Dockery Lecture Reflects On Baptistry Milestones With Pastor Eric Smith

Union University’s annual Dockery Lectures on Baptist Thought and Heritage hosted historian and pastor Eric Smith on March 20 where he lectured on the 1925 origins of Baptist Faith and Message and the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program.

The event was free and open to the public, drawing students, faculty, local pastors and members from Smith’s church to engage with Baptist history.

Ray Van Neste, dean of Union’s school of theology and missions, introduced Smith, explaining Smith’s contributions to Baptist historical scholarship.

“Dr. Smith’s work has helped us better understand our Baptist heritage and the theological commitments that have shaped our identity,” Van Neste said. “It’s a privilege to welcome him back to Union.”

In his lectures, “A Southern Baptist Centennial: The Birth of the Baptist Faith and Message and the Cooperative Program at the 1925 Southern Baptist Convention,” Smith informed on Baptist history and outlined the key developmental milestones of Baptist thought.

“One defined doctrinal identity and the other provided a means for sustainable missions and ministry,” Smith said. “Together they shaped the trajectory of the Southern Baptist Convention for the next century.”

The first lecture, held at 3:30 p.m., walked through the history and impact of the 1925 Baptist Faith and Message and how it sought to provide theological clarity despite doctrinal debates.

“Baptists have long held to the authority of Scripture,” Smith said. “But in the early 20th century, challenges to biblical inerrancy made it clear that a confessional statement was needed.”

The second lecture, presented at 6:30 p.m., focused on the Cooperative Program, the financial system that enabled unprecedented collaboration among Southern Baptist churches.

“The genius of the Cooperative Program is its ability to fund missions, education and benevolence work in a way that no single church could accomplish alone,” Smith said.

The Dockery Lecture Series, named after former Union President David S. Dockery and his wife, Lanese Dockery, is an annual event dedicated to remembering Baptist heritage and intellectual traditions. Smith, a 2008 Union graduate, is the author of multiple books on Baptist history, including “Order and Ardor: The Revival of Oliver Hart” and “John Leland: A Jeffersonian Baptist in Early America.”