The Making of the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message. By A. J. Smith. Eugene,
- J. Smith is the author of The Making of the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message published in 2008 and explains how the document focused on addressing division among the Southern Baptist denomination. Smith argues that Herschel Hobbs, through his contribution to the Baptist Faith Message (BFM), aimed at ending the division through formulating central historic doctrines of the Baptist again while broadening the wordings to accommodate the conservatives. He proves the assertion through the exposition of the controversy source that motivated the revision of the BFM. Smith also provides a discussion of the debate during review and the outcomes. Hobbs is the main character in focus, influencing the more significant part of the revision debate. He was a notable writer and, therefore, knew how to use language in balancing a controversial discussion like the one on the soul liberty. Despite drafting the document, Hobbs coordinated the committee thinking, meaning that his influence on the material was significant. Although BFM revision aimed an expanding the wordings to accommodate each side, it ended up leaving the Calvinistic view taking much of the Pelagian view, which was more advocating on soul liberty. This book critique will explore the author’s strengths and weaknesses in the process of supporting the thesis.
Smith introduces his work in chapter one by explaining how he researched the whole evidence. He informs that the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) had committees in 1925 and 1963 to discuss issues of confessionalism and soul competency. Chapter two provides a historical background of the crises that motivated the development of the committee on BFM. The controversy leading to the committee rose due to the Southern Conservatism and the progressive thought. Both Apostasy and Genesis controversies attracted concern on their impact on doctrine. In chapter three, Smith presents the issues which faced the BFM committee. Among the topics included global communism, the Civil Rights Movement, Catholicism and materialism. The committee was also supposed to loom at the nature of the scripture, church doctrine and salvation. Smith also addresses the use of covenants and confessions. Confessional accountability was an issue amongst the Baptist institutions’ employees, which the BFM committee had to address. The Baptists expected employees in such institutions to employ confession, which was limiting soul liberty and restricting the conservatism from such employments. The restriction was one of the issues that led to divisions.
After looking at some of the issues contributing to division, Smith, in chapter five, examines the effect of confession on soul competency and its impact on the further division. Baptists focused on balancing corporate responsibility with individual concerns. They were clear that it was voluntary for believers to have a corporaterelationship with each other. However, confession did not provide an opportunity for the claimed freedom and liberty. In chapter six, Smith examines the BFM committee’s role, which was to prepare drafts and revise them. It also recorded advice about the BFM document from different people and seminary faculties. In chapter seven, the author analyses the main changes which the committee made on the document. Some of the areas in which changes occurred include anthropology, ecclesiology, soteriology and scripture. Each of the section received substantial revision or re-wording. The last chapter summarizes evidence on the main changes and goals of the committee, including an evaluation of its work.
Smiths’ work is strong due to the quality research to support his argument. He employed a lot of discrimination to pick the right content and evidence-primarily through quotations. The fact that most of the quotes are from primary sources makes the reader believe in the supported argument.Much of the success in supporting the thesis results from a well-researched argument. The supportive quotes and arguments explain the where, when and how the controversy leading to division occurred. Smith extends to history to develop a background that makes readers without any knowledge of the debate understand. He also balances his work in representing the liberals and conservatives through almost equal quotes. Such a balance ensures that no weight would bring a biased conclusion on the controversy source and solution.
proper organization
Another strength in Smith’s work is a proper organization, which makes the work to have a good flow. Proper organization of the work is one way through which the author supports the thesis. He makes it clear to the reader to avoid doubts about the support of the arguments. The organization starts with a history of the committees which support the thesis by showing that the BFM document needed continuous adjustment to accommodate more doctrines. Another area that supports Smiths’ argument is the history of crisis leading to division. The account which logically follows that of the committee shows that the need for a more comprehensive doctrine system for al communities in the South. Such an organization develops a logical sense that is convincing about the thesis in addition to the supportive facts from the primary sources.
Despite the strengths, Smith’s work is weak in its failure to show the process of agreeing on the final document despite the controversies. Each revision and re-wording was affecting either of the sides, meaning that there were some disagreements. However, the author does not tell the reader about how the committee was coming up into the conclusion of each part that needed revision. Which side was losing, and which one was gaining? Unless the reader goes through the final document, it is hard to prove that there was rewarding to accommodate both sides, or there was adjustment towards favouritism of either. A discussion on the committee discussion and agreement on the final document would help in assessing whether there was a mutual agreement or the majority had their say. Even though the committee agreed, the process of understanding informs much about the nature of adjustments, whether re-wording or subtracting and adding. Such failure makes it hard to believe that the committee’s role was to reward the document for attaining a common ground.
The thesis as a weakness
Another weakness in Smith’s book is the thesis itself, which argues that the purpose of the committee was to re-word and revise the document. The argument deviates from the facts that much of the changes which the committee made were coming from Hobbs. Hobbs did not have the goal of re-wording to achieve a neutral ground but eliminating some of the Baptist restrictions to unity and adding those that would attack the liberals into the union. The difference between the final document and the initial one also shows that there were much subtraction and addition on the document as opposed to re-wording. It follows that the committee goa was to reward those who felt that they were losing and subtracting from those felt that they were winning through the controversy.
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