by Sandy » Wed Nov 09, 2011 2:27 pm
I went to a state convention related Baptist college, and had three Bible professors who were the epitome of Southern Baptist doctrinal and theological perspective in the late 1970's. D.C. Martin and J. Niles Puckett were both products of Mississippi College. J. P. Dane was a product of Oklahoma Baptist University and pastored at one of Oklahoma City's principle SBC congregations for several years before becoming a Bible professor. All three men acknowledged the Bible as free of error and completely authoritative and infallible, and taught that to their students. There was plenty of discussion in their classes regarding differing perspectives and interpretations, how certain principles and precepts applied as related to the context of the time in which they were written as opposed to the current culture. It was from them that I came to understand the difference between primary, secondary and tertiary interpretations of the Bible's principles and precepts, and how to discern that from the context. There would never have been any discussion about whether or not Paul had certain prejudices that invalidated his apostolic authority, or his ability to write inspired scripture, or speculation about whether or not his cultural biases and opinions interfered with his ability to discern the Holy Spirits' movement as he wrote authoritatively. We used H. I. Hester's textbooks, the blue Heart of Hebrew History for Old Testament, the maroon "Heart of the New Testament" for New Testament. Hester believed the Bible from Genesis to maps, and I believe he held a belief in the verbal, plenary inspiration of scripture.
If I read Nash correctly, it sounds like he's grieving over a past where students in Baptist colleges and universities determined their own theological perspective first, based on empty, hollow intellect, and then either stretched the text to fit the presupposition, passed it over when they couldn't do anything specific with it, or subjected it to higher criticism in order to invalidate its impact. If that's the case, then I would suggest Nash, and others who are grieving over the same thing, join up with the Jesus Seminar, the Episcopalians or the Unitarians, John Shelby Spong, and Phillip Gulley, they could have some good dialogue, sing Kum Ba Yah, celebrate their diversity and write a couple of books about it. I don't think they're going to get back through the doors of many Southern Baptist colleges and unversities any time soon.