by Stephen Fox » Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:48 pm
I'm on your side with James Dunn against Jesse Helms, Pressler and the SBC takeover.
However, I doubt Dunn was "available" to talk to Hefley in those days.
Dunn helped deliver Texas to Jimmy Carter in 76, as one biographer has noted. That for sure got under Pressler's skin.
Dunn can politic with the best of them and for the most part, with you BDid, I thank God he did.
Henlee Barnette stood up to Duke McCall and the Southern Board when the matter of King came up in the early 60's. I doubt Baptist Press had much of a prophetic voice about it at the time.
For sure folks like Hefley had lot of room to be "confused".
My friend Ellen Rosenberg did a great job explaining a good bit of this in 88. I'm sure you and Ben Cole went through it thoroughly in Hankins class.
Right now I'm a little confused with Fisher Humpheys book being editted by Tim George and Eric Mason, though I think Mason is a good fellow.
Would love for you and Hankins to explore Fisher thoroughly on the matter of George's ERLC pamphlet being a building block for the dismissal of Paul Simmons at Southern.
If Hankins couldn't come to a stronger weighing of deceit and mediocrity in his assessment of Land and Mohler and George convictions in Uneasy in Babylon; then as a friend I don't see a lot of room for your heavy handed dismissal of a struggler like Hefley just because he didn't have the "Baylor" brand or imprimatur on his work.
As my friend (almost gore's speechwriter, Richard Marius) said in the 81 Esquire mag article, lot of the Babdiss mess came down to class resentments as one moderate pastor disdainfully said, these fundy boys aren't even considered for the Rotary Club in their local hamlets.
And if the SBC in a sense was just one big Rotary Club wannabee in the 60's and early 70's; then just where do folks like you and me get off the bus???????
"I'm the only sane {person} in here." Doyle Hargraves, Slingblade
"Midget, Broom; Helluva campaign". Political consultant, "Oh, Brother..."http://www.foxofbama.blogspot.com or google asfoxseesit