Posted: 1/06/06

Around the State

Baylor Health Care System's pastoral care department and the Baptist General Convention of Texas' office of chaplaincy relations will begin a 14-week course titled “Hands On Ministry” Feb. 2. The course, taught by professional chaplains, is aimed at providing lay people with an opportunity for increasing the knowledge, skills and ability needed to provide effective, compassionate care to others. Classes will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. each Thursday, with the exception of Maundy Thursday, through May 11. The training fee is $25. For more information, contact Bob Duncan at (214) 820-4893 or Reba Gram at (888) 311-3900.

The third annual singles conference of San Jacinto Baptist Association will be held Feb. 25 from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Northside Church in Baytown. Don Piper, author of 90 Minutes in Heaven, will be the keynote speaker. Singles of all ages are welcome. The $25 cost includes an autographed book and lunch. For more information, call (281) 422-3604 or go to www.sjbaptist.org.

Baylor University has named two faculty members as master teachers. Honored with the designation were Thomas Hanks Jr., professor of English, and Gerald Powell, the Abner V. McCall Professor of Evidence at Baylor Law School. Hanks began teaching at Baylor in 1976 and is a noted expert in medieval English literature. Powell has taught in the Baylor law school since 1986.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor held its traditional pinning ceremony Dec. 15 for graduates of the Scott & White College of Nursing. Twenty-nine graduates participated in the pinning ceremony. The pin awarded graduates is unique to the school and is the same design as awarded to every class since the first graduates in 1904. Outstanding graduates honored during the ceremony were Kyle Mikles with the Golden Cross Award, Billie Jo Carpenter with the Purple Heart Award, Shelby Widner with the Clinical Excellence Award and Crissie Richardson with both the Academic Achievement Award and the Laura Cole Award for demonstrated leadership.

Dallas Baptist University honored four recipients at its annual Ruth Awards luncheon. Chosen as recipients were Michelle Blackburn of Canton, Billye Buxton of Dallas, Patsy Smith of Colleyville and Joan Trew of Fort Worth. They were selected for their dedication to God, family and Christian education at DBU.

In preparation for its 100th anniversary celebration in April, First Church in Melvin is seeking former Pastor Maurice Mosley. Anyone with information about him may send it to the church at Route 1, Box 60, 76858.

Calvary Hills Church in San Antonio is seeking information on charter members in preparation for the celebration of its 20th anniversary in April. Contact the church at (210) 681-2446. Randy Houston is pastor.

Anniversaries

First Church in Flower Mound, 25th, Oct. 30. David Williams is pastor.

Hickory Creek Church in Denton, 150th, Nov. 20. Raymond Castro is pastor.

Harold Sturm, fifth, as associate pastor of River Hills Church in Corpus Christi, Jan. 1.

Several members of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team rode in the annual Temple Christmas parade with children in the Designs of Hope program. These children have cancer, and the team adopted the Scott & White Medical Center pediatric oncology wing this year to visit with the children. The relationships between the players and children caused many of the children to elect to ride on the shoulders of their friends rather than the float. Participating players included Josh Welch, Jonathan Montgomery, Anthony Carter, Jarvis Thrasher, James Tillotson, Matt Harvey, Chris Addison, Bryan McCasland, Adam Aguillera, Chad Hilton, Kelvin Kirby and Shawnn Williams.

Robert Simmons, fifth, as pastor of Annaville Church in Corpus Christi, Jan. 1.

Shawn Kemp, fifth, as pastor of Hagerman Church in Sherman, Jan. 14.

Crescent Heights Church in Abilene, 50th, Jan. 14-15. Former pastors Billy Hendrix, Wayne Allen, James Vermillion, Harold Scarbrough, Butch Pesch and Walter Knight Jr. are expected to attend. For more information, call (325) 677-3749. Mike Chancellor is pastor.

Deaths

Evelyn Gilbreath, 94, Dec. 7 in Cameron. She was the wife of Baptist pastor U.S. Lucky, and together they served churches in Texas, Arkansas and Missouri before retiring to Cameron in 1979. After his death in 1983, she married Leo Heard in 1987, but he died later that year. She married Richard Gilbreath in 1988, and he preceded her in death in 1990. She also was preceded in death by her sister, Bonnie Watkins and brother, A.J. McClure. She was a member of Battetown Church in Cameron, where she served as pianist for a number of years. She is survived by her brother, Dan McClure; and sisters, Faye Miller and Lois Kiker.

Lydia Hogan, 57, Dec. 12 in Little Rock, Ark. Her husband, Bill, is pastor of Hillcrest Church in Marshall. She was a teacher in the Hallsville school district. She is survived by her husband; daughter, Heather Hogan; brother, Sam Bailey; sister, Rhoda Smith; and in-laws, Beryl and Bill Hogan.

Jack Manning, 95, Dec. 14 in Waxahachie. Manning began preaching in 1932 and was a Baptist minister more than 70 years. He was pastor of churches in Howard, Forreston, Red Oak, Paradise, Rhome and Burkburnett before becoming a World War II chaplain in 1942. He was a chaplain in England and made the landing at Normandy. He was awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and an award for meritorious service. At the end of the war, he returned to the States but remained active in the U.S. Army Reserve until 1970, retiring as a colonel. He also was pastor of a church in Oklahoma while attending seminary to earn his doctorate. After graduation, he became a professor at Golden Gate Seminary in California, where he taught church history, Greek and church administration. He returned to Waxahachie after retirement. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Lucile; daughter, Ruth Turpin; son, Jack; sister, Marinell Holt; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Zane Busch, 47, Dec. 14 in Nederland. A minister of music, he served Central Church in Port Neches, Triangle Church in Nederland and Memorial Church in Port Arthur. He also served as interim music director and pianist for First Church in Nederland and as pianist for Calvary Church in Beaumont. He is survived by his wife, Tanya; parents, John and Christell Busch; and brother, David.

David Hale, 67, Dec. 18 in Dallas. Hale was pastor of Northside Church in Corsicana more than 30 years and began Church in the Park there in recent years. Hale began the chaplain's program at Navarro Regional Hospital, where the chapel bears his name. He also served as chaplain for the sheriff's department and as emcee for the Navarro County Special Olympics for more than 20 years. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Joyce, and his brother, Charles. He is survived by his wife, Beverly; daughters, Jennifer Wilfong, Kyla Terry and Amara Hughes; brother, Durwood; stepsons, Tommy and Mark Head; stepdaughter, Janna Head; and nine grandchildren.

Percy Bailey, 90, Dec. 21 in Diana. A Baptist minister more than 50 years, he served churches in Oakwood, Nome, Vidor, Kirbyville, Gilmer and County Line. He was preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn, and daughter, Lydia Hogan. He is survived by his son, Sam; daughter, Rhoda Smith; and five grandchildren.

Hazel Falke-Obey, 62, Dec. 30 in Austin. Her first husband, James Obey, was pastor of St. Stephen's Church in San Antonio, St. John First Church in Corpus Christi and David Chapel Missionary Church in Austin. She remained a member of the Austin church since 1963. She was actively involved in the Austin community, employed over a 30-year span with the Austin school district, Rep. Wilhelmina Delco, Gov. Mark White, Texas attorney general's office of Jim Mattox; and the Texas general land office of Garry Mauro. She also served actively in numerous civic organizations. Through her work, she became a friend and counselor to nationally known political figures, including President Bill Clinton and Jesse Jackson. She was a member of the Democratic National Committee 18 years, and the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee. She is survived by her husband, William Lyons; daughters, Norma McAfee, Flores Jean Phelps, Ernestine Ramsey, Jackie Marcee, Marilyn Obey and Anyce Obey; son, Anthony Obey; sister, JoAnn Falke; brother, Wilburn White; three step-children; 22 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

Cathy Leak, 58, Jan. 2 in Kerrville. Her husband, Jim, is director of missions for Hill Country Association. A teacher, she taught second grade and later music. She also taught private music lessons and was active in youth ministry. She began to play the organ in her church when only 14 years old and continued until 2000, when she left the organist position at Trinity Church in Kerrville to serve as worship minister at Heart of the Hills Church in Kerrville. She also was a volunteer chaplain at Peterson Hospital and ministered to women confined at the Kerr County Jail. She was preceded in death by her father, Harry Craig Jr., by only 23 days at age 95. She is survived by her husband; sons, Corey and Kyle; daughter, Kerri Sparkman; mother, Wanda Craig; brother, Harry Craig III; and four grandchildren.

Retiring

Ken Black, as pastor of First Church in Jourdanton, Jan. 31. He has served the church five years and has been in the ministry since being ordained at First Church in Lyford in 1964. His previous pastorates include a five-year stint at Calvary Church in Brownsville.

First Church in Devers will hold a gospel singing concert Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. Featured groups will include The Cherrys and the Calvary Singers. An offering will be taken. For more information, call (936) 549-7653. Harry McDaniel is pastor.

Agape Church, a new congregation in Fort Worth, will kick off its ministry with a celebration weekend Jan. 13-15. Services will begin at 7 p.m. Russell Dilday will speak each evening. Charles Wade, exec-utive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, will be the guest speaker Friday evening. Bill Bruster will be the guest speaker on Saturday evening, and Tom Law will speak on Sunday evening. The church is at 4833 Selkirk Drive (formerly Westcliff Methodist Church). Gerald Marsh is interim pastor.

Wilshire Church in Dallas will offer a free community parenting seminar Jan. 15. Beginning at 2:30 p.m., four class periods will offer a variety of seminars, including “What's Safe for My Kids on the Internet?” “Brain Development,” “Would I Know if My Kid Started Using Drugs?” “Understanding and Different-iating ADD, ADHD, Depression and Bipolar Disorder,” “How to Talk with a Teenager” and many more. A snack supper will be provided between the third and fourth sessions. Childcare will be available through sixth grade. George Mason is pastor.

“Celebrate Life with a Show of Hands” is the theme of the First Baptist Church in Belton Sanctity of Human Life Fair to be held Jan. 29 from noon until 2 p.m. The fair will feature booths from programs and organizations that provide family services, including crisis pregnancy, maternity homes, adoption, abuse recovery, disabilities, assistive technologies and services, and free legal help with living wills. There will be craft activities and puppet shows for children, two seminars, special music and a food booth to raise money for missions. Andy Davis is pastor.

Ordained

Wade Garrett to the ministry at Oakridge Church in Denison. He and his wife, Laurie, will serve with the International Mission Board in southern Asia.

Keith Gatewood as a deacon at Pleasant Valley Church in Jonesboro.

Eddie Rains, Allen Rector, Philip Robinson and Greg Wood as deacons at Lytle South Church in Abilene.

Revival

Northside Church, Victoria; Jan. 22-25; evangelist, Jon Randles; pastor, Tim Williams.

Posted: 1/06/06

BGCT provides computers for Nigerian Baptists

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

The Baptist General Convention of Texas has shipped more than seven dozen computers to the Nigerian Baptist Convention.

Eighty-seven computers, 90 computer monitors, mice, keyboards and some spare parts were shipped to Ibadan–the location of the Nigerian convention's offices–in mid-December. The items are estimated to arrive in late January.

The donated computers will update the convention's technology and assist leaders in administrative duties. Gerald Davis, strategist for the BGCT equipping ministries team, said the computers will be used to create a lab for the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary in Ogbomosho and an Internet café.

“The building of a technology infrastructure for the Nigerian Baptist Convention is a great feat that was made possible by so many Texas Baptists,” said Michael Evans, director of BGCT African-American ministries who helped with the project.

“About 8,000 of the dollars were given by African-American churches. This goes to show together we can truly do more than if we were alone or separate.”

The Internet café will be open to the public, and organizers hope it will generate revenue for the Baptist medical clinic in the city, Davis said.

The shipment of computers is part of a larger relationship between the BGCT and the Nigerian Baptist Convention, said Don Sewell, who leads Texas Baptist partnership efforts. Many needs can be met by Texas Baptists who are willing to serve in Nigeria, he noted.

“The sharing of these computers is simply one important facet of our overarching partnership with Nigeria,” he said. “We look forward to sending volunteer teams to assist in all forms of evangelism and ministry.”

Posted: 1/06/06

Bible literacy among Baptists
in decline, some educators fear

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

Only one-third of American teenagers know what a “road to Damascus” experience means, and close to one-third don't understand the term “Good Samaritan,” a 2004 Gallup survey revealed.

Now, some religious educators wonder if adults in Baptist churches would score much better on a Bible literacy test.

“People already are biblically illiterate. It's scary what they don't know, and I'm afraid it will only get worse,” said Dennis Parrott, who served as minister of education at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler before joining the Baptist General Convention of Texas staff.

Some ministers of education see a relative, short-term decline in biblical literacy among church members as a positive sign. They interpret it as evidence churches are reaching people who didn't grow up in Christian homes and churches where they could learn Bible stories.

“If there's a decline in overall biblical literacy, it's more a reflection of outreach to the un-churched, because in the general population, there's less biblical literacy,” said David Strawn, minister of education at First Baptist Church in College Station.

But other religious educators question whether Baptists in the pews today understand the Bible as comprehensively as Baptists did in earlier generations.

In part, this may be attributed to an emphasis on “hot topic” short-term classes or “book-of-the-month” studies in some churches, said David Adams, minister of education at Williams Trace Baptist Church in Sugar Land.

Topical, special-interest studies and classes built around books by popular Christian authors should be offered in addition to ongoing Bible study, not in place of it, Adams said.

“We have people who say to us, 'It's so refreshing because you actually teach the Bible here,” he said. Adams also suggests religious education may not be receiving the emphasis and support it previously received in churches and the denomination–a view shared by Budd Smith, senior fellow and professor at the B.H. Carroll Institute.

“It's all in flux right now. There's been a decline in emphasis on religious education in churches,” said Smith, a longtime professor of Christian education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. “It's no fault of any particular church or group, but the focus now is on worship. In the meantime, there's been a movement away from education.”

Smith traces the de-emphasis in religious education and decline in biblical literacy among Baptists to the demise of what once was known as Training Union.

“A lot of that had to do with the way we put it in a bad time slot on Sunday afternoon,” he said. Smith's dissertation in the 1970s revealed a sharp contrast between the basic biblical understanding of Sunday school teachers who had attended Training Union and the lack of knowledge among those who had not parti-cipated.

“Now we have a whole generation of Sunday school teachers who have never had a study course in Baptist history, theology or ethics,” Smith said.

As a result, he said, their teaching often lacks depth, and many people in Sunday school classes have a shallow understanding of what the Bible says.

However, some religious educators find hope in the emerging generation who hunger for substance in Bible study.

“The assumption often is that the younger generation just want their felt needs met, but we underestimate their ability to multi-task,” said Judy Morris, director of the master's-level program in Christian education at Dallas Baptist University.

While young people respond positively to topical classes about their immediate needs and interests, they want more, she insisted.

“When it comes down to it, their faith development is important to them,” she said. “They want the foundations more than we realize.”

Posted: 1/06/06

Book Reviews

Evaluating the Church Growth Movement: Five Views by Gary L. McIntosh, general editor (Zondervan)

Evaluating the Church Growth Movement provides an opportunity to understand a variety of North American church-growth views. Five scholars express their perspectives as well as critique each other's writings. They delve into church growth, sharing their own historical understandings and interpretations.

Gary McIntosh, the general editor writes:

“When you hear the term 'church growth,' what words or phrases come to mind? You may think of megachurches, small groups, numbers, contemporary worship, marketing or a host of other concepts that have occasionally been promoted as popular church-growth theory.

“In contrast, you may identify the term 'church growth' with effective evangelism, church planting, church extension, making disciples, church multiplication or other aspects of outreach that seek to win people to Christ and enlist them as responsible members of his church.

What are you reading that other Texas Baptists would find helpful? Send suggestions and reviews to books@baptiststandard.com.

“These differing perceptions of the term 'church growth,' and the emotions that arise from them, clearly point to misunderstanding and disagreement regarding the term, as well as the movement. Church growth is one of those ideas that cause us to draw lines in the sand. We are either for an emphasis on church growth or against it. There seems to be little neutral ground.

Donald McGavran, the father of the modern church-growth movement, recognized early on the divisive nature of church growth thought in a letter to his wife, written from Costa Rica on Sept. 8, 1961: 'It is clear that emphasizing the growth of the churches divides the camp. It is really a divisive topic. How strange when all are presumably disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.' Dr. McGavran's words still ring true today. Church growth continues to divide the camp … as discovered in this work.”

Evaluating the Church Growth Movement brings together church growth voices from diverse North American perspectives.

Elmer Towns of Liberty University writes from the effective evangelism view that church growth effectively confronts and penetrates the culture. Craig Van Gelder of Luther Theological Seminary shares from the gospel and our cultural view that church growth lacks a sufficient view of the church, which hinders it from effectively engaging the culture. Charles Van Engen of Fuller Theological Seminary gives the centrist view, holding that church growth is based on an evangelistically focused and a missiologically applied theology. Gailyn Van Rheenen of Abilene Christian University puts forth the reformist view that church growth assumes theology but ineffectively employs it to analyze culture, determine strategy and perceive history.

Howard Snyder of Asbury Theological Seminary represents the renewal view that church growth must be based on a biblical vision of the church as the vital community of the kingdom of God. In addition, three pastors, David Fisher, Douglas Webster and Roberta Hestenes reflect on the five scholars' writings and critiques.

The reader will find the ideas presented and the arguments raised a quick and in-depth appraisal of the North American church growth movement.

Evaluating the Church Growth Movement is a good example of Christian discussion in action.

Fred Ater, strategist

BGCT Missional Church Center

Dallas

The Bible–You Can Believe It: Biblical Authority in the Twenty-First Century by Jim Denison (BaptistWay Press)

This recent offering by Jim Denison combines scholarly excellence with practical presentation in defending the authority of the Bible. Denison, pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, provides teachings that are easily applied to help believers understand and share their faith. He tackles such issues as inerrancy, “contradictions” in Scripture, the miraculous, and the creation of the Canon, a question recently raised in The Da Vinci Code.

Denison combines his academic proficiency with his pastor's heart as he continually encourages readers to move beyond an apologetic handling of the Bible to its daily, personal study.

He provides guidelines for such study, challenging believers to decide before opening the Bible that they will obey what is found there.

He reminds readers that nonbelievers don't come to church buildings to hear appeals on the basis of scriptural authority. “But when we show them the pragmatic value of biblical truth in our lives, ministries and community, we will gain a hearing,” he explains.

This book serves not only as a defense for biblical authority, but an encouragement for spending time daily with the living God in his word. As Denison states: “The Bible–you truly can believe it. Let it change your life.”

Jane Wilson, youth specialist

BGCT Bible Study/Discipleship Team

Dallas

Posted: 1/06/06

Church activists see federal
budget as moral document

By Kevin Eckstrom

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–When mainline Protestant leaders assembled in the nation's capital last March to denounce President Bush's proposed budget as “unjust,” they were received much like the Old Testament prophets they look to for inspiration–just another lonely voice, crying out in the wilderness.

By year's end, the budget they rejected as immoral had passed through Congress, although only by the narrowest of margins. Vice President Dick Cheney was called in to break a 50-50 tie in the Senate.

Even though they lost the budget battle, activists say they succeeded at something more important and long-lasting. They have finally been heard, they say, and have discovered a way to portray arcane budget debates into stark moral choices that test the nation's commitment to the poor.

“I think what's changed is over a period of years … there has emerged a wide agreement that poverty is a central biblical concern, and that did not used to be the case,” said Wes Granberg-Michaelson, general secretary of the Reformed Church in America. “That's a gigantic shift.”

Activists were quick to claim credit where they could.

Jim Wallis, founder of the anti-poverty group Call to Renewal, is arrested by Capitol Police officers during a protest against the budget outside the U.S. Capitol. (RNS photo courtesy of Ryan Beiler/Sojourners)

“When we began this year, no one would have guessed that the vice president would be needed to break a tie on the budget,” said Maureen Shea, director of the Episcopalians' Washington of-fice. “Our advocacy made a difference.”

Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, added, “Our voices of opposition were heard and have provided a tangible sign that the church is living out the gospel of Jesus Christ … in our own day.”

For years, Catholic and mainline Protestant churches have lobbied for social service programs to aid the poor. In the 1980s, Catholic bishops said the U.S. budget is–or should be–a moral document.

But 2005 marked the first time they came together in a concerted, coordinated effort to save those programs.

Poverty exposed by Hurricane Katrina, combined with millions in tax cuts that critics argue benefit the wealthy, helped focus the debate.

Experts say the 2004 elections, which saw the emergence of “values voters” and the awakening of a moribund progressive community, may have helped focus activists' attempts to paint the budget as a values issue.

“The basic concern about the poor and preventing budget cuts is not a new concern,” said John Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. “They're just more vocal and active about it than they have been in a long time.”

Last month, 114 activists convened by Call to Renewal, a progressive Christian anti-poverty group, were arrested outside the U.S. Capitol in a peaceful protest against the budget. Such a direct confrontation over the budget marked a new strategy for activists, and it got them noticed.

“These voices were heard, and they were heard as voices that had a real religious integrity to them, and that's the first step,” said Granberg-Michaelson, who attended the protest but was not arrested.

The protest, organized by Call to Renewal founder Jim Wallis, included young and old, black and white, evangelical and liberal. Wallis said his group had taken the debate beyond traditional “liberal-conservative” lines.

But a major challenge that remains is broadening that message to other faith groups that are more galvanized by hot-button social issues like same-sex marriage and abortion.

Indeed, the influential Family Research Council urged a vote in support of the budget bill, and Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, called the budget boring and dismissed the debate as more “liberal social gospel.”

Green, an expert on religion and politics, said church groups succeeded in “laying down a marker” for future budget debates and even the 2006 elections, but must find a way to widen their appeal.

“This group is preaching to the choir and not to the whole church yet,” Green said. “That's a real challenge that they face, how to broaden their message to other groups.”

Posted: 1/06/06

Church bulletin errors tickle the funny bone

By Heather Horiuchi

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–It has long been said that to err is human. But to forgive mistakes in church bulletins may be divine.

If lists of church bloopers are an accurate indication, the need for forgiveness is great. The unintended funnies, often passed around on the Internet, give the spiritually minded an excuse to let loose with a belly laugh.

"Things are so solemn, grave and violent, we need to lighten up," said Cal Samra, editor of the Joyful Noiseletter, a Portage, Mich., publication that collects unfortunate typos that find themselves in church pews.

Bloopers he prints have been verified as authentic, Samra said. However, certain identifying factors occasionally are omitted to prevent potentially embarrassing situations from being made public.

Here is a sampling:

“The church had a going-away party for the pastor. The congregation was anxious to give him a little momentum.”

“John Smith, ordained as a deamon, will pastor two churches in Fannin County.”

“We will have a special holiday bingo and dinner on Monday evening. You will be given two bingo packs, which cover all games played, and your choice of children or roast beef for dinner.”

“Please drop off diapers, size 3, at the Saint Raphael's parish office during regular office hours for Sister Jane.”

Britain's biggest online Christian magazine, shipoffools.com, regularly posts "the 10 most recent gaffes, blunders and Freudian slips from sermons, prayers and church newsletters, as seen and heard by our readers."

It adds, “All painful examples are gratefully received.”

The website discovered that British churchgoers at one congregation were invited to “prayer and medication” while another invited attendees to socialize over “coffee and mice pies.”

Posted: 1/06/06

Posted: 1/06/06

Transitions spotlight new face
of Baptist higher education

By Hannah Lodwick

Associated Baptist Press

DALLAS (ABP)–Three of the nation's largest Baptist universities each have chosen a different strategy in selecting the president who will shape the school's future. Now pundits wonder which model will emerge as the new face of Christian higher learning.

Baylor University's election of John Lilley, 66, as president comes after a time of division among alumni, faculty and administrators over academic freedom and the nature of Christian education. Lilley's status as an “outsider” from Nevada could help defuse the strife.

Mercer University, recently cut loose by the Georgia Baptist Convention, elected a champion of academic freedom, Baylor Interim President Bill Underwood, as president–raising a flag for the historic Christian liberal-arts tradition.

And Samford University seems to have chosen a safe route. Presidential nominee Andrew Westmoreland is president of Ouachita Baptist University, which has preserved close ties with Arkansas Baptists and avoided the conflict that has divided so many other denominational schools.

While each school's vision of a Christian college is different, each could play a role in defining the future of the Baptist university–and Christian higher education as a whole.

But the presidential changes at three of the five largest Baptist schools–educating a total of 25,000 students–are only part of the picture. Baptist colleges from coast to coast are experiencing upheaval of one sort or another.

John Lilley

On the same day in mid-November that Mercer and Georgia Baptists parted ways, Georgetown College left the Kentucky Baptist fold, and Tennessee Baptists acknowledged Belmont University is cutting ties as well.

These are only the latest in a string of defections dating back several decades–Averett, Furman, Stetson, Wake Forest, Richmond. While other schools retain their Baptist ties, the trend is well established and accelerating–the largest and richest Baptist colleges are going it alone, and others who have the ability will follow.

At Baylor, Lilley's arrival creates an opportunity for change at the world's largest Baptist university.

Lilley, characterized as a consensus builder, comes in as a relative unknown from outside the “Baylor bubble,” untainted by the unrest at the university.

While he has been a Presbyterian in recent decades, many believe this son of a Baptist pastor still has the Baptist credentials to get the job done.

Provost Emeritus Donald Schmel-tekopf supports Baylor's policy that its president be a practicing and active Baptist Christian.

“John Lilley passes this test in his willingness to join a local Baptist church in Waco just two days after he was named president-elect of Baylor,” Schmeltekopf said. “I think this approach should also be used as needed in the hiring of members of our religion department.”

Although Schmeltekopf affirms that Baylor is explicit about its Christian affiliation, he notes that no Baylor documents refer to an official confession of faith, as is the case at Samford.

“I believe Baylor and Samford are much closer in their commitment to the unity of knowledge as expressed through faith and reason than Mercer is,” Schmeltekopf said. “While there is a great deal of divergence on this point at both Baylor and Samford, both tend to see faith not only as an expression of redemption, but also as a genuine source of understanding.”

That concept of the “unity of knowledge”–that faith and learning not only cohabit the Christian college campus but confirm and nurture each other–is at the heart of the conflict at Baylor and other schools.

Despite differing opinions about how to apply statements of faith, Schmel-tekopf said, most large Baptist universities still are intentional about being Christian, if not explicitly Baptist.

Ironically though, Schmeltekopf says one of the conflicts in the Baptist denomination today is that church members have permitted relatively minor issues to “trump our common membership in the Christian family of faith, the community of all believers.”

“The one and only acceptable 'ideology' of the Baptist university is the God-ideology of the historic Christian faith, the God who is revealed in Scripture and in the church–the God who is at work in the world,” Schmeltekopf said.

“That's a radical ideology, and we must be discerning personally and in our institutions to understand what God's will is.”

Others at Baylor believe the historic Christian faith plays an important role not just in the president's office but in the classrooms filled by Baylor's 13,800 students.

Randy Wood, professor of education at Baylor, sees Lilley's arrival as a unifying force on campus. He said the faith emphasis at Baylor separates it from other schools like the University of Texas and Texas A&M University. For Wood, Baylor's “faith component” comes from biblical Christianity more than a specifically Baptist background.

While Baylor's changing of the guard comes as a potential turning point in the history of the university, Bruce Gourley, associate director of the Center for Baptist Studies at Mercer University, said Mercer President Kirby Godsey has kept the Macon, Ga., school close to its Georgia Baptist ties.

In Gourley's opinion, shared by many, the challenge of a successful Baptist university involves balancing a Christian worldview with competitive academics. Gourley believes Godsey has done both.

“He has been very committed to the Baptist heritage and continually staying connected to our Baptist roots,” Gourley said. “I've been very impressed that he was and is striving to emphasize that heritage.”

Godsey, 68, will retire June 30. His replacement–Underwood, formerly a law professor at Baylor–added his personal touch to Baylor soon after he became interim president. He immediately shook up the administration, replacing Provost David Lyle Jeffrey. Underwood and Jeffrey disagreed about the proper role of academic freedom at a Christian university.

Jeffrey declined to comment for this article.

Union University President David Dockery, a former visiting professor at Samford, said Baptist schools are first and foremost Christian institutions that should hire the best and brightest Christian scholars. Within those contexts, he said, schools that remain Baptist should give priority to hiring Baptist scholars.

“I think it is healthy to have a majority of Baptists on the faculty,” Dockery said. “I think it is valuable and healthy, however, to have representation from different traditions as well. We need commitments characterized by serious and rigorous academics and an unapologetic commitment to the Christian intellectual tradition.”

Some faculty members at Samford feel the same way. For the Alabama Baptist university of 4,440 students, an intentional focus on Christian distinctives fosters academic freedom in the midst of a specifically Baptist heritage.

Samford has not tried to loosen its relationship with the Alabama Baptist Convention. And while it adheres to the Baptist Faith & Message statement, it uses the traditional 1963 version, not the more rigid 2000 revision.

Samford's president of 22 years, Tom Corts, will retire in May.

David Chapman, dean of the Howard College of Arts and Sciences at Samford, said the new president must “provide a clear signal to the direction of the university, ensure that the academic mission of the school is upheld, and relate well to all of the university's constituents.”

“Samford has attempted to chart a course in which the school remains loyal to its Baptist heritage without becoming a political football in denominational politics,” Chapman said.

“Christian colleges and universities have a pivotal role to play at this time when the nation seems divided over many moral and spiritual issues. Instead of ignoring controversial issues, the college needs to provide a space where the issues of our day–from al-Qaida to Terry Schiavo–can be discussed intelligently and civilly, regardless of one's faith tradition.”

As strife in Baptist life has increased and denominationalism waned, many Baptist colleges have recreated themselves to appeal less to the traditional Baptist student and more to the broader Christian, or evangelical, one.

The real challenge for Baptist universities comes in balancing this openness to other “faith traditions” with ties to their Baptist state conventions. And that is where the drive for quality Christian education becomes intertwined with two factors usually viewed as unbecoming for Christians to crave–cash and control.

For more than a decade, the drive for academic excellence has led some colleges to reduce or sever ties with Baptist conventions, especially when the convention expects its financial support to translate into influence over the school's decision-making.

Occasionally the university has used fear of a convention takeover as justification for breaking away–as was the case with Baylor in the 1990s and Belmont more recently. And to be fair, the rise of conservative influence in some state conventions has brought calls for tighter reins on Baptist college curriculum and student life.

Chapman insists control is the wrong model. Instead of churches and conventions viewing colleges as children to be controlled, he said, the relationship should consist of mutual respect and cooperation.

“Baptist colleges fulfill an important role not only in preparing future clergy but in educating young people with a variety of vocational goals who will be the backbone of the churches they attend,” he said. “They also serve as places where Baptist history is researched and archived, where the connections between Christianity and culture can be discussed openly, and where church leaders can meet for dialogue and inspiration.”

The most recent convention-college split is taking place at Belmont University, which has decided not to remain affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention, although the convention helped found the school in 1952.

Meanwhile, at Mercer, President Godsey recently reassured students that the school's split from Georgia Baptists is not a crisis. “It's not going to have a huge impact on students, and administrators are taking care of it.” Godsey also said he hopes the “school stays a Baptist university”–a desire echoed by his successor, Underwood.

Messengers to the Georgia Baptist Convention voted to sever their 172-year-old ties to Mercer and its 7,315 students because of significant disagreements over doctrinal and social issues, particularly homosexuality.

Walter Shurden, executive director of the Center for Baptist Studies at Mercer, said although the convention unilaterally has begun the process of terminating its relationship with Mercer, he sees no signs it will “impact Mercer's sense of mission as an institution of Christian higher education.”

Thanks in part to the intensity of rising academic standards and the emergence of national rankings of universities, Christian schools face increasing pressure to compete with secular universities.

Schmeltekopf worries that pressure will push some Christian colleges to concede the high moral ground on hot-button issues–those driven by ideology.

And with even the smaller private schools aspiring for academic recognition, critics say, the Christian worldview and lifestyle take a back seat on campus–relegated mostly to the liberal arts school or religion department.

Schmeltekopf maintains this need not be the case.

“The Christian college or university is a total experience, made coherent by our commitment to God and to the community of faith which surrounds us,” Schmeltekopf said. “Importantly, this means that there is no place where God is off limits, and that includes in particular the classroom and the research lab and the professor's office.”

It is precisely that assertion–that academic excellence and Christian character are inseparable–which has caused such a stir at Baylor. While people on both sides of the argument agree the two go hand-in-hand, they seldom see eye-to-eye on what such an integration of values looks like.

For some, like Wood and Schmeltekopf at Baylor, staying true to the Baptist heritage doesn't necessarily mean severing all ties with state conventions. At Baylor, 25 percent of its board is named by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

For the 850 full-time faculty members at the school, that means the university is kept before the Baptist people in a concrete way without subjecting it to denominational control.

Union's Dockery is a conservative who believes Baptist institutions must become “intentional about reclaiming the Christian intellectual tradition.” He said truth and love are much more than social constructs–they are grounded in God's self-revelation in Christ.

“Christian colleges and universities must help the church at large move out of the intellectual ghetto,” Dockery said. “The kind of anti-intellectual, personal, inward and subjective Christianity we see around us in popular Christianity is not representative of the best of the great Christian intellectual tradition, which we must work to reclaim and revitalize.”

As the leadership in Baptists' flagship colleges changes hands, some wonder if Christian higher education will be the same.