THOUGHTS FOR SOUTHWESTERN STUDENTS

You are feeling a great deal of pain, frustration, and confusion right now. These emotions are understandable and proper. We share your pain at this injustice and admire your courage for responding as a student body.

We would like to offer some thoughts. No one asked us to do this, so take it for what it is worth. We are preparing 4,000 extra copies of this newsletter for distribution on campus.

1. Turn first to the Lord. Allow this experience to strengthen your personal relationship with the Living Christ. Bury yourselves in prayer and study of the scriptures. Seek God’s healing hand to help you beyond the bitterness to forgiveness.

2. Finish your education. If possible, stay at Southwestern. Incoming students should certainly consider the problems at Southwestern as they make their decision, but current students should prayerfully consider staying. You still have good professors. They will not all be fired or leave immediately. You can get a good education for a few more years.

3. Take a personal stand. Forgiveness does not mean approval of unjust actions. Those of you opposed to the firing of Dr. Dilday, should use this moment to clarify the kind of Baptists you want to be! Do not fall for the naive idea that “it is not spiritual to be involved in politics.” That is impossible and unbiblical!

Read Galatians. Read Jesus’ words to the pharisees. What we are dealing with is legalism, phariseeism. It is the opposite of the Gospel of Grace. Did Paul and Jesus not stand strongly against those who would alter the Gospel of Grace? Our Baptist forefathers died for our principles. At least have the courage to stand for them in your ministry.

Politics is persuasion. It is only bad when done in an unChristlike manner. You will be political in your ministry all the time. You will be doing “politic” as a pastor every time you make sure that the deacon heading an important committee cares deeply about the church and is not the one who causes problems all the time. Think about it. We are talking about the same thing.

Many of you will minister in state conventions that have not turned to fundamentalism (like Texas). Unless you stand and be counted, “persuade” — those state conventions will fall to fundamentalism and the professors and students at those Baptist universities will experience what Dr. Dilday, your faculty, and you are now experiencing. The only way to deal with fundamentalists is in “Christ-like love,” not let them take over. Power is what they understand.

All standing and persuading means is you are public about being a traditional, mainstream, cooperating Baptist that believes in our historic Baptist principles. There is nothing immoral in that. Refusing to be counted is to silently support the fundamentalists juggernaut. There is no middle ground because the fundamentalists will not allow it. Their attitude, as you have just clearly seen, is “our way or the highway.” You cannot reason with that attitude. You can only not let it gain control of your state convention.

4. Be excited about the new things God is doing. As we say elsewhere in this newsletter, God is not going to limit his work to people who often cannot tell the truth. God is and will be opening new doors for Baptists true to our heritage and committed to world missions and winning people to Christ. Be open to God’s leadership with excitement and humility.

GOD BLESS EACH ONE OF YOU AND YOUR MINISTRY. MAY GOD FIND EACH OF US FAITHFUL.

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