The Legacy of Southwestern: Writings that Shaped a Tradition. - book review

Baptist History and Heritage, Spring, 2003 by Michael A. Dain

Edited by James Leo Garrett Jr. North Richland Hills, TX: Smithfield Press, 2002. 356 pp.

Southwestern Seminary since its infancy as a theological department at Baylor University in 1905 has cast a long shadow over Southern Baptist life. Southwestern graduates have spread throughout the world as pastors, denominational leaders, and missionaries. The Legacy of Southwestern is not the story of students, however, but of Southwestern's professors and their writings. This book examines the legacy of Southwestern Seminary through the writings of twenty-five influential professors.

The professors chosen for inclusion in The Legacy of Southwestern were well selected and represented various academic disciplines. The bulk of the authors, however, taught in the School of Theology, with one representative each from the Schools of Religious Education and Music. Eight of the selections were either Old or New Testament scholars, with four historians, and three theologians. No other discipline garnered more than two selections.

Following a short biographical sketch, the writings of the various authors were examined and evaluated, assessing not only the current tenability of the author's thought, but also the writer's impact on Southern Baptist life. Because a different author wrote each chapter, a certain variability is evident in the length and construction of the chapters. The date at which the professor joined the faculty provided the chronological arrangement of the chapters.

The Legacy of Southwestern will first attract the alumni, who will no doubt find great pleasure in reading about their favorite professors. Current or future students will find the book a worthwhile resource for understanding the rich theological heritage established by professors they never knew. They will find some surprises as well, however, particularly the fact that a number of well-respected professors would not be qualified to serve as faculty today because of their opposition to the signing of any creedal statement. Ray Summers indicated that he refused to "march to any man-made creedal drum" (p. 102). J. W. MacGorman refused to sign any confession or creed and instead sent a copy of the Bible, which he signed, to the administration of the seminary in order to "authenticate his commitment to the truth and trustworthiness of the Bible" (p. 128).

Others will find the book a goldmine for future research. The chapters contain extensive bibliographies that point researchers to the basic corpus of each professor's works. The analyses point researchers to important, basic concepts for interpreting the thought of the various authors. These chapters could well provide the launching pads for future dissertations.

Unfortunately, the volume lacks a unified presentation or analysis of the Southwestern tradition. The separate chapters developed each individual author's contribution to the greater theological tradition, but a concluding chapter, which analyzed the development of the Southwestern ethos, would have been welcomed. Perhaps this chapter is yet to be written.

Michael A. Dain, adjunct professor of history, Dallas Baptist University.