Reflections on Baptist theological education in the twentieth century

Baptist History and Heritage, Summer-Fall, 2000 by R. Alan Culpepper

The Baptist Bible Institute, which became New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1946, was voted into being in 1917 and offered its first classes in 1918. It was founded out of missionary concern for New Orleans and Latin America, and has continued to fulfill these founding purposes. B. H. DeMent (1863-1933), who had taught at Southern from 1906 to 1914 (and whose sister had married W. O. Carver's father after the death of his first wife), became the first president of this new school, a position which he held until 1928. From its beginning until 1953 the school was located at 1220 Washington Avenue, in the heart of the Garden District of New Orleans.

1920-29

A "third generation" of core faculty was appointed in the twenties who would shape the life of Southern Seminary for the next three decades: Gaines S. Dobbins, W. Hersey Davis, J. McKee Adams, Kyle M. Yates, Harold W. Tribble, and J. B. Weatherspoon. Together these six would teach at Southern for 162 years. The Crescent Hill property for the seminary was acquired in 1921, construction on Norton Hall began in 1923, and the seminary moved to "The Beeches" in 1926. Mullins emerged as the leading Baptist theologian and statesman of the period, serving as president of the seminary from 1899 until his death in 1928, president of the SBC in 1921-24, and president of the BWA in 1923-28. (19) Sampey was sixty-six when he became president in 1929.

Optimism prevailed in the years following the First World War, and L. R. Scarborough was tapped to lead "The Seventy-Five Million Campaign" in 1919. During the next five years, this campaign raised more money for Southern Baptists and for theological education than had ever before been raised. Appropriations were made to Southern, Southwestern, and the Baptist Bible Institute to fund new buildings. Southwestern had received over $750,000 from this campaign by 1925. (20)

By 1921, Norris was attacking both Baylor and Southwestern in full fury. When he published an accusation that W. W. Barnes did not believe the Genesis account of creation, Scarborough asked Barnes to answer Norris's questions in writing. Giving evidence of true Baptist convictions, Barnes replied:

   Before the questions come, in order that the nature or content of the
   questions may not be involved, let me say, I would not answer any question
   he asks me for two reasons: First, that he was not the inquisitor of my
   conscience; and in the second place, he would misuse anything that I wrote
   him. The next day I received a list of twelve questions from Norris, but I
   ignored them as I ignored some ten or twelve letters that he wrote me
   through the years. I never one time paid any attention to any letter he
   wrote me. (21)

Norris continued his attacks until his death in 1952. At Memphis in 1925, the SBC adopted the Baptist Faith and Message statement. The following year the trustees of Southwestern adopted the Baptist Faith and Message statement and the statement of SBC president George W. McDaniel affirming that "man was the special creation of God." Southern and the Baptist Bible Institute were forced to accept the McDaniel statement also.