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Book Review
April 18, 2001

The Baptist Reformation by Jerry Sutton

Since the beginning of the church there has been a family secret that we try to keep the world from knowing; we don't always get along very well in the family of God. The Hellinist and Jews had problems in Acts 6 and Jewish Christians debated whether Gentiles could even be Christians in Acts 15. Even Paul and Barnabas had their problems and parted ways. While Scripture is open about the conflicts in the church, denominations are not always so obliging. That can no longer be said about Southern Baptists.

In over 500 pages, Jerry Sutton chronicles the struggle that have enveloped the largest Protestant denomination in the world over the last 30 or so years. Some of Sutton's book will mean little to an outsider. He spends a great deal of time in the mid-chapters giving an almost week-by-week account of what went on during what he calls the conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention. These chapters are of great value to history and Southern Baptists.

However, it is Sutton's insights into the nature of creeping liberalism that is most beneficial to the entire Body of Christ. The Southern Baptist Convention is the first mainstream denomination that successfully turned itself around in this century. While the Presbyterians and Methodists have fragmented into numerous denominations, Southern Baptists have not. What caused this turn around is the focus of this book.

The Baptist Reformation is most helpful by explaining the importance of Biblical education and adherence to the Bible as the sole authority of the church. Sutton offers a number of insights and principles concerning the importance of solid theological education in a denomination.

This editor was six years old when Southern Baptists were first considering the influences of liberalism in its seminaries. As one who grew up and experienced firsthand the events detailed by Sutton, I can attest to the importance of understanding what God did and is doing among Baptists in the Southern Baptist Convention.

This is a big book that covers some big issues. It is worth the investment in time and money to consider its contents.

The Baptist Reformation by Jerry Sutton (Broadman & Holman, 2000), hardcover, 542 pages.

Jerry Sutton is pastor of Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville, TN. He holds a Ph.D. in Church History from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

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The conservative resurgence was absolutely necessary. Had it not occurred, the Southern Baptist Convention would have found itself drifting steadily to the left and eventually would have been in the same anemic theological condition as the mainline Protestant denominations, powerless to effect change in our spiritually starving world. (p.3)

"As a seminarian ... I found myself baffled. I was more certain of what I didn't believe that I was of what I did believe. Southern Seminary had destroyed by biblical fundamentalism but it had not given me anything viable to take its place." Clayton Sullivan (p. 25)

"When you hear the silly talk that the Bible 'contains' the word of God and is not the word of God, you hear fools talk ... There can be no inspiration of the book without the inspiration of the words of the book." B.H. Carroll (p.414)

Cecil Sherman argued that if a seminary professor came to the conclusion, based on his study, that the virgin birth was a myth, then that professor should have the right to teach that doctrine in his or her seminary class. All to often, heresy was protected under the guise of "academic freedom" or a professor exercising his or her "priesthood privileges." (p.433)

On his death bed B.H. Carroll gave this charge to L.R. Scarborough: "Lee, keep the Seminary lashed to the cross. If heresy ever comes in the teaching, take it to the faculty. If they will not hear you ... take it to the trustees of the Seminary. If they will not hear you, take it to the Convention that appoints the Board of Trustees, and if they will not hear you take it to the common people of our churches. You will not fail to get a hearing from them." (p. 437)

 

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