E. Y. Mullins: public spokesperson for Baptists in America

Baptist History and Heritage, Wntr, 2008 by Bruce T. Gourley

In the summer of 1895, the Boston Daily Globe announced that North Avenue Baptist Church of Cambridge had "called" a "Baltimore Preacher to Massachusetts." However, young E. Y. Mullins instead accepted a position with the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Months later, one of Boston's largest and most influential Baptist congregations summoned the thirty-five-year-old preacher. This time, Mullins could not resist Boston's beckoning, thus beginning his ascendancy to the highest reaches of the Baptist world. (1)

When elected to the presidency of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1899, Mullins became a public spokesperson for Baptists in America. "Boston Pastor Called South," the New York Times proclaimed June 30, 1899. Whereas a few prominent Baptist leaders of the nineteenth century received periodic coverage in the secular media, Mullins's rise within Baptist ranks came at an opportune time in the newspaper industry. The inclusion of photographs, speedy delivery of major dailies by railroads, and ascendancy of the advertising industry, all recent developments for American newspapers, empowered the industry as never before. As the reach and influence of media grew, so did Mullins's stature.

During the first two decades of the twentieth century, in addition to the New York Times and Boston Daily Globe, newspapers as diverse as the Washington Post, Atlanta Constitution, Galveston Daily News, Sheboygan Press, and Colorado Springs Gazette reported on Mullins's preaching and civic engagements. In the turbulent post-World War I era, Mullins served as president of the SBC and Baptist World Alliance. He spoke forcefully to the issues of the day, and newspaper editors listened. The Atlanta Constitution of March 11, 1922, reported on Mullins's warning that world chaos was certain if "the Christian forces of the world" did not "accept the opportunity to help restore society to a stable condition and to do so by introducing men to the spirit of Jesus Christ." (2) Mullins's political activism grew throughout the decade, culminating in his public support of presidential candidate and prohibitionist Herbert Hoover. In America's newspapers, Mullins defended soul competency and religious liberty as the foundational tenets of Baptist faith and practice, battling religious forces intent on reshaping faith into legalistic propositions precluding truths not expressly voiced in scripture.

In the wake of his death in 1928, Mullins left behind a Baptist imprint unmatched in his era. While his nemesis J. Frank Norris, fundamentalist pastor of First Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas, also received widespread media coverage, reporters focused primarily on Norris's legal problems, including charges of arson, perjury, and murder. Harry Emerson Fosdick, controversial and popular pastor of Riverside Church in New York City, may have rivaled Mullins in popularity, yet Fosdick's public identity was not primarily that of a Baptist. (3) Although not without controversy, E. Y. Mullins of the 1920s stood as the primary spokesperson for Baptists, both within the denomination and to the world at large.

Perhaps the public role that Mullins achieved is that which makes his mantle so hotly contested in Baptist life today. Few Baptist ministers have surpassed the public media coverage garnered by Mullins. Of those that have (such as Billy Graham, Rick Warren, and the late Jerry Falwell), none contend for the foundational tenets of the Baptist faith as did Mullins. Nor is it a given that if Mullins were alive today, his Baptist voice would receive the widespread hearing it did in the 1920s. Yet, Mullins's message is no less important today than it was eight decades ago.

(1.) Rev. E. Y. Mullins Called: North Ave Baptist Church of Cambridge Votes to Bring a Baltimore Preacher to Massachusetts," Boston Daily Globe, July 2, 1895; "Calls Rev. E. Y. Mullins: Richmond Clergyman Wanted by First Baptist Church of Newton Center--Offers a Salary of $3500 to Him," Boston Daily Globe, February 1, 1896.

(2.) "Christian Forces Urged to Assist Restore Society," Atlanta Constitution, May 11, 1922.

(3.) Primarily serving Presbyterian and interdenominational congregations, Harry Emerson Fosdick rarely appeared in news stories other than in the New York Times. On the other hand, he appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine in 1930, and attained widespread popularity through his books and radio program.

Bruce T. Gourley

Interim Director

The Center for Baptist Studies

Mercer University, Macon, Georgia