Denominational development, controversy, reorganization and incredible growth characterized Baptist life in the United States during the nineteenth century. Despite much turmoil, the Baptist population grew rapidly. By 1900, nearly 4.2 million Americans identified themselves as Baptists, and that number would continue to grow.[1] As Everett C. Goodwin noted, the twentieth century would truly be a “Baptist century,” and by “century’s end, Baptists would imprint their style, their values, and even their quarrels on much of the nations consciousness.”[2]
In the early years of the twentieth century, Baptists in the United States sought ways to work together and to unite with other Baptist groups worldwide. The desire for unity among Baptists was most clearly evident in the formation of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) in 1905.
During the twentieth century, Southern Baptists experience significant numerical and institutional growth. They also increased their worldwide influence, and dealt with several denominational controversies. The growth can be seen in the number of Southern Baptist churches that were present. In 1900, there were only two Southern Baptist churches outside of the south. By 1972, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) had churches in all fifty states. The organization of SBC churches outside of the south led to renewed conflict between Northern and Southern Baptists. The two groups tried to meet on several occasions and iron out rules to deal with conventions in the States. Ultimately, each time the agreements failed because the Southern Baptists did not hold up to the agreements.
Baptists in the twentieth century have faced many trials. There have been many issues to deal with from what to believe to who should be in charge. Perhaps one of the most popular controversies that are discussed today is the Fundamentalist-Moderate controversy or the fundamentalist takeover. “Two factions, Fundamentalists and Moderates, polarized the SBC from 1979-1990. While the war at the national SBC level between the rival parties ended in 1990, the fallout still persists.”[3] With numerous antecedents, the conflict began on 12-14 June, 1979, at the annual meeting of the SBC in Houston, Texas. Three fundamentalist leaders emerged prominently at that meeting and skillfully guided the Fundamentalists to triumph over the Moderates for twelve years. Those three were Paige Patterson, Paul Pressler, and Adrian Rogers. Beginning in the spring of 1979, Pressler and Patterson designed and announced a ten-year plan whereby Fundamentalists could gain political control of the Southern Baptist Convention. They garnered a following by proclaiming that “liberalism” had invaded the entire denominational system and they discovered that they could use the appointive powers of the SBC presidency and thereby dominate the denomination.[4]
Following the 1979 election of Adrian Rogers as SBC president, all of the seven presidents through the election of 1990 were Fundamentalists who used their powers to achieve the fundamentalist agenda by stacking the boards of all trustee agencies, something never done in SBC history. By 1990, hardliners dominated nearly ever SBC agency. Throughout all of this the fundamentalist rallying cry was the inerrancy of the Bible. In all of this, the Fundamentalists want you to believe that they believed the Bible and the Moderates did not. That was wrong and is wrong all though there are evident differences in the way the two parties read the Bible. The two parties have contended over the inerrancy issue and how the Bible is to be interpreted.
Theologically, they wrangled over the role of women and pastoral authority. Fundamentalists insisted on the hierarchy of male-female relationships and denied a woman’s right for ordination to the ministry or the diaconate. Moderates, more egalitarian, advocated equality between women and men and affirmed ordination for women. Fundamentalists stated that with pastoral authority the pastor is to “rule” the church. Moderates believed that this was contrary to what the Bible teaches as well as what Baptists have believed since their beginning. Educationally, the two parties argued over almost every facet of theological education. Much of the heat focused on theological seminaries especially Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before the battle was over, both of these institutions were firmly in the grasp of fundamentalist control and undergoing radical transformation under fundamentalist presidents. As with other issues, the fundamentalists and moderates disagreed on everything from ethics, missiology, and politics.[5] These were the two sides and there was a nasty war in the middle.
Moderates did not want to give up. After a decade of losing they were exhausted. They quit the politics of the SBC. They continued, however, a process that had begun as early as 1983, creating their own structures. One of these structures was the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship which began in August of 1990. The birth (of the CBF) came about when a group of Baptists separated from the SBC following a decade of heated controversy. The moderates fought back. They worked to get the vote. In 1990, moderates mounted one last effort at the SBC meeting in New Orleans, nominating Daniel Vestal as president. Despite a six week campaign tour, Vestal gained only 42 percent of the vote and was defeated.[6]
Just two months after his defeat, Vestal called for a meeting of moderate Baptists in Atlanta, Georgia. Expecting several hundred to participate, leaders were surprised when over 3,000 participants showed up. This began the planning and implementation of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship that is a growing and thriving fellowship in today’s Baptist world.
[1] Durso, Pamela R. and Keith Durso. The Story of Baptists in the United States. (Tennessee: Baptist History and Heritage Society: 2006)149.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Shurden, Walter B. Not a Silent People. (Georgia: Smyth and Helwys: 1995) 84.
[4] Ibid. 85.
[5] Ibid. 89.
[6] Durso, Pamela. A Short History of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Movement. (Tennessee: Baptist History and Heritage Society: 2006) 4.
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