Documenting the SBC’s Conservative Resurgence

If you’re looking for a topical, detailed resource that lays out the Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention, you ought to pick up Jerry Sutton’s book on the controversy. Sutton documents in painstaking detail the debate between conservatives and moderates in the SBC in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

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The Baptist Reformation: The Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention (Broadman & Holman, 2000) is clearly written from the conservative point of view, but Sutton seeks to fairly represent the moderate position. By using terminology preferred by both sides of the controversy, he ensures that the tone is polite instead of inflammatory.

The book begins by showing the problems that worried conservatives in the SBC. Sutton points to perceived theological error being taught in the seminaries, a deficient view of Scripture, and an institutional bureaucracy that stifled the voices and desires of ordinary Southern Baptists.

Next, Sutton explains how the Convention changed. The bulk of the book leads the reader chronologically through the Southern Baptist Convention from 1979-2000. Each chapter is devoted to the successive conservative presidents whose leadership brought lasting change. SBC presidents are empowered to make appointments to the committee that nominates people to other committees. By changing the leadership at the helm, the Southern Baptist ship slowly turned around.

The last part of the book is topical. Sutton shows readers how particular institutions changed. He analyzes the missions agencies, the Sunday School board, the seminaries, and the executive committee.

For most of the book, Sutton describes the Conservative Resurgence from the air. Then at the end, he dives down and shows how change took place at the local, institutional level.

The book ends with Sutton’s reflections on why the Convention changed. He gives a compelling conservative interpretation of the Resurgence.

The Baptist Reformation is an important book for Southern Baptist historians. Sutton observes the controversy from the inside. He is not an impartial observer, but he seeks to report fairly and accurately what took place. This book is a valuable reference for anyone interested in seeing how the Southern Baptist Convention changed direction in the last twenty years of the twentieth century.