Tom Elliff on the Conservative Resurgence

                                                                                                                                                                        Vol. IX, No. 7, August 1996

           About a month before his election as president of the SBC, Dr. Tom Elliff was interviewed by John Yeats, editor of The Indiana Baptist. During that session Elliff offered the following perspective on the conservative resurgence.

           On the spiritual state of the SBC, Elliff said the “conservative resurgence" within the denomination has emphasized “restoring what I would call a 'high view' of the Scripture as the inerrant, infallible Word of God. Working from the standard of the Scripture, we have sought to emphasize biblical mandates and principles in every area of our convention. Sometimes when I look around and see how far we have come, I shake my head in joyful disbelief. I am so grateful to God for how far he has brought us. It is no secret that never in history has a religious group the size of the SBC ever reversed its steps, as it was moving toward liberalism, and returned to its conservative roots. The statistical evidence of God's blessing is an indication that the major concern must be our doctrinal integrity, for what God initiates, he always supports.

           "The other side of the coin, however, is the frightening reality we still have a long, long way to go," Elliff said. "As a matter of fact, if history teaches us anything, it is that there will always be within human nature the tendency to drift away from the Word of God and away from the God of the Word. Somehow, as Southern Baptists we must see that the struggle to maintain biblical authority is to be a lifetime commitment, not a 10- or 20- year program. As a result, we need to emphasize from one generation to the next, that they must not drop the standard of God's Word." [BP]

[Editorial Comment: Amen, Brother Tom! The very first words of Satan recorded in Genesis are, “Yea, and hath God said...” Satan’s primary tactic is to raise questions about God’s Word. Until he and his demons are confined to the pit, it seems clear those attacks on God’s truthfulness will continue. The recent battle known as the conservative resurgence has been largely won, but the need for commitment, discernment, courage, and devotion to upholding the full authority of God’s Word will not end before our Lord returns.