 'inerrancy' to mean that `Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God's acts in creation, about events in world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God's saving grace in individual lives.' This view of the Bible is utterly contrary to the historical-critical approach to the Scripture that had been the norm since Southeastern's founding in 1950, and nothing in the school's Articles of Faith, statement of purpose, or other documents supported such a view." [Bold print added throughout. Comment: This bald admission from a leading liberal member of the then Southeastern faculty verifies the problems conservatives had long discerned at Southeastern.]
P. 105: "The earliest direct attack on academic freedom occurred when the instruction committee of the trustees denied adjunctive faculty reappointments to Janice Siler and M. Mahan Siler, Jr., who had taught on annual appointment as part-time faculty for six years and who had been recommended for reappointment by the area faculty, the acting dean, and the president. The instruction committee gave no reasons to the board for this intervention and no reasons were stated publicly. The minutes of a 4 October 1988 conference telephone call of the instruction committee revealed their concern with Mahan Siler's views on homosexuality. Siler had publicly supported proposed legislation outlawing discrimination against homosexuals and had publicly opposed the Southern Baptist Convention's condemnation of homosexuals. His church had been the host for a conference on homosexuality." [Note: Siler was in 1988 and remains pastor of Pullen Memorial BC in Raleigh, NC. It was Pullen church under Siler's leadership which "blessed the union" of two homosexual men in 1992. This is the pastor whose appointment as part-time faculty member at Southeastern had been approved six times and was again recommended by the "faculty, dean, and the president."]
P.113: "The first `Core Curriculum' included eighteen hours in the biblical area; although Greek and Hebrew were not required, they were strongly recommended."
P. 124: "From 1953 until 1985, no Baptist history course was required at Southeastern."
P.140: "...in the mid- 1970s. In contrast to many seminaries' tightly structured doctoral curricula, Southeastern chose to honor the maturity of its doctoral students and to use an integrated approach informed by the discoveries of adult education. In the twenty-eight hour professional degree, only two colloquia were required of all students."
Pp. 149-150: "President Stealey asked me prior to my signing the Articles of Faith in 1958 if I could accept and live with this doctrinal statement as the context of my work at Southeastern Seminary. With an affirmative response, I interpreted this confessional statement in terms of freedom and responsibility to implement the vision as a sacred trust granted by the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention." [Note: In an earlier Anti-Heritage" we quoted Ralph Elliott's words on "doublespeak." Here is an outstanding example of doublespeak or perhaps doublethink. It boggles the mind how someone could agree to one thing, determine to do another in his mind, and then write about it with every appearance of pride!]
P. 159: "[Dr. Elizabeth] Barnes came to the faculty in 1984, bringing needed diversity to the theological offerings with her interests in liberation theology as expressed, in particular, from feminist and black perspectives. During her years at Southeastern, she began to develop a narrative theology ... and described herself ... as a `narrative-liberationist' or a 'liberation-narrativist."'
P.160: "...President Lolley and Dean Ashcraft presented ... a recommendation to bring Kurt A. Richardson, a doctoral candidate, to the faculty in the field of historical theology. His dossier stated that he was an avowed fundamentalist in his view of the inspiration and authority of the Bible. The members of the T[heology] area, with great anguish and soul-searching, opposed the recommendation." [Note: What an admission! A professor who believed the Bible was not welcome at Southeastern Seminary! The fact that the faculty members arrived at their veto "with great anguish and soul-searching" apparently makes an apostate decision okay.]
P.162: "Even after 1972, when students were no longer required to take any courses in missions, more than sixty percent of them took one or more courses in missions or world religions."
P. 164: "Not until 1971-1972, when the core curriculum – courses all students were required to take – was reduced from fifty-six to twenty-four hours, were the missions courses made electives."
P.165: "Though I cannot pinpoint the precise time when the decision was made regarding the giving of `invitations' on Mission Days – that is inviting the students to come forward at the conclusion of the service and publicly declare themselves to be mission volunteers – I am satisfied that it was in the first two or three years in the life of the school. Missionary days were important events, widely publicized and well attended. Neither the administration nor the faculty, however, wanted these occasions used to pressure and manipulate the students. It was agreed, therefore, that invitations for students to make public decisions about missionary service would be given only on the last Missionary Day of the year. With a few notable exceptions, this was the practice until the late 1970s when the faculty committee in charge of Missionary Days decided to leave decisions regarding invitations to the individual speakers." [Note: Catch the contrast with the p. 140 entry above. There the faculty felt the students were so mature they needed practically no required courses. But in regard to missions they were concerned the poor lads would be influenced by unscrupulous speakers talking favorably of missions and offering a "manipulative" invitation!]
Pp. 202-203: "Yet, as the school expanded, these trends changed. Southeastern regained its position as an intellectual leader, and the school's electives (the freest in the convention) encouraged students to formulate their own theologies."
P. 211: "The place was Baptist to the core. Those who, like myself [This chapter was written by Dr. Glenn T. Miller], had received much of our training outside the denomination, felt smothered by Baptist perspectives on everything from church administration to systematic theology. When we tried to introduce some variety, as when we used more liturgical services in chapel, the effect was unreal – somewhat like children playing church.
Editorial Comment: Wow! What an unbelievable picture of a Southern Baptist Seminary: The historical-critical method was the norm. Inerrancy was "utterly contrary" to the approach followed at the seminary. Pro-homosexual adjunctive professors were on the faculty for at least six years. Greek and Hebrew were not required. No Baptist history was required from 1953 through 1985. In the doctoral program there were only two required courses. At least one professor interpreted the seminary's Articles of Faith as conveying freedom rather than responsibility and limits. In 1984 Dr. Elizabeth Barnes brought `needed diversity" with her liberationist, feminist, black theology views. The faculty opposed hiring a professor who believed the Bible is without error. After 1972 students were not required to take any courses in missions, and the core curriculum was reduced from 56 to 24 hours. Invitations to students to commit to missionary service were restricted to once a year. Students were encouraged to "formulate their own theologies." And at least some faculty members felt smothered by Baptist perspectives. Can any Southern Baptist, can any Christian, feature that we funded such a school for 37 years? Praise God for the changes He has brought about at Southeastern!