Torch, Spring 2003

14 TORCH / Spring 2003 O ne of the most remarkable events in church history has been the resurgence of the conservative movement within the Southern Baptist Convention. Southern Baptists who held to historical, orthodox Christian doctrine, most notably biblical inerrancy, have struggled to regain and maintain control of the denomination over liberals and modernists, who reject biblical authority. Dr. Paige Patterson, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., and one of the leading figures of the resurgence, calls it “the Renaissance among Baptists.” “The conservative resurgence,” wrote R. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., “is one of the most critical turning points in American religious history.” Ohio Southern Baptists and Cedarville University Adrian Rogers, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., and former SBC president, proclaims the resurgence “an epic event,” and another former SBC president, Jerry Vines, pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., calls it “the miraculous turnaround in the Southern Baptist Convention.” At the annual meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, in November 2002, a resolution was approved to recommend Cedarville University to Ohio convention churches and to “all Southern Baptists as an accredited, quality, four-year university that embraces Southern Baptists.” Evangelical and Southern Baptist leaders from across the country quickly hailed the relationship. Dr. David Jeremiah, pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in For 50 years Dr. James T. Jeremiah and Dr. Paul Dixon have had an emphasis at Cedarville University on working with a number of Baptist and conservative evangelical groups. Some of the University’s more prominent relationships include the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC) and the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship Association (FBFA). Dixon, who began holding evangelistic meetings in Southern Baptist churches years before he became Cedarville’s president, often says, “God is not honored by a narrow view of the Kingdom.” He lived out that perspective as he sought to create and solidify relationships with conservative elements of many groups, including the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). “This relationship is something that Dr. Jeremiah and I discussed from the time I first became president,” Dixon said. “Dr. Jeremiah instinctively knew that many Southern Baptists were as conservative in their theology as we were. He started reaching out to them almost as soon as he became president in 1953. And, I’ve had the privilege of continuing to pursue those Southern Baptists who embrace our doctrinal positions.” El Cajon, Calif., and son of the late Dr. James T. Jeremiah, said, “My father was a leader in the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, but he knew there were many fellow believers among the Southern Baptists, and he longed to embrace them and to have them embrace Cedarville. I am excited about what this relationship will mean for both the institution I love for its steadfast testimony and the convention I admire for its ability to reshape itself.” Patterson, who served as SBC president from 1998-2000, voiced similar sentiment over the announcement. “I am impressed by the quality of Cedarville University’s graduates as well as their faculty and programs,” he said. “I believe Cedarville is one of the finest Christian universities in the nation.