Baptists seldom go through the effort of preparing a confession of faith unless pressured or prodded, which may explain why the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) waited 80 years to adopt one.
In the mid-19th century, pressure began mounting, which developed into what became known as the Modernist-Fundamentalist Controversy in the early 20th century. This was the environment which prodded Southern Baptists to prepare and adopt the “Baptist Faith and Message” (BF&M) in 1925.
The Modernist viewpoint grew out of an emphasis on a scientific approach to research. This era experienced significant advances in science including breakthroughs in medicine, sanitation and agriculture. Technological advances like electric lights seemed to magically illuminate the darkness, and the miracle of the radio amazed the masses.
Engineering feats included the telephone and automobile, and a powered manned flight by two Methodist preachers’ sons at Kitty Hawk captured the world’s imagination. Increasingly Americans expected science to solve the world’s problems and consequently revered its power and possibilities with awe and wonder to the point of being elevated to a religion.
A scientific approach to creation was the driver behind Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, including the notion of survival of the fittest. Society expected science to provide solutions, making the world a better place. Increasingly Darwinism (evolution/naturalism) pitted science against the biblical account or creationism.
During this same era, an attempt was made in Germany to apply scientific methods to biblical theology. It was called “Higher Criticism,” and it subjugated Scripture to the lens and limitations of human reason and science. Thus, by removing the miraculous, the Bible was not inspired by God, rather it was a piece of literature, myths and fables. The developing science of archeology was used to attempt to disprove historical accounts of the Bible. Human reason was placed above biblical revelation.
On the other hand, fundamentalists were defined by their adherence to the “fundamentals” of the faith as defined by Scripture. In 1925, the word “fundamental” was embraced by Southern Baptists, as evidenced by its use in the preamble of the BF&M: “The present occasions for a reaffirmation of Christian fundamentals is the prevalence of naturalism in the modern teaching and preaching of religion.”
The words “naturalism” and “modern” identify the BF&M as a response to both evolution and German Higher Criticism. Southern Baptists were not drawn into the divisions of the mainline denominations in the North but were relatively insular and uniform in their orthodoxy. However, Southern Baptists followed, fellowshipped with and were sympathetic to those holding to the “fundamentals” of the faith in the North. Heresy trials of ministers and theologians in the North were well covered by newspapers in the North and South.
Southern Baptists’ first brush with Modernism was in the 19th century at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Crawford Howell Toy became a member of the faculty in 1869. Following his graduation from Southern he had pursued further study in Germany. Between his arrival at Southern as a professor in 1869 and 1879, his views shifted, and he embraced both Darwinism and Higher Criticism, leading to his removal.
In the new century, Darwinism and Modernism impacted education at Baptist schools, including Mercer and Baylor universities. The subject of teaching evolution in public schools was taken up by state legislatures. The growing conflict between the Bible and science was on a collision course.
In 1906, Mercer University conducted a heresy trial of a popular professor of mathematics, William Heard Kilpatrick, who had been the acting president the previous two years. Because Kilpatrick was the son and grandson of Baptist ministers, details of the three-day trial were not publicized, but it was well known to Baptist pastors across the state what had transpired.
Kilpatrick, after reading Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” during college in 1892, had abandoned his faith. Years later he wrote of the experience: “I rejected the whole concept of the immortal soul; of life beyond death, of the whole dogma of religious ritual connected with the worship of God.” Out of respect for his father, he kept his beliefs hidden while remaining active in church life and as a professor and administrator at a Baptist school.
In 1920, Baylor University came under fire for allegations of evolution being taught. This was based on a book written by one of its professors, G.S. Dow. The Baptist General Convention of Texas passed a resolution condemning the teaching of evolution in 1921.
A second Mercer heresy trial was conducted in 1924. Biology professor George Fox’s admission that he did not believe in Jesus’ virgin birth or resurrection prompted his dismissal. This trial was heavily covered by both secular and religious press.
While these examples are significant, the passion and urgency at the SBC annual meeting in 1925 stemmed from a pending trial. On May 5, eight days before the SBC met in Memphis, John T. Scopes was arrested and charged with breaking a Tennessee law banning the teaching of evolution in public schools. Scheduled for that July, the “Scopes Monkey Trial” drew unprecedented national attention and media coverage.
The Tennessee law did not exist when the SBC appointed a committee to prepare a confession of faith in 1924. However, the events of early May 1925 had put Modernism and Fundamentalism on trial. The registration of more than 5,000 for the SBC meeting in Memphis was the second largest to date. Southern Baptists wanted the world to know where they stood on issues of faith, the Scripture and science. The Baptist Faith and Message would be their answer.
Seven men were appointed to draft the document. The next article in this series will examine their lives and contributions to the BF&M.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Charles Jones is a retired pastor and Baptist historian who lives in Athens, Georgia. This piece is the second in a five-part series leading up to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Baptist Faith and Message at the 2025 SBC annual meeting in Dallas. Read the first piece here.)
