Removing the Southern Baptist Convention's Stubborn 'Stain of Racism'

This article was published in Faithfully Magazine No. 2 (Summer 2017). My involvement with the Southern Baptist Convention began when I participated in an SBC campus ministry as an undergraduate. I worked for the campus ministry after graduation, and currently attend an SBC seminary. There is much to learn about the SBC, especially about its history of racism, so I was eager to read Jarvis J. Williams and Kevin M. Jones' Removing the Stain of Racism from the Southern Baptist Convention .

Williams and Jarvis, Black professors at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, co-edited the 240-page paperback. The book includes contributions from 11 Black and three White SBC men—seminary professors, pastors and leaders— writing on how racism can and should be challenged in areas such as education, church ministry, publishing and theology. The SBC formed in 1845 after splitting from Northern Baptists over the latter’s refusal to sup- port missionaries who were also slaveholders. The denomination has made several steps to redress its racist origins, as the book documents with a long list of race-related resolutions adopted over the years. However, the Baptist body did not formally repent of its racism until 1995. “The founders of the SBC would insist that the ultimate issue was the Great Commission,” Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. wrote in his contributing chapter of the book, published June 1. “Missions, faithfulness to the Great Commission, was indeed the cause of the convention. But history proves slavery was the cause of its founding.” Mohler mentioned this “stain of racism” in the SBC during a 2015 convocation address. His choice of words inspired Williams and Jones to pursue a book about ways of removing this so-called stain from the country’s largest Protestant Christian body. Williams, an associate professor of New Testament, challenges Southern Baptists who dismiss racial reconciliation as a social issue. Arguing for racial reconciliation as a gospel issue, Williams provides 15 practical steps Southern Baptists can take toward bridging racial divides. The seminary professor utilizes his extensive study of Hebrew and Greek languages to argue that the gospel “should not be defined exclusively in terms of justification by faith”—which some might consider a bold statement. Williams does not deny this integral aspect of salvation, but offers a more robust understanding of the gospel, reminding readers that the good news has vertical implications for a person’s relationship with God as well as horizontal implications for his or her relationships with neighbors. “Southern Baptists need to develop a biblical theology of the gospel, tracing the concept of the gospel from the Old Testament to the New Testament,” according to Williams. “The gospel includes both entry language (repentance and faith, justification by faith and reconciliation with God [Rom 3:21-5:11; 1 Cor 15:1-8, etc.]) and maintenance language (walking in the Spirit [Gal 5:16-26], reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles [Eph 2:11-3:8], and loving one another in the power of the Spirit [Gal 5:13-14; 6:1-2]).” Williams’ chapter, titled “Biblical Steps Toward Removing the Stain of Racism From the Southern Baptist Convention,” is foundational for those of us in the SBC. This stain of racism is also visible at institutions like Boyce College, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s undergraduate campus The college was named after its founder, James P. Boyce, who—like his contemporaries in the SBC— was a racist. “One reason I need to know this story, learn this story, and tell this story is for myself,” Matthew J. Hall, dean of Boyce College and one of the White contributors to the book wrote in his history-focused chapter. “I need to be reminded of the depravity of the human heart. … Those ghosts can serve us well, even if painfully, by reminding us of the truth and by calling us anew to repentance and a commitment to intentionally pursue an SBC that reflects the beauty of the diversity of the kingdom of God.” Jones, Williams’ co-author and an associate dean of Academic Innovation at Boyce College, grew up 10 minutes from the seminary in Western Kentucky. He never considered the school as a prospective student because of the SBC’s racist reputation. Jones has an extensive background in public education, and is passionate about implementing education reform in the SBC—from its seminaries’ syllabi to its churches’ pews. “[T]he entire denomination must critically and seriously consider a widespread curriculum change that includes more vetted writers/authors, professors, pastors, and leaders from ethnic groups that have been marginalized,” wrote Jones. “I am speaking of cultural enlightenment and a paradigm shift.” He challenges fellow SBC professors to reform seminary curriculum and expose students to Chris tian writers of color to ensure they have a fuller picture of the imago Dei. Jones suggests focusing on required, rather than on elective courses, which means it would be mandatory for students to read works by non-Anglos about Christianity. Removing the Stain of Racism From the Southern Baptist Convention includes three epilogues, with the first written by W. Dwight McKissic Sr., pastor of Corner- stone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. “The belief held by many in the SBC that racism in today’s world is a myth actually perpetuates racism,” McKissic wrote. “If one believes racism is a myth, that person has to dismiss, deny, downgrade, diffuse, or re- direct even obvious acts of racism. The fact that the editors and publisher of this book are willing to acknowledge racism in the SBC is a significant step forward in improving race relations in the SBC.” At the 2017 SBC annual meeting held June 13-14, McKissic, a known advocate of racial reconciliation in the SBC, presented a resolution denouncing the controversial alt-right movement and white supremacy. An SBC committee initially declined the resolution, citing “inflammatory” language. However, after much outcry, a revised resolution was quickly adopted. Many in attendance at the SBC’s annual meeting would have benefited greatly from reading Removing the Stain of Racism From the Southern Baptist Convention ahead of time. Although Removing the Stain of Racism from the Southern Baptist Convention specifically addresses the SBC’s own challenges, church leaders and lay- men from any denomination would find its revelations powerful and advice practical. One major concern, however, is the absence of women’s voices in the conversation. Women are often the ones in local churches leading conversations and challenging congregants on race. As a woman invested in the SBC’s progress, I find it unfortunate that Williams and Jones neglected to consider the influence and leadership of women in aiding the SBC to remove this stubborn stain of racism from its midst. However, I remain hopeful alongside the authors about our denomination’s commitment to this work, and am thankful for their reminder that White Christians like myself do not have to feel guilty about our personal failings in this area. “[A]s we wrestle with the truth of all of our sin, we know that there is no condemnation in us,” said Jones in an interview with Towers, a Southern Baptist Theological Seminary publication. “But we have to do something, we have to work out the gospel. … So when you’re assaulted with the truth, what do you do with it? You work it out in what- ever fashion you can: in your local church, in your local school, in your local small group.” Removing the Stain of Racism From the Southern Baptist Convention is a timely and practical book that reveals to its readers both the stains in our institutions and in our hearts.

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