SOUTHWESTERN CENSORS PROFESSOR
By Jim Jones,
Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, TX

A Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor who accused the school of censorship for canceling an issue of its theology journal has been removed from teaching duties, seminary officials said yesterday.

Neither the faculty member, Jeff B. Pool, an assistant professor of systematic theology for six years, nor seminary officials would discuss the situation. But seminary President Ken Hemphill issued a brief statement.

“We are presently working with Dr. Pool according to seminary policies on matters of concern,” the statement said. “We believe we will reach a resolution that will be in the best interests of Dr. Pool and the seminary.”

Specific details related to personnel matters must be handled confidentially, the statement said. A joint (news) release by Dr. Pool and Dr. Tommy Lea will be given when final resolution has been reached.

Lea, dean of theology, confirmed that Pool is not teaching classes this semester. He did not elaborate.

Pool would only say: “I am not teaching classes this semester at the request of the dean.”

The seminary held its convocation yesterday to mark the beginning of the fall semester. Classes began this week.

Two seminary professors, who asked not to be named for fear that they would be fired, said negotiations are under way to provide Pool with a year’s severance pay in exchange for his agreement to resign.

The conflict mainly centers on a recent book, Sacred Mandates of Conscience: Interpretations of the Baptist Faith and message Statement, edited by Pool, in which he accuses the seminary of censorship.

“The charges of censorship are totally untrue,” Lea said at the time.

Pool included in the book articles that originally were to have been published in last year’s spring issue of the seminary’s scholarly journal, the Southwestern Journal of Theology, which he also edited.

Hemphill canceled the journal issue, partly because it included writings by three high-profile Baptist moderates—Bill Leonard, Molly Marshall and William Hendricks. The three had left Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., after it came under the control of staunch conservatives.

“It would have been inappropriate for Southwestern to provide the writings of these authors with such a platform without opportunity for balanced response,” Hemphill said at the time of the cancellation.

In the book containing the rejected articles, Pool wrote a prologue that accused the Fort Worth seminary of squelching academic freedom.

Seminary officials, including Lea, said they canceled the journal issue because they feared that it was not balanced.. There was no censorship, they said, because the articles were returned to the authors along with the right to publish them.

Don E. Taylor, a former seminary trustee from Asheville, N.C., declined to comment on the recent actions involving Pool.

“I agree 100 percent, though, with canceling the issue of the seminary theology journal,” he said. “It was nothing but the liberal agenda and left out opposing factions.”

The Rev. David Dinkins, pastor of Burchill Baptist Church in Fort Worth and a former student of Pool’s, decried efforts to force Pool to leave the seminary faculty.

“Dr. Pool is a great scholar. He’s very caring, very compassionate and he challenges you to think for yourself inside the Baptist heritage,” Dinkins said.

September 1997