Reflections on Baptist theological education in the twentieth century

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

Carver also allowed himself some revealing comments about his colleagues: "I must not take your time or mine to talk to you now about our new professors. I rejoice in them. You will understand when I say that I take peculiar pride in Price's coming to us. For years I have hoped that that might come about, but I had not dared hope to see it so soon. With him and Goerner, who permit me to call them `my boys," I have great gratitude to God." Carver expressed hope that William A. Mueller would prove to be "a comprehensive, evangelical theologian" and suggested that "technically he is more historian than theologian." Then he added: "May I venture to add that I think Dale will out-grow his Brunner-Barth complex." (36)

At the age of 80, Carver could still express excitement about forward-looking changes in the curriculum: "In the midst of last session I broached with the different men whose departments were involved and then with our president the idea of a new approach to the theological curriculum. I was surprised at the readiness with which approval of the idea was met. The idea is that the story of our Christianity and its interpretation should be studied historically by its great periods; that the various aspects of it, expansion, institutional development, worship, philosophical contexts, and consequent theological formulation, should be studied together. Thus, while Price is technically in the Department of Church History, he is not to be limited to history in the ordinary technical sense. Similarly, the other men in history are to take a more comprehensive view. There is to be interdepartmental co-ordination and co-operation in a measure not heretofore practiced. At least, such is my hope and my understanding." (37) That dream has not yet been realized, that I know of, and to the extent to which it has, it would await the comprehensive abilities and sensitivities of E. Glenn Hinson.

An aside: On January 10, 1984, I had an extended conversation with T. C. Smith at his home in North Carolina, in which I asked him to tell me how critical study of the Bible had been introduced at Southern. I made notes of his account. In 1947, T. C. returned from Edinburgh. Davis and McDowell were the other members of the New Testament department. Davis was good with Greek; McDowell was excellent as an interpreter. During the second semester Davis was ill, and T. C. took over for him. T. C. introduced critical issues, which scared Davis. McDowell had had his eyes opened at Union. Sampey, Davis, Yates, and Francisco would all deal with critical issues with graduate students but not with B.D. classes.

The year after Fuller went to Southern, Duke McCall (1914-) became president of the Baptist Bible Institute (1943-46). In 1946, it became New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. McCall was followed by Roland Q. Leavell (1891-1963), who served from 1946-58.

In 1944, Isham B. Hodges, pastor the Golden Gate Baptist Church of Oakland, secured a charter for the Golden Gate Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which opened that year with seven students. In 1945, the Southern Baptist General Convention of California assumed ownership and control of the school. In 1946, Benjamin Oscar Herring became president.