Evangelical high church - Column

Christian Century, Dec 8, 1993 by Nancy T. Ammerman

But they are distinctively Baptist about their worship. Those greetings were not reserved just for clergy, but exchanged among all the people. The elements of the services had been borrowed from a variety of sources, not just one. The litany included explicit scripture citation. The two congregational hymns were traditional evangelical favorites--"O Worship the King" and "He Leadeth Me"--sung with gusto from Hymns for the Living Church. When the preacher got up he invited worshipers to turn in their Bibles (the ones they brought from home, not the ones in the pews) to the passage he would be reading, and at least half of them did. (The passage was not, by the way, one of the prescribed lectionary passages, although the church often uses the lectionary.) Throughout the sermon, the preacher often picked up his Bible as if to emphasize the source of his message. Following was a "Hymn of Response" that was a real altar call, a time for people to step forward to join "this family of faith" or to testify to a firsttime decision to accept Christ.

The pastor search committee's survey revealed, we were told, that the first priority for this congregation is a "pulpiteer." They have had some outstanding ones in their past (John Claypool perhaps among the better known in recent memory), and even in interim times their preaching fare is rich indeed. This Sunday was no exception. The interim pastor was Charles Bugg, professor of homiletics at Southern and exemplar of its former identity as home for progressive Baptist scholars.

The "powerful story" of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac was his subject, and he did not duck the questions the story raises. "I want to know why God would do such a thing. I also want to know where Sarah was through all of this." Then, without providing simple answers, he helped us see the story's call to radical obedience, its call to bring the things most central to our being in worship to God, and its assurance that God is at work in our lives.

Believing this must surely have been difficult at times for this congregation. It has suffered great grief over the past several years. Throughout the SBC's long conflict between moderates and fundamentalists, this congregation was aware of how much was at stake. As the fundamentalist victory has taken shape, the grieving has seemed continuous. There have been deaths and departures, happy resignations and resignations under fire, which have taken countless beloved members away from Louisville and Crescent Hill. With the seminary becoming much more conservative, it is no longer clear that Crescent Hill will still attract seminary students and teachers.

Still, a clear confidence was in the air. One old seminary friend who has made his home in Louisville remarked that "everything is about to change," but he sounded eager more than anxious. The pastor search committee was going about its task with the assumption that it would find another fine shepherd for this flock. This did not seem to be a blind optimism, but a firmly grounded hope. Another friend, a businesswoman, said, "Crescent Hill has always been unique. We forget that, but it is a really special place." It is a seminary church, but more than that. It borrows heavily from traditions beyond its own without shirking its evangelical roots. It cherishes great preaching and has a vital parish life and vigorous lay leadership that sustains it between pastors. It will need those strengths in the days ahead. But if the experience of this Sunday was any indication, it is up to the task.