The history of Southern Seminary fascinates me. I am intrigued by the stories of its founding, its survival through the Civil War era, its emergence as an important theological institution during the early 1900′s, and its late last-century liberalism which then gave way to a resurgent conservative theology.

Southern Seminary students and professors (or anyone else interested in the history of the seminary) will appreciate the autobiography of Southern’s seventh president, Duke McCall. Duke McCall: An Oral History (Nashville: Fields Publishing, 2001) contains McCall’s recollections of his life and ministry.

The story traces McCall’s early Baptist upbringing, his conversion, early ministry opportunities and his role as the president of Southern Seminary from 1951-82. Though the book was published in 2001, McCall actually sat down with the editor and recounted these memories in 1985, shortly after the death of his wife.

The autobiography is written in the form of an interview. Ronald Tonks (the editor) asks questions, to which McCall answers in story form. At times, the narrative meanders a bit, probably due to the nature of interviewing. There are a few moments of repetition, but nothing that causes the reader to grow frustrated. I actually found that the interview style helped to move the book along. Readers who do not wish to labor through 400+ pages will be able to quickly find the subjects that most interest them.

The most fascinating story in McCall’s book is the revolt of 13 faculty members against him in 1958. This controversy endangered his position as president, as well as the position of the school for the 1958-59 semester. The political machinations of McCall, the faculty members, and the board of trustees are fascinating. McCall maintains the rightness of his position, but he also humbly recognizes the mistakes he made in leadership.

McCall’s 30-year term as president of Southern is marked by an increasing trend toward liberal theology. While McCall stresses his conservative credentials throughout the book, he also makes it clear that the Bible is not inerrant. He wonders aloud if his friend, W.A. Criswell was motivated more by the desire to create a legacy for himself than to truly return the Southern Baptist Convention to more conservative roots. He criticizes the leaders of the conservative resurgence for “demonizing” the opposition.

McCall’s autobiography concentrates much more on the events of his life than his theology. What surprised me most about his book was not McCall’s liberalism, but the virtual absence of any theology at all. One finds more theological reflection in Billy Graham’s autobiography than in McCall’s – surprisingly, since McCall was the head of a theological institution. It seems that his lack of doctrinal commitment prepared the way for Southern Seminary to be overrun with professors and students who could claim to affirm the Abstract of Principles (Southern’s confession of faith), yet hold to that confession so loosely as to make it virtually irrelevant.

For a good history of Southern Seminary during the left-leaning years, I suggest you pick up McCall’s Oral History. It not only traces the main events of McCall’s life and ministry; it also contains several good insights into how an effective leader can run an institution.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog

I am excited about the new series being published by Broadman and Holman called “Studies in Baptist Life and Thought.” With Dr. Michael Haykin at the forefront of this project as the series editor, Broadman and Holman promises to deliver a series of insightful books on Baptist history.

The first installment of this new series is devoted to the man who is most responsible for the tenor and content of the great expository preachers of the Southern Baptist Convention. John A. Broadus served as the second president of Southern Seminary in the 1889-95. But even before his leadership as president, Broadus gave Baptists an example of “balance, careful thinking, biblical faithfulness, and denominational statesmanship.” (xi)

John A. Broadus: A Living Legacy  consists of essays from a variety of Baptist scholars. The book feels, at times, as if it were condensed from a two-day conference on Baptist history. Because the scholars did their work separately, there is a fair amount of repetition in each essay, especially in the biographical information. (Occasionally, the repetition makes its way into the same essay!)

But the level of scholarship represented within these pages makes the book well worth the reader’s time. Here are some of the chapters I found most helpful:

In the introduction, Timothy George summarizes Broadus’ life and assesses his legacy.

Roger Duke summarizes and explores Broadus’ most important work: A Treatise on the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons. He shows how Broadus borrowed liberally from the principles of classical rhetoric. Broadus was also a firm advocate in learning the biblical languages and employing the Canons of Rhetoric in delivering a sermon. Broadus believed that a preacher does not invent the chief materials of a sermon. These materials are the result of previous acquisition and reflection. (The lesson here for preachers? READ!) Duke also shows that Broadus never believed in pitting systematic theology and biblical exegesis against one another.

David Dockery writes about how Broadus’ legacy was carried on by A.T. Robertson. Broadus was a careful scholar. The biblical text reigned supreme. Broadus’ legacy was earned by his devotion to biblical exegesis, expositional preaching and church-focused theology. Robertson learned from Broadus. He never feared taking into account recent developments in critical scholarship, but he held fast to the authority of the Bible.

Beecher Johnson’s chapter is the most practical. He uses Broadus as an example of a preacher who could preach “marketable messages,” but without “selling out the Savior.” How did Broadus manage to avoid sensationalistic preaching and yet still captivate his congregation? By modeling his preaching philosophy after Jesus’ teaching. Broadus encouraged his students to emulate Jesus, not chase the current fads.

Preachers should learn from John A. Broadus. The new book from Broadman and Holman helps us along in that task.

written by Trevin Wax. copyright © 2008 Kingdom People Blog.

Related Articles:
John A. Broadus Gravesite
Great American Preachers and Sermons – Interview with Larry Witham

The first Norton Hall in Louisville, KY

In 1959, Southern Seminary professor William Mueller wrote A History of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Nashville: Broadman Press), a chronicle of the seminary’s first one hundred years.

James P. Boyce, founder and first president of Southern Seminary

Mueller’s A History begins with a description of the need for a seminary. In desperate need of theological education, the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention desired an affordable, accessible institution of Christian education for pastors and laypeople.

The first half of the book centers on the seminary’s founding, fueled by the great vision of James P. Boyce in establishing the seminary and his tireless efforts in raising funds to keep the seminary going. Mueller tells the individual stories of each of the original faculty members. He highlights the different talents and gifts that each of the four founders brought to the table.

Crawford Howell Toy, who left the seminary because of his unorthodox views of biblical inspiration

The second half of the book centers on the two controversies that shaped Southern Seminary in the late 1800′s: the dismissal of Crawford Howell Toy from the faculty because of his denial of Scriptural inspiration; and the Whitsitt controversy, in which the seminary’s third president was forced to resigned under a cloud of controversy over his views on Baptist history.

In Toy’s case, the faculty’s decision was vindicated by Toy’s later abandonment of orthodox Christian faith. In the Whitsitt case, most Southern Baptist historians (and even Whitsitt’s successor, E.Y. Mullins) admit that Whitsitt was right. But with the financial status of the seminary in jeopardy as long as he remained in place, Whitsitt knew that only his resignation spare the seminary from irreparable damage.

William Whitsitt, third president of Southern Seminary

Mueller’s look at the history of Southern Seminary tells us as much about the state of the seminary in the late 1950′s as it does the history of the seminary’s first century of existence. With the theological direction in the 1950′s turning leftward, Mueller seeks to show that the new direction is still consonant with the conservative Calvinism of its founders. He tries to paint a picture of John Broadus (the seminary’s second president) as a progressive evangelical theologian. He upholds the Abstract of Principles, but wishes that it could be modified somewhat to better reflect the views of the faculty of that time.

In his retelling of the Crawford Toy controversy, Mueller mentions that Toy’s views would not have been controversial at Southern during the 1950′s, but he still applauds the decision of the faculty, since Toy eventually did depart from traditional Christian faith. It is unfortunate that Mueller did not understand that the seminary’s trajectory was beginning to mirror Toy’s, as the seminary turned leftward and adopted an increasingly liberal theological agenda.

Students of Southern Seminary who are interested in the seminary’s history will enjoy Mueller’s work. I am now looking forward to the upcoming history of the seminary’s first 150 years – written by professor Greg Wills.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog

Southern Seminary has always held a prominent position in Southern Baptist life. As the oldest and most prestigious of the Southern Baptist seminaries, Southern has long promoted high academic standards and a strong emphasis on pastoral training for local churches. Since 1993, the Seminary has been guided by the leadership of Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., a prominent evangelical thinker and cultural commentator.

Though conservatives are thankful for the return of Southern to biblical fidelity, some people in Southern Baptist life have begun to worry that the Seminary has moved too far to the right – especially in the issue of Calvinism.

Today, a widespread myth exists that the Seminary student and population faculty is made up primarily of 5-point Calvinists.

Of course, Dr. Mohler’s Reformed theology is no secret. Nor is the Calvinism of several prominent professors at Southern Seminary. But one should not mistakenly assume that the entire faculty and student population holds to the Reformed understanding of doctrine and salvation.

Consider this:

Currently, not one of the deans at Southern Seminary is a five-point Calvinist.

Calvinism is not a litmus test for teaching at the seminary; the Abstract of Principles is, and the Abstract leaves room for disagreement on the extent of the atonement and irresistible grace.

Calvinism is not the main subject of interest among faculty members or students. 

In the cafeteria, on the lawn, or in the extension center, Calvinism is sometimes discussed, but not as often as one might expect. As I was discussing this post with a good friend of mine (also a student at Southern), I realized that in all the hours of theological conversation that we had shared, we had never once discussed our own views on the extent of the atonement. I suspect that such is the case for many other Southern students. 

Recent LifeWay Research statistics show that 27% of graduates from Southern Baptist seminaries are likely to call themselves 5-point Calvinists. Despite the alarm sounded in some corners, the fact of the matter is: 73% of Southern Baptist students do not belong to this category.

From my own experience as a student of Southern, I suspect that the majority of Southern Seminary students that I have encountered on campus and at the extension center I attend (Nashville) are not 5-point Calvinists.  

Furthermore, Louisville is not a hotbed for Hyper-Calvinists. (Historically, Hyper-Calvinism is the errant teaching that one should not evangelize, and I have yet to meet a Southern Baptist who believes this.) Those who stand against Calvinistic teaching need to refrain from labeling Calvinists as “Hyper” unless the shoe actually fits.

Perhaps there are some who fit the category of “hyperactive” Calvinists  - students who are still in the proverbial “cage-stage” of Calvinism and who are actively seeking to convert all other Christians to their doctrinal viewpoint. The problem with the hyperactive strain of Calvinism is not theology, but sin, particularly the sin of pride and arrogance. It is the same sin that lies at the root of Church Growth controversies, when a young pastor enthralled with Bill Hybels proceeds to divide a church by throwing out all hymns and organs. Immaturity and selfishness comes in all forms, not merely Calvinist.

But even if a handful of vocal Southern students might fit the ”hyperactive” description, the blame does not necessarily fall on the Seminary. Some students are convinced Calvinists before ever going to Southern, and in any case, the hyperactive are a small minority that happen to get the most press. Many faculty members seek to temper Calvinist fervor of the “hyperactive.”

It is true that most of the student population may indeed be friendly to certain aspects of the Calvinist resurgence. There are many students like myself who, theologically, lean Reformed, even without espousing 5-point Calvinism. Many of us agree with some aspects of church reform (the recovery of church discipline, integrity in membership recording, avoiding manipulation when doing altar calls, etc.). But one should not assume that all Southern students are 5-point Calvinists seeking to push Reformed theology on our churches.

Furthermore, many of the 5-pointers I know are not agressively seeking to cause strife and discord in local churches, and it is unfair to present them in this light. Many of those most passionate about Reformed theology are also extremely passionate about personal evangelism. Some of them evangelize so regularly and so confidently that I am put to shame! Just as it is unfair to present all Southern students as 5-point Calvinists, it is also unfair to present all 5-point Calvinists as being of the “hyperactive” type that care more about debating TULIP than sharing the gospel.

Southern Seminary, like the wider Southern Baptist Convention, contains both Calvinists and non-Calvinists. Next time you hear someone speaking of Southern Seminary as “Calvinist,” I hope you will be inclined to correct the misconception and provide some additional details in order to put an end to some of the false, sweeping generalizations about Southern.

written by Trevin Wax. copyright © 2008 Kingdom People Blog.
Photograph taken by Steve McCoy.

Related Articles:
Let Grace Abound in Us, Fellow Seminary Students
Calvinists for Evangelism
The Virtue that Should Best Characterize All Calvinists

My recent visit to the graves of famous Southern Seminary presidents and professors helped me put some things in perspective.

1. Our heroes are just people.

The resurgent emphasis on the Puritans in recent years has given young evangelicals the opportunity to connect with the past by reading and researching the lives of the Puritan faithful. And yet, our heroes were not always biblical, not always Christ-honoring, not always heroic. In short, they were fallible. The same is true of Southern’s heroes. The same will be said of us.

2. Death is coming.

It’s hard to visit a cemetery and not walk away with a sense of your own human fragility. What is your life? It is but a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away…

You think of the dignified, well-respected presidents and professors of Southern Seminary and you’re tempted to picture them with an aura over them. But then you visit the cemetery and see the founders buried together – Fuller and Mullins not too far away, Honeycutt and Moody close together, and you realize that though these men’s academic and pastoral careers spanned multiple generations, they are all united under the soft ground of a Louisville cemetery. Death is no respecter of persons. The bodies of our great Baptist heroes share the soil with everyone else in Louisville at the time.

3. Faithfulness Remains.

Though Southern’s presidents and professors have been silenced by Death, they speak to us now through their writings, their journals, their sermons. Their faithfulness echoes down the corridors of the Seminary, visible in the ongoing witness of students seeking to better know Christ and better understand the Scriptures. 

While we can count the number of pages in books written by these men, we cannot number the lives that have in some way been impacted by their faithfulness. Through their churches, their students, their classes, writings, and lectures – their faithful witness to Jesus as Lord lives on. The beauty of devoting your life to the gospel - something bigger than yourself and your own desires – is knowing that even after you die, the gospel you believed, loved and preached will continue to transform the coming generations. 

4. The Communion of Saints is an Important Doctrine

Of great comfort to me is the biblical doctrine of the Communion of Saints. We are united to our brothers and sisters who are on the Christian journey with us today, but we are also united to those who have gone before. We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses – men and women who belonged to a different era but who belonged to the same Savior.

Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won,
With all her sons and daughters
Who, by the Master’s hand
Led through the deathly waters,
Repose in Eden land.

- “The Church’s One Foundation”

As I look over my life, I pray that I will follow in the footsteps of the great men of faith, that I will keep my eyes on Jesus, see my life through the perspective of eternity, and leave a legacy of faithfulness for the generations that follow. May those who come behind us find us faithful.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog

John R. Sampey (1863-1946)

John Sampey was Southern Seminary’s fifth president (1928-42) during the difficult years of the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. Sampey served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention three times. He often contributed to the Convention’s Sunday School literature and devotional material.

Active as an evangelist, Sampey recalled one trip in particular to Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro in 1925, Sampey preached to a large group on the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. He later shared that when he “quoted the passage setting forth the substitutionary sufferings of the Servant of Jehovah, He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities,” the voice of my interpreter cracked. At the close of the service he explained that he was won to faith in Christ by the verses I quoted.”

Ellis A. Fuller (1891-1950)

Ellis Fuller became Southern Seminary’s sixth president during the World War II era and served for eight years (1942-50) before dying suddenly from a stroke. Fuller changed the nature of the Southern Seminary presidency, leading the institution into the executive model that was becoming popular in the business world. As an administrator, Fuller oversaw the acquiring and construction of several buildings.

One of Fuller’s well-known quotes was this:

“I have no difficulty believing in the existence of a personal devil. He offers me advice as to how I should conduct my life every morning before I eat breakfast.”

Roy Lee Honeycutt (1926-2004)

Dr. Roy L. Honeycutt was Southern Seminary’s eighth president (1982-93) and led the seminary through a tumultous time. During his tenure as president, Southern saw the addition of the new Honeycutt Center, which includes a new gym, coffee shop, study area, and meeting halls.

Though Dr. Honeycutt opposed the Conservative Resurgence in the SBC, he was, by all accounts, a consummate Christian gentleman who sought to forge alliances between the fracturing parties of the Convention. He is known for a commentary he wrote on II Kings.

Edgar Young Mullins (1860-1928)

Southern Seminary’s fourth president (1899-1928) stands as one of the most important theologians in Baptist history. During his presidency, the seminary experienced dramatic growth in enrollment and faculty. It was during Mullins’ tenure as president that the seminary moved to its current location in Louisville. (Mullins’ office is now occupied by the Dean of the School of Theology – Russell Moore.)

Mullins is unique in that he is claimed as a hero by both sides of the recent Conservative-Moderate controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention. He is the theologian to first use the term “Soul Competency,” and though he was a theological conservative, he opened the door to a certain theological direction that would prove detrimental to the seminary in later years.

Mullins grounded the truth of Christianity both in human experience and in historical facts. I confess that of all Southern’s presidents, Mullins intrigues me the most. A consummate politician, an evangelical statesman, a Baptist theologian and a servant of the church – Mullins offers us both an example to follow and pitfalls to avoid. Here are two quotes from Mullins I enjoy:

“There is a certain view of God and nature and man and the world in the background of our faith. But Christianity is a historical religion, and a religion of experience. It is grounded in facts. The Christian worldview rests upon these facts.”

“In Jesus is made known to us the ultimate reality of God as a moral and spiritual being. In Jesus, God appears as righteous love. In Jesus, God comes near for our salvation. In Jesus, the grace and power of God are manifested for our redemption. In Jesus, God takes the initiative in seeking us. We are found and awakened by the gospel. But our sin binds us. We know ourselves alienated in heart and life from God. We are unable to redeem ourselves. We belong to a kingdom of evil and are held captive. We need forgiveness and reconciliation. Through his atoning work Christ brings God near in forgiving grace. We need moral and spiritual transformation. Christ supplies the motives which lead to repentance and the new life. ”In Christ” is the phrase which expresses the total meaning of the new life. He is its source, its structural law, and its goal. We are, in other words, regenerated and spiritually constituted in Jesus Christ.”

“From the fact that other religions, including Judaism, have in them the idea of sacrifice and propitiation, it is concluded by some that it must be a false idea. Fundamentally this assumes that everything in the non-Christian religions must be wholly false. Is it not far more likely that a universal religious idea has in it an element of truth than that its universality is a mark of its falsity? Christianity purified and fulfilled all religious ideas of human beings, emptied them of their transient and superficial meanings, and revealed their true inward meaning. The atonement of Christ in a very special manner does this. In it God appears in Christ, not as a distant, implacable and angry being, requiring a satisfaction for sin which humans cannot supply. Jesus himself, as holy and loving and yearning to save humanity, provides the satisfaction.”

Related Posts:
Edgar Young Mullins: An Intimate Biography
A Man of Books and a Man of the People

Archibald Thomas Robertson (1863-1934)

A.T. Robertson was an influential New Testament scholar who served as a professor at Southern Seminary for almost forty years (1895-1934.)

Robertson’s books are still consulted today, particularly his Word Pictures in the New Testament and his landmark volume A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in Light of Historical Research. In all, he published forty-five books, several of which are still in print today.

Robertson helped found the Baptist World Alliance in 1900. He was an important Southern Baptist and a well-respected scholar in his day. As the son-in-law of famous preacher John Broadus (Robertson’s grave lies in the shadow of Broadus), Robertson sought to equip his students with the proper tools for good preaching. Here are some quotes of Robertson linking study of the Greek New Testament to preaching:

“The greatest proof that the Bible is inspired is that it has withstood so much bad preaching!”

“God pity the poor preacher who has to hunt for something to preach – and the people who have to listen!”

“Preaching… is the most dangerous thing in the world.”

Basil Manly, Jr. (1825-92)

Basil Manly, Jr. was one of the founders of Southern Seminary and he served as Professor of Old Testament from 1859-71 and 1879-82. (His grave lies just a few feet in front of James P. Boyce’s family gravesite.)

Manly was a firm proponent of the inspiration of the Scriptures, consistently arguing that a neglect or denial of Scripture’s truthfulness would prove detrimental to Christianity. Manly claimed that denying the inspiration of the Bible would “minister to the pride of reason, instead of to the culture of faith. It would generate perplexity instead of repose, conflict instead of submission, resistance instead of reverence.”

Every time we sing the poetic words of Southern Seminary’s “hymn,” we are expressing the heart of Basil Manly, Jr. – a gifted professor and wise administrator.

Soldiers of Christ, in truth arrayed,
A world in ruins needs your aid:
A world by sin destroyed and dead;
A world for which the Savior bled.

His Gospel to the lost proclaim,
Good news for all in Jesus’ Name;
Let light upon the darkness break
That sinners from their death may wake.

Morning and evening sow the seed,
God’s grace the effort shall succeed.
Seedtimes of tears have oft been found
With sheaves of joy and plenty crowned.

We meet to part, but part to meet
When earthly labors are complete,
To join in yet more blest employ,
In an eternal world of joy.

John A. Broadus (1827-95)

John A. Broadus served as one of the founders of Southern Seminary and he became Southern’s second president (1889-95) upon the death of his good friend and colleague James P. Boyce. Broadus’ resting place is just a few feet to the left of Boyce’s grave.

You might notice the odd looking cross-grave just behind Broadus’ tombstone. That cross covers the grave of famous Greek scholar A.T. Robertson who married John Broadus’ daughter. Robertson so admired his father-in-law that he asked to be buried “in his shadow,” believing that he could never attain the same level of devotion to Christ as Broadus.

Broadus was best-known for his preaching. He was an expositor who labored over the Greek or Hebrew texts before delivering passionate sermons. He worked for twenty years on his famous Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, but Broadus’ most popular work was his preaching handbook, The Preaching and Delivery of Sermons. Even today, students will find a wealth of helpful information in Broadus’ books.

Charles Spurgeon named John Broadus “the greatest of living preachers.” Preaching was Broadus’ passion, and his words on preaching have become his legacy. Broadus wrote:

“In every age of Christianity, since John the Baptist drew crowds into the desert, there has been no great religious movement, no restoration of Scripture truth, and reanimation of genuine piety, without new power in preaching, both as cause and as effect.”

Broadus sets a good example for Southern Baptists. He was a passionate evangelist who baptized the famous Southern Baptist missionary Lottie Moon. When offered a hefty salary by J.D. Rockefeller to pastor a church in New York, Broadus turned him down. He knew what God had called him to do. Money wouldn’t change his mind.

I leave you with two more quotes from Broadus, the first regarding the importance of doctrinal content in our preaching and teaching. The second is my personal favorite from Broadus – a maxim I hope to live up to with every sermon I preach.

“Brethren, we must preach the doctrines; we must emphasize the doctrines; we must go back to the doctrines. I fear that the new generation does not know the doctrines as our fathers knew them.”

“Be willing to let the Scripture mean what it wants to mean.”