Gregory A. Wills, the David C. Porter professor of church history at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, hosted two lectures at the third annual David and Lanese Dockery Lecture Series on Baptist Thought and Heritage on Thursday, Feb. 21.
The first lecture was held at 3:30 p.m. in Harvey Auditorium and was titled “Conflict and Collaboration: Baptists, the Church, and American Culture: Individualism and Church Discipline.” The second lecture, in which Wills explored the Baptist church’s complex historical relationship with slavery, was held at 7 p.m. in the Grant Events Center.
After a brief introduction by Ray Van Neste, dean of Union University’s School of Theology and Missions, Wills delved into the inconsistency of the Baptist church’s criticism of slavery in the abstract and justification of it in practice. He began his historical analysis in the 18th century, a time when the American Revolution and the intrinsic freedoms of all mankind clashed with the premise of slavery. Baptist preachers began to oppose slavery, but they did so circumspectly, as many in their congregations continued to support it.
Due to the established essentiality of cotton agriculture to the American economy and a growing fear of slave rebellion, the 1820s marked an increasing shift to the justification of slavery as a positive good by white Baptists. Even after emancipation, white Baptists continued to oppose racial equality and support discriminatory legal measures, subscribing to the ideas of white supremacy and that “might makes right.”
Wills connected this somber history with the church’s mission today.
“This is our history as Baptists, as the church of Jesus Christ, as Americans,” Wills said. “We must know and acknowledge our denominational and our national sins, for to do so is an act of fundamental respect to those who suffered on behalf of those sins.”
Sophomore Christian studies major, Kalee Cross, agreed that these events of history are relevant to today’s church.
“I thought it was really good to bring up the thought process of the church leaders at that time,” Cross said. “They were more concerned with their own popularity and growth as pastors than with their duty to biblical pastoral care. I also think it’s important to note that if we aren’t careful, we can easily make the same mistakes today.”
Photo by Lynn Tucker
