by Sandy » Mon Dec 30, 2013 10:15 am
Lots of contentions in that interview, Stephen, that fly in the face of the assertions that you, and other moderate Baptists on this board, have been making for years. If she had written a book exclusively on the topic of the conservative resurgence in the SBC, I think the terms "Conservative Resurgence" would be exactly the terms she would choose. Whether it was Paige Patterson and Paul Pressler, or whether there would have been others who would have stepped up at some other point, the SBC was inevitably heading toward a shift in leadership that would have changed the theological parameters of cooperation, particularly around the nature of, and interpretation of the Bible. She's not the first author I've seen who ties what happened in the SBC together with what has transpired, to a greater or lesser degree, in many other Protestant denominations, and in the substantial move toward post-denominationalism with the rapid growth and development of non-denominational churches. I really like the way she defines the movement, by the main questions they ask, not necessarily by specific doctrinal positions. I think that's a very accurate way of defining the term "Evangelical Christian."
I believe, in the excerpt you posted from her book, that she made note of the fact that the pre-1979 leadership in the SBC was loathe to admit that they had a little oligarchy going on, but in her view, that was a contributing factor to the success of the movement that began in 1979.
I don't really expect much discussion of Worthen's book, or this interview. For one thing, it's an old subject. For another, even though she clearly holds a non-evangelical, non-conservative bias, she's not steeped in the culture of moderate Baptists either, and so is refreshingly honest about the faults and inadequacies of their position. Third, her conclusion is that "Conservative Evangelicalism" as a movement has become the dominant perspective of Protestant Christianity in America, and will only continue to grow, contributing to denominational controversy and the growth of post-denominational churches. That's not welcome news to those on this board who are advocates of women pastors and acceptance of homosexual behavior as normal.