The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011

7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011

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Contents 1 TributetoMyFather:Speechin

HonorofVirgilOlson|Dan Olson Five Decades of Growth|Glen Scorgie

2 Insidethisissue|G. William Carlson AdolfOlson:HistorianoftheBGC|

Virgil Olson

3 TheWritingofFive Decades ofGrowth and Change|Jim and CaroleSpickelmier

4 DictionaryofChristianSpirituality|Glen Scorgie

7 MartinLutherKingInvitedtoAddressBethelConvocation|DianaMagnuson and Kent Gerber

8 JohnPerkinsSpeaksonWhatItMeanstoBetheChurch|G. WilliamCarlson

9 DaleJohnsonsMuralRemember,BelieveandAct|G. William Carlson

10 ArthurWhitaker:ChristianWitnessinRevolutionaryTimes|G. William

Carlson11 ReviewofGregBoydsbookPresent

Perfect|Terri L. Hansen

13 MyReectionsontheLifeandWitnessofMartinLutherKing|Angela Shannon

15 VirgilOlson:Pastor,Historian,Professor,CollegeDean,MissionLeaderandCollegePresident|JimSpickelmier

16 VirgilOlson:AServantLeader|Clarence Bass

VirgilOlson:ATribute| Herb

Skoglund

18 MyThoughtsatDr.VirgilOlsons94thBirthdayParty|Ron Saari

19 ReectionsontheLifeandWitnessofDr.RoyDocDalton|G. WilliamCarlson

20 RecoveringaPietistUnderstandingofChristianHigherEducation:CarlH.LundquistandKarlA.Olsson|Chris GehrzVirgilOlson:SelectiveBibliography|G. William Carlson

The Baptist PietistCLARIONVol. 10,No. 1 InessentialsunityInnon-essentials libertyIneverythingcharity June2011

Edited byG. WilliamCarlson, Professor of History and Political Science at Bethel University; ronsaari, Senior Pastor at Central Baptist Church

Previous issues can be found at http://www.bethel.edu/cas/dept/history/Baptist_Pietist_Clarion

continued on p. 17

continued on p. 3

Dan OlsOn, Asso-

ciate Professor of

Sociology, Purdue

University, son of

Virgil Olson, June

19,2010atGrace-

PointChurch,New

Brighton,MN | WeareheretodaytohonormyfatherVirgil

Olson.Thishonorispartlybasedonhis

contributionstothewritingofthehistory

oftheBaptistGeneralConference.TodayI

alsowanttotalkaboutmyfatherasachurch

historian.ButthethingIwanttoemphasize

isthatmydadisinterestedinchurchhistory

notjustasaninterestingacademicsubject,

butalsobecauseinchurchhistoryhends

Tribute to My Father: SpeechinHonorofVirgilOlsonontheOccasionofhis94thBirthdayCelebration

modelsforhowtoliveasaChristianin

todaysworld.

Iwasfortunatetohaveadadwho,though

hewasoftenverybusy,alsomadetimetobe

withhisfamily.Igrewuphavingplentyo

timetotalkwithhimaboutallkindsoftopics

Ifeelespeciallyprivilegedinthisregardsinc

Iwastheyoungestchild.IhadmyparentstomyselfduringtheyearsIwasentering

adulthood.Weoftentalkedaroundthedin

nertable.MydadandIenjoyedoccasionally

takingwalkstogetherintheevenings.Healso

tookmeonseverallongcampingtrips,jus

thetwoofus.Wetalkedaboutlotsofthings.

rememberpressinghimtotalkabouttherst

girlhehadacrushon.DontworryDad,Im

nottelling.Wetalkedaboutpresidentialpoli-

A Review oFive Decades of Growth andChange, 1952-2020: Pondering the Future of the

Baptist General ConferenceGle n G. scOrGie,

Professor of Theol-

ogy, Bethel Seminary

San Diego | Spick-

elmier,Jamesand

Carole,eds.Five De-

cades of Growth and

Change, 1952-2002:

The Baptist General Conference and Bethel

College and Seminary.St.Paul,MN:The

HistoryCenter,2010.xi+676pp.,index.

Denominational Histories:

CHaraCteristiCsanD Value

Thisimpressive collaborative historical

work,editedbythehusbandandwifeteam

ofBGCleadersJamesandCaroleSpickel-

mier,isasequeltoAdolfOlsonsA Centenary

History(1952),whichdocumentedthers

century(1852-1952)oftheBaptistGenera

Conference.Assuch,thisnewvolumecar-

riesforwardthestoryofSwedishBaptistsin

NorthAmericathroughtheirnextimportan

half-centuryofexpansion,enculturation

andmaturationacrossaspan,asthe

bookssubtitledeclares,ofvedecadesof

growthandchange.Thebookispublished

undertheauspicesoftheHistoryCenter,th

archivesoftheBGCandBethelUniversity

locatedonthelatterscampus.Sincethe

studydoesnotextendbeyond2002,there

isnocoverageofthedenominationssub

sequentadoptionofthemission-oriented


2/20~ 2 ~

Inside this Issue o the Baptist Pietist Clarion

In essentials

UNITY

In non-essentials

LIBERTY

In everything

CHARITY

G. William carlsOn,

Professor of History

and Political Science

| Thisistheeleventh

issueofthe Baptist

Pietist Clarion.The

rstissueemergedinMarch2002.Ear-

lierissuesfocusedonthetheologicalvision

ofJohnAlexisEdgren,Baptistpietistspiri-

tualityasexpressedinthelifeandwitness

ofCarlH.Lundquist,Baptistcommit-

mentstoreligiouslibertyandthe

separationofchurchandstate

(exploringthecontributionsof

Dr.WalfredH.PetersonandDr.

C.EmanuelCarlson),thehis-

toryofSwedishBaptistpietism,

thehistoryoftheologicaldisputes

intheBGCandacelebrationof

GordonJohnsonsMy Church.Previous

issuesoftheBaptistPietistClarioncanbe

foundat:http://cas.bethel.edu/dept/history/

Baptist_Pietist_Clarion.

1. The frst theme o this issue o the Baptist

Pietist Clarionis to celebrate the lie and

witness o Dr. Virgil Olson. Manyofthe

articlescomefrompresentationsmadeat

the94thbirthdaycelerationforVirgilOlson

onJune19,2010atGracePointChurchand

sponsoredbytheFriendsoftheBaptist

GeneralConferenceHistoryCenter.DrOlsonhasbeenasignicantchroniclerof

BGChistory,especiallythecelebrationof

itsBaptist,pietistheritage.

2. A second theme o this issue o the

Baptist Pietist Clarion is to

explore the signifcance o a

new monograph on Baptist

General Conerence his-

tory entitled Five Decades

of Growth and Change.

Dr.GlenScorgie,Professor

ofTheologyatBethelSemi-

nary,SanDiegowasaskedto

reectonthesignicanceofthis

accountandits potential contributionto

understandingcurrentissuesfacingthe

denomination.Themonographwasedited

byJimandCaroleSpickelmier.

3. The third theme is an interesting discus-

sion concerning the convocation invitation

to Dr. Martin Luther King at Bethel in

November 1960.HistorianandArchivis

DianaMagnusonandLibrarianKentGerbe

wereableto accesstheKingarchives and

developedaninterestingbroaderanalysisofthisevent.AlsoincludedisAngelaShan

nonsMartinLutherKingSundayreective

sermongivenatCentralBaptistChurch,St

Paul,MinnesotainJanuary2011.

4. A ourth theme is the recognition o the

passing o several signifcant supporters

o the Baptist Pietist Clarionand its mes-

sage. TheseincludeWebsterMuck,Stan

Rehndahl,GordonJohnson,andRoyDalton.

Includedisapersonalreectiononthelife

andwitnessofRoyDocDaltonwhowas

anextremelyimportantcontributortomy

Christianjourneyandcommitmentstoou

Baptist,pietistheritage.

5. A inal theme is Terri Hansen relec

tions on BGC publications on Christian

spirituality.ThisissuesbookisGregBoyd

Present Perfect.

VirGil a. OlsOn, Professor Emeritus of

Church History, Bethel Seminary, Preface

Five Decades of Growth and Change,p.viii

| Centenary HistorybyAdolfOlsontoldthe

storyofmenandwomeninSwedenwhohad

beentouchedwitharevivalspirit,known

aspietism,whichcouldnotbequenched.

Theideaofachurchmadeupofregenerate

believers,baptizedbyimmersionuponcon-

fessionoffaith,acceptingtheNewTestament

asbeingmoreauthoritativethancreedsand

confessions,andcommittedtoalife-styleof

godlyliving,gavethepietistsa

spiritualvehiclethatrancounter

totheformalistic,rationalistic,

legalisticstructureofthena-

tionalchurch.Persecutionarose

againstthesepietisticBaptists

andtheconsequenceswerethat

theybecamerefugeeemigrants

tothenewworldoffreedomand

promise,America.

Atthetimeofthewrit-

ingOlson,wasProfessorTheol-

ogyandBaptistHistoryandMis-

sionsatBethelSeminaryandthe

ArchivistfortheSwedishBaptist

GeneralConference.AdolfOlson

foryearscombedthroughthedenomina-

tionalpapers,like Nya Vecka Postenand

Standaret, allinSwedish,gatheringdatafo

thehistory.Adolfwasmyfather.Iremem-

ber,whenIwasastudentintheSeminary,

howthediningroomtableofourhomewas

stackedwiththeseboundvolumesofold

papers,muchtotheconsternationofm

motherwhowasanopendoorentertainer

My fathercommissionedme towrit

chapters26and27,YouthActivitiesand

MensandWomensOrganizations.Myfa

thersmanuscriptwaswritteninlonghand

Adolfhadbeautifulhandwriting,alltheline

wereevenandclear.Nocomputerinthose

days.Irememberhow,whenfatherhad

completedthenalparagraph,motherand

Ikneltwithhimbythediningroomtable

andthankedGodthatthewritingofthe

hundredyearhistoryoftheBaptistGenera

Conferencewascompleted

Adol Olson writes the Centenary History:The Story o the First 100Years o the Swedish, Baptist, Pietist Community

Adolf Olson celebrates publication ofA Centenary History.


3/20~ 3 ~

continued on p. 4

JamesanD carOle spickelmier

How DiD tHis Book originate?

Thehistory ofthe BGCandBethelhas

beenrecordedinanumberofways,perhaps

mostnotablyintheCentenary Historyby

AdolfOlson,whichcoveredtheyears1852-

1952.More recently theBGC publisheddecadebookstopreservethehistoryofthe

1960s,1970sand1980s.Butnobookwas

publishedforthe1990s.Concernedabout

thisomission,theFriendsoftheHistory

Centerwantedtolookintothepossibility

ofanotherdecadebook.JimmetwithGary

Marsh,editorofBGCWorld,toexplorethis

possibility.Garyfeltthatwhatwasreally

neededwasa50-yearhistory

totakeupthestoryofthe

years since 1952. Interested

inthispossibility,theHistory

Centerpledgedtoprovidefunds

towardthisproject,andtheBGC

agreedtomatchthatamount.

Overthirtywritersvolunteered

tohelpuschroniclewhatGod

hasbeendoinginworldmissions,

churchplanting,literatureandChristian

education,culturalassociations,ministries

ofthedistricts,andatBethelCollegeand

Seminary.Thewritersweremenandwomen

whohavebeenintimatelyinvolvedwith

theseministries.Theywroteaboutwhatthey

knew.Weweredesignatedastheco-editors.

GaryMarsh,nowrunninghisownindepen-

dentgraphicdesigncompany,waschosenas

ourlayouteditor.VirgilOlson,sonofAdolf

OlsonandpremierBGChistorian,gaveus

thenameFive Decades of Growth and Changeandwrotethepreface.

wHat insigHts DiD You gainas

tHis Bookwas written?

Adominantthemeisthatthiswasatime

ofgreatgrowthandblessingfromGod.

Whilemanymainlinedenominationswere

declining,thenumberofBGC

churchesnearlytripled,andat-

tendanceincreasedfour-fold.

TheBGCworldmissionforce

grewfrom50toover200.The

formerlySwedishBGCex-

pandedtoincludepeopleof

allracesandbackgrounds,

untiltodayweareagrow-

ing,multi-ethnicfellowship.

Similargrowthwasalsohappeningat

BethelaswebuiltanewcampusinSaint

Paul,establishednewseminarysitesinSan

DiegoandontheEastCoast,addedmany

programsatthecollegelevel,andbegana

graduateschool.Thestudentbodygrew

from600in1952toover4,000in2002.

Asecondstrongimpression fromthese

chaptersisthatGodusedmanyhumbl

peopletodohisworkamongus.Manyo

theleaderswhomadestrong,lastingand

strategiccontributionstotheBGCandat

Bethelwerenotashypeople,butrathehumble,hard-working,practical,persistent,

andhighlydependentonGod.

wHo sHoulD reaD tHis Book?

Sincetherstchapterofthebookisacon

densationofCentenary History,thismeans

thatthisbookcanserveasaone-volum

historyoftheBGCandBethelfrom1852

to2002.Thosewhohaveparticipatedinthe

ministriesofBethelortheConferencedur

ingtheseyearswillwanttohavethisbook

becauseitisreallytheirstorytoo.Current

missionariesandpastorsoftheConference

shouldhavethisbooksotheywillknowon

whoseshoulderstheystandastheydomin

istrytoday.Itwouldalsobeagreataddition

tothelibraryofallourConferencechurches

GodhasbeenatworkintheBGCandat

Bethel.Readaboutitandseeforyourself!

(Five Decades of Growth and Changecan

beobtainedthroughHarvestBooksorth

BethelUniversityBookStore.Manyofthe

districtofcesalsohavecopiesforsale.)

The Writing oFive Decades of Growth and Change

nameConvergeWorldwidein2008.

Denominationalhistories,asagenre,are

seldomrivetingliteratureexcept,perhaps,

forafewwell-connectedinsiders.Usually

theydonotgeneratethesamelevelofexcite-

mentas,say,anactionthriller,orthesame

wide-eyedsuspenseasacleverlyconstructed

whodunit.Butsuchhistoriesremainnone-

thelessimportant;eachisarepositoryofareligiousmovementscollectivememoryand

asourceofwisdomtograspitscorevalues

andtoperceiveitstruehistoricaltrajectory.

Itisstandardpracticeinthebusinessworld

toloopbackandreviewacorporationsre-

centperformance,toseewhatlessonsmight

belearnedtocreateanevenmoreeffective

future.Historieslikethisarethefunctional

equivalentforfellowshipsofchurches.

Denominationalhistoriesvaryconsider-

ablyinqualityandexpertise.Thisparticular

oneshowsnumeroussignsofattentionto

detail,competenceinediting,andaesthetic

appealinlayoutandbinding.Itisevident

thattheeditorsandcontributorsvaluetheir

spiritualheritage,andasaresulttheircollec-

tiveachievementbringsthatheritagefurther

honor.

FiVe DeCaDesoF growtH: an

inFormatiVe eFFortto unDerstanD

BgC HistorY

Thevolumebeginswithabrief,butde-

lightfullyinformativeprefacebyDr.Virgil

A.Olson,oneoftheelderstatespersonsof

theBaptistGeneralConference.Amonghis

manyrolesthroughtheyearsVirgilOlson

hasservedasapastor,deanofBethelCollege,

andexecutivesecretaryofworldmissions

for the BGC.Heisalsothe son ofAdol

Olson,theeditoroftheoriginalcentenar

historyoftheBaptistGeneralConference

Athisfathersrequest,Virgilcontributed

twochapterstotheolderwork,soheisthe

perfectbridgepersonbetweentheolderhis-

toryandthis,itsrecentlyreleasedsequel.

Thenewvolume has23chaptersinall

Intherstofthese,editorJimSpickelmiersummarizestheConferencesrstcentury

rehearsingthehighlightsofOlsonsoriginal

accountandtherebylayinga retrospective

foundationforwhatfollows.Indoingso

theauthornotesthatthedecisivefactor

ensuringthesurvivalandourishingofth

BaptistGeneralConferenceasadistinctive

denominationclearlydifferentiatedfrom

themuchlargerEnglish-speakingAmerican

Baptistdenominationwithwhichitinitially

A Review of:Five Decades o Growth and Change, from p. 1


4/20~ 4 ~

continued on p. 5


hadclosetieswasadecisionreachedby

BGCdelegatesin1944toestablishand

support their ownmoredoctrinally-con-

servativemissionboard(p.12).Thus,while

theBGCwasborneinthemid-nineteenth

centuryofpracticalimmigrantexpedience,

itevidentlyenduredandourishedbecause

atasubsequentcriticaljunctureitembracedafreshandinvigoratingvisionformission.

Thereafterthestructure ofthebookis

straightforwardandconsistingoftwosec-

tions.Therst(chapters2-8)isatopical

one.Thesechapterstreatkeydivisionsor

aspectsof theoverallBGCenterprisein-

cludingBethel(itsagshipschool)andits

globalmissionsenterprise,aswellassuch

importantspheresas(andthislistisnot

exhaustive)homemissions,publicationsand

literature,andculturalministriestoNative

Americans,African-Americans,Hispanics,

FilipinosandVietnamese.Afullchapter,the

ninth,isdevotedtothehistoryoftheBGC

abovetheforty-ninthparallel,inCanadaa

workthatbegandirectlynorthofMinnesota,

inWinnipeg,Manitobain1894.

Thesecondmajorsectionofthevol-

ume(chapters10-22) surveysthe history

geographically.Thesechaptersexplore the

historyoftheBGConeregionalconference

atatimenotinchronologicalorderor

according tosize,but alphabetically.The

thirteenconferencesarepresentedinorder

fromtheColumbiatotheSouthwest.They

areauthoredor co-authoredbypersons

intimatelyacquaintedwiththeirsubjectmatterthroughalifetimeofpersonalpar-

ticipationandservice.Nottoomanyreaders

willbeinclinedtoreadthesechaptersright

throughinorder,certainlynotinonesit-

ting.Thesechaptersfunctionmoreinthe

orderofvaluablereferenceworkspagesto

whichonemayreturnmorethanoncefor

reliabledetailsandclarications.Thetypical

reader,Isuspect,willbeginwiththechapter

ontheconferencewithwhichtheyaremost

familiar,andmoveoutwardfromthere.

Perhapsthemostinteresting,andcertainly

themostinterpretive,chapteristhenalone

onTrends inFaithand Life.Here editor

JamesSpickelmiercastshisinformedeyeback

acrossmorethan600pagesandalifetimeof

experiencetooffersomesummativeperspec-

tivesandinsights.Thisisthesortofthing

thatseparatesgenuinehistorywritingfrom

merelychroniclingnamesanddates,andi

constitutesavaluablecapstonefortheproject

asawhole.Theeditorpresentstrendshehas

observedwithinhisfaithcommunityove

ahalfcentury,andsuggestsvariousbroad

culturalfactorsthatinuencedthesetrend

andhelptoaccountforthem.Thechapter

concludesbyidentifyingsomesignicantchangesthathaveoccurredwithintheBGC

itselfduringthevedecadesunderscrutiny

There are alsosome appendicestothis

volumeofalmost700pages.Theyincludea

helpfultimelineandevensomewell-chosen

colorphotographs.Thevolumewrapsup

with athoroughindex inwhich Scandi

naviansurnamesstillpredominate,butin

which theemergingmulticulturalfaceof

thefellowshipisalsonowevident.

tHe PiCture reVealeD: moVingBeYonDtHe sCanDinaVian Heritage

TheBGCstorytoldinthisvolumeisa

colorfulchipinthelargermosaicofthe

historyofChristianityinAmericainthe

secondhalfofthe20thcenturyastoryabl

narratedinsuchworksasMartinMarty,Pil

grims in Their Own Land(1984),MarkNoll

Scorgie Edits New Book on Christian SpiritualityZondervan Dictionary of Christian Spiri-tuality,gen.ed.GlenG.Scorgie(July

2011),864pp. | InrecentdecadesChris-

tianspirituality,spiritualformationand

spiritualtheologyhavebecomeimpor-

tantconceptsintheglobalevangelical

community.Consequently,aneedwas

recognizedforanaccessibleandreliable

academicresourceonthesetopicsone

thatoffersadiscerningorientationtothe

wealthofecumenicalresourcesavailable

whilestillhighlightingthedistinctheri-

tageandafrmingthecoregrace-centered

valuesof classicevangelicalspirituality.

TheZondervan Dictionary of Christian

Spiritualityreectsanoverarchinginter-

pretiveframeworkforevangelicalspiri-

tualformation:aholisticandgrace-lled

spiritualitythatencompassesrelational

(connecting),transformational(becom-

ing),andvocational(doing)dynamics.

Atthesametime,contributorsrespectfully

acknowledgethedifferencesbetweenPietist,

Reformed,Holiness,andPentecostalpara-

digmsofthespirituallife.And,bybringing

togetherovertwohundredwritersfrom

aroundtheworldwhoshareacommonor-

thodoxy,thisreferenceworkistrulyglobal

andinternationalinbothitstopicalscope

andcontributors.

Wearepleasedtoreportthatthenumber

ofcontributorsfromBethelexceedsthatof

anyotherinstitution.Dr.JamesD.SmithIII,

professorofchurchhistoryatBethelSemi-

narySanDiego,servedasaconsultingeditor.

Altogether34Bethelfacultymembers,from

St. Paulandboth coasts, wrotepieces for

thevolumeanencouragingindicationof

ongoingcommitmentatBetheltotheuni-

versityshistoricregardforheartandmind.

Over700 essays and entries giveappro-

priateattentiontoconcepts,concerns,and

formativefigures

intheevangeli-

caltraditionof

spiritualitythat

otherreference

work neglect.

T h e y o f f er a

d i s c e r n i n g

orientationtothe

wealthofecumenicalresourcesavailable,

exploringthesimilaritiesanddifferences

betweenChristianityandalternatespiri-

tualitieswithoutlapsingintorelativism.

TheZondervan Dictionary of Christian

Spiritualityisaresourcethatcoversa

widerangeoftopicsrelatingtoChristian

spiritualityandisbiblicallyengaged,ac-

cessible,andrelevantforallcontemporary

Christians.Wetrustthatthismilestone

workwillproveveryusefultothepeople

ofGodinthedaysahead.


5/20~ 5 ~


continued on p. 6

History of Christianity in the United States

and Canada(1992),andThomasAskew

andRichardPierard,The American Church

Experience(2004),TheBGCstorytoldhere

inFive Decadesbeginsin1952whenthede-

nominationhad366churches,mostofthem

onthesmallerside.Foralmosttheentire

previoushalfcenturythedenominationhadbeeninapost-immigrationplateau,andin

somewaysitwasshowingsignsofdecline.

Yetftyyearslater,in2002,theConference

hadgrownto971churchesintheUnited

StatesandCanada.Thiswasroughlydouble

therateofgeneralpopulationincrease

duringthissameperiodoftime.Becausea

signicantnumberofthesechurcheshad

becomeconsiderablylargerthananyofthe

BGCcongregationsbackin1952,theoverall

growthinthenumberofactivemembersand

adherentsduringthisperiodwasevenmore

substantial.

TheowofSwedishimmigrantstoAmer-

icaduringthesecondhalfofthenineteenth

centuryhaddriedupyearsbefore,sothatthe

growthexperiencedwasduetofactorsother

thantheoriginalethnicityandlinguistic

distinctivenessthataccountfortheorigins

andearliestexpansionoftheconference.The

BGC,likesomanyotherchurchgroups,ben-

etedfromthegeneralsurgeinreligiosity

andchurchattendance(nottomentionthebirth-rate)inAmericafollowingthenational

crisisandeventualvictoryoftheWorldWar

IIyears(1939-1945).

Butthere wasmoretoit than just that.

Five Decades of Growth and Change, 1952-

2002isaquarryfromwhichsupplementary

explanationsforBGCgrowthcanbemined.

Fromatheologicalperspective,itappears

thatGodhashonoredtheBGCsfaithful-

nesstotheGospelmessageanditsvigorous

proclamationinNorthAmericaandbeyond.Consideringthesamephenomenonfrom

anotherangle,wemightsuggestthatthe

BGChasgrownbecausepeoplewithperen-

nialhumanneedshavebeendrawntothe

Gospelandexperienceditspower,andhave

foundmeaningandpersonalsignicance

throughgettinginvolvedinGreatCommis-

sionwork.

Intheperiodunderreviewthenumberof

full-timeBGCmissionariesgrewfromthe

low50sto130,whilethenumberofmis-

sion eldsexpanded fromseveral toover

twenty.Duringthissamehalf-centuryspan

(1952-2002)BethelCollegeandSeminary,

theBGCsflagship schools,experienced

parallelpatternsofgrowthanddevelop-

ment.In1952therewereapproximately600

studentsontherelativelyconnedSnellingAvenuecampusinSt.Paul.Fiftyyearslater

theschoolshadrelocatedtoaspaciousnew

homeinArdenHills,andhadatotalenrol-

mentofover4,000students.

Againstthebackdropofanincreas-

inglypopulousAmerica,theBaptistGeneral

Conferenceexperienced substantial,if not

exactlyspectaculargrowthofitsown.Yet

forallofthatitremainsarelativelysmall

chipintheecclesiasticalmosaicofAmerica,

dwarfedbynumerouslargerdenominations

andeven byother Baptist groups likethe

SouthernBaptistConvention.Whilethe

thirteenregionalconferences of theBGC

covermostofthemapoftheUnitedStates

the realityis that the BGC isstill primar

ilyaregionalbody,reectingitshistoricoriginsintheupperMidwest.In2000,fo

example,thenumberofchurchattendees

intheMinnesotaBaptistConventionalon

was48,000(p.517)aconsiderableportion

oftheentireBGCconstituency.Bycontrast,

intheNortheastBaptistConference(see

chap.19),whosesprawlinggeographic

constituencyencompassestensofmillions

ofAmericansinsomeofthenationslargest

The Baptist General Conerence and Its

Pietist Heritage: Pietistic CharacteristicsAmong the Conerence BaptistsVirgilOlsonBethel Seminary QuarterlyVol.IV,No.3,May1956,pp.54-66.

1. The frst principle characteristic o pietism is that o the centrality o the Bible in

the lie o the believer.

Aspointedout,thisisonereasonwhytheBaptistsmadesuchheadwayamongthe

lsareinSweden.Theoneprinciplethatthepietistskeptalive,however,wasthateach

individualbelievershouldbeaBiblereaderandaBiblestudent.

2. The second characteristic o importance is thato insisting on a born-again experience or every

believer.

ConferenceBaptistchurchesinyearsgoneby

haveinsistedonaregeneratechurchmembership.

Greatstresshasbeenlaidonthefactofwhetheror

notapersonhashadanexperiencewiththeLord.

3. The third characteristic that is always a domi-

nant part o any pietistic movement is that o

holy living.

Abstainfromeveryappearanceofevilwasa

watchword.Afavoritesongoftheold-timerswasIamapilgrim(Jagrenfrmling).

4. The ourth characteristic is that pietism is

prominently a laymans movement.

DemocracyinthechurcheshasalwaysbeenhighlyregardedThefreechurchspirit

hasrevoltedstronglyagainsthierarchyandpowerfulpressuregroups

5. The fth characteristic is that o revival.

Pietismwasbornandpropagatedinreligiousrevival.Ithascometotheforeintimes

ofnationalmoralpoverty,religiouscoldnessandcynicism.Pietismseemedtobethe

breathofGodmovingamongthedrybones,bringinglifetothevariousvalleysofarid

skeletonsoftheologyandreligiousformalism.


6/20~ 6 ~


cities,churchesaremuchfewerandfarther

between.Somewhatsurprisingly,givenits

geographicremotenessfromMinnesota,

SouthernCaliforniahasarelativeconcentra-

tionofBGCchurches.Perhapsthisispartly

areectionofSwedishBaptistdisenchant-

mentwithlongnorthernwinters!

ConClusion: PonDeringtHe Future

oFtHe BaPtist general ConFerenCe

Forthemostpartthevolumecanbeclas-

siedasinstitutionalhistory,inasmuchas

ittracesthedevelopmentofsuchfamiliar

denominationalpreoccupationsasbudgets,

donations,administrativestructures,mem-

bershiproles,youthwork,womensmin-

istries,short-termmissionsandoutreach

teams,churchplanting,changingmusic

styles,keyleaders(almostexclusivelymen,

incidentally),variousprograminitiatives,

SundaySchoolwork,campingministries

andhomesforseniors.

Butsomething ofthesoulofthe BGC

isalsorevealedinthisvolume.Asawhole,

theBGCdidnotengagemuchwiththeis-

suesofsocialconsciencethatenergizedand

convulsedothergroups.Notmuchprogress

wasmade, forexample,on empowering

womenforchurchleadership.Nonetheless,

whiletheconferenceremainedtheologically

conservativeinethos,itdeftlyskirtedtheFundamentalistoptionepitomizedinthe

MinneapolisregionbytheinuentialWil-

liamB.RileyofFirstBaptistChurchand

whatbecameNorthwestBibleCollege.The

BGCclearlylocateditselfintheemerging

evangelicalmainstreamandhasremained

thereeversince.Occasionallythereare

referencestodoctrinalcontroversies(e.g.,

pp.46-50)includingtherecentfurorover

OpennessTheology(pp.516-517)but

theseareregardedlargelyassidebarstothemainstoryline.Notoriousscandalsare

omittedaltogether,ortreatedverybriey

andwithconsiderablediscretion.

Throughtheyearstherehasbeengrowing

angstovertheall-whitefaceoftheBGC,

andmoreandmoreintentionaleffortsto

diversifythedenominationthroughthenur-

turingofmoreethniccongregations.While

theirnumbersremainrelativelysmall,some

ofthesefellowshipsarenowamongthemore

robustintheentireconference.

Theelephantintheroom ofthis de-

nominationalhistoryistheemergenceof

multipleelephantsanumberofso-called

mega-churchesthathavealteredthesocial

dynamicsof theentire conference. These

congregationsarelargeenoughtobeessen-

tiallyautonomous;theynolongerneedthepooledresourcesofthelargerdenomination

toachievetheirlocalobjectives.Butwehave

alsocometoseehowdependenttheyare

uponcapableleader-

ship,andhowwildly

theycanoscillatein

sizeandhealthduring

timesoftransition.

Whatissomewhat

surprisingistherela-

tivelymodestattention

giveninthisvolumeto

thedistinctspirituality

andethosoftheBGC.

Thegroupsoriginsin

biblicallyorthodoxEu-

ropeanPietismarewell

known,andthesaintly

leadershipofPresi-

dentCarlLundquistat

Bethel(1954-1982)is

respectfullyacknowl-

edged(pp.29-39).Andyetforallofthatthere

isrelativelylittleem-

phasisinthebook,or,

apparently,withintheBGCitself,onthe

distinctunionofheartandmindthathas

beensocentraltoourPietisttraditionever

sincePhilipSpenerwrotehisclassiclittlePia

Desideriabackin1675.Itisatraditionemi-

nentlysuitedtosatisfytheheart-hungerof

thosewhohavegrownskepticalofapurely

rationalandpropositionalreligiosity. As one concludes thisimportantbook,

onecannothelpponderingthefutureof

theBaptistGeneralConferenceanditsag-

shipuniversity.Denominationalismitself

isingeneraldeclinenowadays,sothesafest

predictionisthatthecohesivenessofthe

BGCasafellowshipandcreatorofidentity

willprobablyfadeinthecourseofthenext

halfcentury.Powerfulsocializingtrendsare

alreadyblendingaonce-separateimmigrant

church(symbolizedbythelittlewhiteScan-

diachapelontheBethelUniversitycampus)

intotheculturalandreligiousmeltingpoto

theUnitedStates.WhatwilltheBGCkeep

alive?Willithaveanarrativewithwhich

youngerpeoplewillbeabletoidentify?Wha

willbeitsdistinctivelegacyandgifttoth

nextgeneration? Wedoknow,thankstotheworkofJame

andCaroleSpickelmier,andacadreof

knowledgeablecontributors,thattheBGC

experiencedresurgencefromthedoldrum

whenitclaimedaboldnewvisionbackin

theearly1940s. Surelythis isinstructive

forwithoutanenergizingvisionevenade-

nominationcanperish.Andjustascertainly

nochurchcanexpecttoourishinthes

challengingtimesunlessthereisadeepan

profoundrealitytoitswalkwithGod.AsMinnesotasownpop-theologianGarrison

Keilloronceinsightfullycommentedina

Books and Religioninterview:Ifyoucantgo

tochurchand,foratleastamoment,begiven

transcendence;ifyoucantgotochurchand

passbrieyfromthislifeintothenext;then

Icantseewhyanyoneshouldgo.Theresa

stillpoint,aconstant,acrossanynumbero

decadesofgrowthandchange.

Bethel President Carl Lundquist (1954-1982)


7/20~ 7 ~

continued on p. 8

Martin Luther King Invited to Address Bethel Convocation:ReapingtheLegacyofPresidentCarlLundquistsCorrespondencewithDr.MartinLutherKing,Jr.

Diana maGnusOn, prO-

fessOrOf HistOry BetH-

el uniVersity, Direc-

tOr Of arcHiVes, BGc

HistOry center an D

kent GerBer, DiGitalliBrary, BetHel uniVer-

sity liBraries |Martin

LutherKingWillAd-

dressConvowasthe

headlineof the Clarion

onNovember23,1960.

Thisarticlewaspartof

thepromotionforthe

launchofthedigitalcollectionofClarion

StudentNewspapersforBethelUniversityLi-

brarysHomecomingeventinOctober2010.

Thisexpandedabilitytouseanddisplayan

historicalartifactbecamethecenterpieceof

aconversationaboutBethelsreconciliation

roots,BethelsirenicapproachtoChristian

highereducation,andtheimportanceof

stewardingBethelsculturalheritage.

ExamplesofhistoricClarionfrontpages

wereusedtodemonstratethecontentsofthe

newcollectioninBethelUniversitysDigital

Library,includingtheMartinLutherKing,Jr.

headline.Incommunicationspromotingthe

Homecomingevent,thequestionwasasked,

Did you know that MartinLutherKing,

Jr.cametoBethel?Severalindividualsre-

spondedthattheydidnotthinkhecameand

onementionedthatDr.Kingwasassassinated

beforehecouldcome.Noonewascertainof

thedetailsoftheoralhistoryandtherewas

noextant documentationtobe foundthat

conrmedorrefutedtheClarionarticle.

AswesoughttouncoverwhyDr.Kingdid

notspeakatBethel,wediscoveredafascinat-

ingstorysurroundinghisinitialinvitationandrecoveredapieceofourpietisticheri-

tage.Afterconsultinganumberofreferences

andinstitutions,BethelUniversitylibrarians

receivedwordfromTheMartinLuther

KingJr.ResearchandEducationInstituteat

StanfordUniversitywhohadtwodocuments

datednearthetimeoftheClarionarticle.

Thetwodocumentswerecorrespondence

writtenbyPresidentLundquisttoMartin

LutherKing,Jr.onNovember8,1960and

aresponsefromDr.Kingsassistant,James

Wood,onDecember1,1960.Lundquistslet-

terwaswrittentoconrmDr.Kingssched-

uledappearanceandtoaskafteranyfurther

necessaryaccommodationsduringhisvisit.

Inthemorning,hewasscheduledtospeak

onthethemeoftheproblemofracialdis-

crimination,andintheevening,Lundquist

hadrequestedthatKingdeliveraspeechthat

hehadheardbeforecalledPaulsEpistleto

TwentiethCenturyChristians.Woodwrote

onbehalfofDr.Kingthathemustregretfully

cancelbecause hisleadership wasneeded

fortheemergencysituationssurrounding

thestudentsit-insinAtlantawhichwere

renewedafterathirty-daytruce.Uponthis

newevidence,supportedbyachronologyof

KingsactivitiesandNewYorkTimesarticles

aboutthesit-ins,wewereabletodetermine

conclusivelythatKingwasindeedscheduled

tospeakbutdidnotultimatelydeliverhi

convocationaddressesforthereasonsstated

PresiDent lunDquist DeFenDs ConVoCation inVitations

to kinganD weigle

Dr.Kinghasbeeninvitedbecauseheistodayoneoftheforemostleadersinpromoting

non-violentprogramsforracialequality.ThisisaconcernforeveryChristian.Asamat-

teroffact,themattersofsocialwelfareconstituteoneareawheretheologicaldifferences

amongChristiansarelesssignicantandwherewendthatmanyofuscanworktogether

towardacommonobjective.Thisdoesnotminimizeourdifferencesbutindicatesthat

therealsoexistssomeareasofagreement.InthecaseofDr.Weigle,hehasbeeninvited

becausenextyearwillmarkthe350thanniversaryofthetranslationoftheKingJames

VersionoftheBible.WhilehehasbeenidentiedwiththeRevisedStandardVersion,ofcourse,heisalsooneoftheacknowledgedscholarsofourdayinhisfamiliaritywiththe

KingJamesVersion.Hisbasictalkwillbeahistoricalapproachtothatversion.

Becausewedonotagreewiththesemeninallareasoftheirthoughtweoughtnotcut

offlisteningtotheminsuchimportanteldsofconcernfortheevangelicalchurchtoday

anymorethanwewouldtakeoutofourlibraryallofthebookswithwhoseauthorswe

disagreeorrefusetohandleinourbookstorematerialsnotalwayssympathetictoBethels

pointofview.Asamatteroffact,oneofthenestplacesfordedicatedChristianyoung

peopletocomeincontactwithmenandbooksliketheseisonacampuswherealertand

committedevangelicalteacherscanhelptobulwarktheirfaithwhileatthesametime

franklyfaceopposingpointsofview.


8/20~ 8 ~

inhisassistantsletter(Kingetal.,2005;Klan

andnegroesmarchinAtlanta,1960;Truce

onsit-insendsinAtlanta,1960).

searCHFortHe lunDquist/king

letters

Welaterlearnedthatthereweretenother

itemsofcorrespondencebetweenLundquistandKinglocatedintheholdingsofBoston

UniversitysHowardGotliebArchivalRe-

searchCenterspanningfrom1957to1960.

AfteracquiringthevelettersthatLundquist

wrote,welearnedthatLundquisthadrst

invitedKingtospeakthreeyearsearlierin

1957andthenagainin1959.Theseinvita-

tionsweredeclinedbutleadtothesched-

ulingoftheDecember1960engagement.

Wewerenotabletoacquiretheotherve

lettersauthoredbyDr.Kingbecauseofthe

difcultyinobtainingpermissionfromthe

KingEstatetoreleasetheBostonUniversity

copiestous.Negotiationsarestillunderway

fortheseitems.

tHe king inVitation leaDs

to signiFiCant Constituent

ControVersarY

Thelettersansweredthequestionsconcern-ingwhenKingwastocomeandwhyhe

cancelled,buttheydidnotdiscussanother

pieceoftheoralhistoryinvolvingthegeneral

atmosphereofcontroversysurroundingthe

invitationitself.Planningfortheconvoca-

tionwascarriedoutbytheCommencement

andConvocationCommittee,madeupof

membersofthecollegeandseminaryfaculty.

Theconvocationseriesforthewinterof

1960-1961includedtenmorningconvoca-

tions,foureveningconvocationsandthree

seminarylectureships.Publicityannouncing

thespeakerspromptedlettersofconcernto

BethelCollegeandSeminaryPresidentCar

Lundquistbyatleastadozenconstituents.

Onlyoneofthedozenorsolettersisextant.

Dr.G.ArcherWeniger,pastor,publishedhi

concernsinThe Blue Print,apublicationo

FoothillBoulevardBaptistchurch,Oakland

California.TheletterwasreprintedinSwordof the LordandNorth Star Baptist.Theinvi

tationstoKingandLutherA.Weigle,Dea

EmeritusoftheYaleUniversityDivinity

SchoolraisedseriousconcernsforWeniger.

Kingspresentationwastitled,Alookatthe

problemofracialdiscrimination.Weigles

wasbilledas,Ahistoricalpresentationofthe

signicanceoftheKingJamesVersionofthe

Bibleduringits350thanniversaryyear.Pas-

torWenigersprimaryconcernwithregard

tobothKingandWeiglewasnotthetopic

oftheirconvocation,rather,theirassociation

withcommunistfrontcauses.Accordingto

Weniger,theinvitationofKingandWeigl

wasevidenceofpenetrationofpacism,

socialism,modernism, andsubversion to

BethelCollege.Wenigercalledforprayerto

cancelthesetwospeakers.

AcopyofPresidentLundquistsresponse

toconcernedBethelconstituentsisamong

theminutesoftheconvocationcommittee

Lundquistsletterisaclearexpositiono

liberalartseducation,deliveredintheirenicspiritthatcametodenehispresidency

Theneedforthisletterdemonstratesthat

Lundquistmadeachoicethatwasnotacom-

fortableoneamongsomeofhisevangelica

peersthisearlyinthecivilrightsmovement

Whilethereareexamplesofevangelica

engagement,likeBillyGrahamsdesegrega

tionofhisChattanooga,Tennesseecrusad

in1953,therearemanymoreaccountso

evangelicals,likePastorWeniger,whower

eitherindifferentorhostiletothecivilrightsmovement(Gibreath,1998;Graham,1997

Moberg,1972).Kingsfirstinvitationto

speakatBethelcamesixyearsbeforemajo

eventsliketheMarchonWashingtonandthe

ecumenicalChicagoConferenceonRaceand

Religion;sevenyearsbeforeKingreceived

theNobelPeacePrizeandthepassingo

theCivilRightsActof1964;andeightyears

beforethepassingoftheVotingRightsActof

1965(Branch,1998).Lundquistdetermined

LundquistKing Correspondence, from p. 7

JoHn Perkins sPeakson wHat it meansto BetHe CHurCH

G. William carlsOn| JohnPerkinswasafrequentpreacheratBethelchapelsincethe

1970s.Heremainsadistinguishedspokespersonforcivilrightsissueswithintheevangeli-

calcommunity.BethelBusinessprofessorRobertWeavertookupJohnPerkinschallenge.

In1983WeaverusedoneofhissabbaticalsandtraveledtoJackson,Mississippi.Hefelt

calledtogobacktoMississippitousehisbusinessskillsforthedevelopmentofjobs

andbusinessesinpoorcommunities.

OneofPerkinsnotedspeechespreachedatBethelChapelwashiscallfortheChristian

churchtobeagentsofreconciliationandpromotersofjustice.

TorediscoverouridentityasGodspeople,wemustbeginwithJesuswhosawhimself

asGodsinstrumentofliberation.ThepowerofhisliberationlayinthefactthatJesus

wastheverypresenceofGodintheworld-Godintheesh.InJesusthewordandthe

personofGodcametogether

ThechurchistheverybodyofChrist,thereplace-

mentofJesusbodyonearthinthecommunity

wherebelieversliveIfheislivinginusindividually

andcorporately,thenthatfactshouldhavesome

meaning.

First,itmeansthat,likehim,werelocateourselves

intheareaofneed.Weidentifywith,weliveamong,

weactivelyseekoutthosewhoarepoor,inneed,oppressed

Second,ouridentitythroughJesuspresenceinthebodyofChristmeansthat,like

him,wereconcileourselveswithothersacrossracialandculturalbarriers

Third,ouridentitythroughthepresenceofChristmeans,that,likeJesus,weredis-

tributegoods,ourwealth,moreequitablythandothedistributionsystemsoftheworld.

Relocation,reconciliation,and redistribution.Thesearenotqualitiesthatone can

pretendtohaveorgeneratebyonesownpower.TheydependupontherealityofGods

presenceinourmidst.Theytestifytowhoweare:theBodyofJesusChrist.

(VoiceofCalvaryreprintedfromInternational Review on Missions,July1977)

continued on p. 9

John Perkins


9/20~ 9 ~

continued on p. 10

thatthisissuewasanimportantoneforthe

Christiancommunitybeforetheweightof

theseeventsbroughtKingandthecivilrights

movementtotheattentionofabroaderau-

dienceandhelpedgarnerwideracceptanceandsupportfromthegeneralpublic.

Bethelsengagementwiththis socialis-

sueisanotherexamplethatchallengesthe

criticismofPietismsaloofnesstosocial

problems.Pietist historyhas examples of

socialservicesspanningfromoneofits

founders,AugustFrancke,tomoremodern

examplesofKlingbergsChildrensHomein

theBaptistGeneralConference.(Carlson,

2002;Gehrz,2011).Althoughinvolvement

inraceissuesandcivilrightsarenotnumer-

ousintheearlyhistoryofthesemovements,

thereareexamplesofeffortsmadebyBethel

communitymembers.Individualprofessorsengaged thetopicwith theirwritings like

DavidO.MobergandMichaelO.Emerson

(Carlson,2002).TheBethelfacultyasa

groupsentacorporateletterofsupportand

nancialsupporttoaMississippicongrega-

tionwhowassubjectedtoracially-motivated

violenceanddiscrimination(Anotherkind

ofinvolvement,1964).Tothislistwecan

nowaddPresidentLundquistslettersinvit-

ingKingtospeakasanearlyevangelical

andpietistexampleofaleaderinChristian

highereducationattemptingtoengagethe

communitywiththeissueofrace.

wHat woulD BetHel HaVe HearD?

lunDquist requests kings leCture:

Pauls letterto ameriCan

CHristians

PresidentLundquistmentionsinthe

November8,1960letter toDr. Kingtha

hewouldliketohearaspeechthathehad

heardbefore;PaulsEpistletoTwentieth

CenturyChristians.Thespeechinvolves


G. William carlsOn,Professor of History

and Political Science, Bethel University

|Sincethe1980sBethelhasintention-

allymadeaseriesofeffortstoexpand

itscommitmenttothecreationofKingsbelovedcommunityontheSeminary

andUniversitycampuses.Theseincluded

thecreationoftheBethelAntiracismand

ReconciliationCommission(BARRC),the

appointmentofLeonRodriguesastheAs-

sociateDeanofDiversityandCommunity,

encouragementofmulticulturalcommit-

mentsatBethelSeminarythroughthe

leadershipofRalphHammondandMark

Harden,thedevelopmentoftheReconcili-

ationMajorthroughtheworkofCurtiss

DeYoungandexpansionofprogramming

intotheurbancommunitiesofSt.Paul

andMinneapolis.Trendsaredocumented

inthemagazineBethel Tapestry.

KarenMcKinney,associateprofessorof

biblicalstudiesandamajorcontributorto

theworkofBARRC,statedthatPresident

Dale Johnsons Mural Remember, Believe and ActExplores Bethels Commitment to Creating a Reconciled Community

Brushaberhasledusintoacommitmentto

becomeananti-racistinstitution.Withthe

reconciliationprogramwehaveachanceof

exploringissuesthatChristiancollegesdont

alwaysconfront.Rev.LaurelBunker,deanofcampusministriesandcampuspastorfor

BethelUniversitysCollegeofArtsandSci-

ences,commentedonwhysheacceptedthe

positionafteranactiveministryinSt.Paul.

SheacceptedtheBethelassignmentbecause

itisaplacewheretheWordisnotcompro-

mised.Bethelsayswewillwalkinloveand

incommunity,andwewillnotcompromise.

Wewillwrestlethroughthetoughissues,and

stay committedto spiritual formation and

transformation.

The BARRC committee commissioned

artprofessorDaleJohnsontocreateathree

piecemuraltoframeremembrancesand

healingafterseveralracialincidentson

campus.Althoughthecaseswereisolated,

graftiandsymbolsofhatewereusedto

targetstudentsofcolor.Bethelneededto

continueeffortstoexpressitsrepudiation

ofallsuchactsandresumeitsprogress

towardmulticulturalunity.

OnFebruary 16, 2005, onBethels

secondannualReconciliationDay,John-sons threelarge5' by8' panels, titled

Remember,Believe,Actwerehungin

theAcademicCenterlounge.Therst

panel,statedJohnson,recallsthepainof

theincidentsandallracialhatecrimes;the

secondshowstoolsofhealing,including

thecrossandprayer;andthethirdshows

damageunderrepairalongwithother

signsofhope.Athree-dimensionalpulley

appearsinsuspension:Isracismaweight

beingliftedordoesitcontinuetoburden?

Thechoiceisours.

Thiswas notthe rstpanel by Dale

Johnsonexpressingacommitmenttoa

multiculturalsociety.Healsohasalarge

urbanlifemuralinSt.PaulsFrogtown

community onthe LifetrackResources

Building.


10/20~ 10 ~


continued on p. 11

KingimaginingwhatPaulwouldwrite

toChristiansinAmericaifhewerealive

in1956andislooselybasedonthestyle

ofthebookofRomans(Kingetal.,1997,

414).TwolikelyvenueswhereLundquist

wouldhaveheardthisspeechwaseitherthe

GloriaDeiLutheranChurchforthe1957

annualmeetingoftheMinnesotaStatePas-

torsConference,towhichLundquistrefers

inhisrstinvitationtoDr.Kingin1957,

orthe1956NationalBaptistConvention

inDenver(Hulteen,2008;Kingetal.,1997;

Kingetal.,2000).Itispossibletoreadthe

speechthattheBethelcommunitymayhave

heard,hadKingactuallycome.PaulsLetter

toAmericanChristiansisavailableinprint

andonlinefromStanfordUniversitysMar-

tinLutherKing,Jr.PapersProject.Lundquist

mentionsthatDr.Kingwasinvitedbecause

ofhisChristian,non-violentapproachtocivilrightsandhereisapassageexcerptfrom

Kingsspeechregardingthattopic:

MayIsayjustawordtothoseofyou

whoarestrugglingagainstthisevil

[segregation].Alwaysbesurethatyou

strugglewithChristianmethodsand

Christianweapons.Neversuccumbto

thetemptationof becomingbitter.As

youpressfor justice,be sure tomove

withdignityanddiscipline,usingonly

theweaponoflove.Letnomanpullyou

solowastohatehim.Alwaysavoidvio-

lence.Ifyousuccumbtothetemptation

ofusingviolenceinyourstruggle,un-

borngenerationswillbetherecipients

ofalonganddesolatenightofbitter-

ness,andyourchieflegacytothefuture

willbeanendlessreignofmeaningless

chaos(Kingetal.,1997,418).

Bethelscommitmenttoengaginginthe

issueofracialreconciliationhascontinued

togrowfromthedaysofLundquist.Da-

vidO.Mobergchallengedtheevangelical

churchtodomoreofthiskindofthinking

andinuencedBethelasastudent,headof

theDepartmentofSociology,andauthor

ofseveralbooksandarticlesonthetopicof

Christiansandthebiblicalbasisforsocialaction.(Carlson,2002).Mobergslegacyis

carriedforwardinthepresentbythethird

ofveinaseriesofendowedlecturesinvolv-

ingChristianityandSociologycalledthe

ConferenceonSociologicalPerspectiveson

Reconciliation.TheprogramofReconcili-

ationStudiesgrewfromcoursestaughtby

anadjunctprofessor,CurtisDeYoung,to

anofcialprogramwhosenamewasadded

toanacademicdepartment,Anthropology

SociologyandReconciliationStudies,o

whichheisnowco-chair.Programslikethe

SouthAfricastudysemesterandtheSankofa

civilrightshistorytripencouragestudents

faculty,andstafftoengagewithcivilrights

issuesoutsideoftheclassroom.Insid

theclassroom,reconciliationisintegrated

acrossthecurriculumandallstaff,students,

andfacultyarerequiredtoattendatrain-

ingsessiononRacialReconciliationupon

hireoradmission.Onceontheperiphery

reconciliationhasbecomeoneofBethels

sevencorevalues.MembersoftheBethel

communityarereconcilers[who]humbly

andhonestlyengagewithourownbiasesand

preconceptions[includingtheissueofrace]

[inorderto]growclosertounderstandin

Christsinniteloveandselessmissionoredemption(BethelUniversity,2011).

PreserVing BaPtist general

ConFerenCe HistorY: tHe

imPortanCeoF intelleCtual

ProPertYanD Digital arCHiVes

Earlyin theprocessof investigating

whetherKingappearedandwhatthecondi-

artHur wHitaker: CHristian witnessin reVolutionarY timesG. William carlsOn| Inthe1960sand1970sPresidentLundquistsnotonlyinvitedDr.MartinLutherKingJr.tospeakin1960he

alsoencouragedBetheltohearthevoicesofanumberofleadersfromtheAfrican-Americancommunityalongwithleadersofthe

Christiancommunityfromaroundtheworld.TheseincludedCarlRowan,GardnerTaylor,TomSkinner,BillPannellandJohnPerkins.

OneofthevaluablespeakerswasArthurWhitakerwhowaspastorofPilgrimBaptistChurchinSt.Paulfrom1966-1970.Hewasa

WorldWarIIveteranwhohadfoughtforfreedominEuropeonlytoreturntoasegregatedAmerica.Whitakerisrememberedforhis

sermonChristianWitnessinRevolutionaryTimeswhichwasgivenatFoundersWeek,BethelCollege

&Seminary,1969.Hechallengedthecommunitytotakeanactiveleadershiproleinthecivilrightsmove-

mentandasChristians,helptocreateareconciledcommunity.

NowIamdistressedandtroubledwithinmyownheartbecauseitappearsattimesthattheChristian

churchdoesnotseemtohavethewilltochangetheconditionswhicharedeplorableinAmerica.Letus

thereforeasAmericansriseabovetheuglinessofracismandtheproblemsofraceandmovetothathighplaneofhumanrights.

No manshouldhaveto beapologeticforhisrace, particularlywhenhisbirthisAmerican.While

Americaisnearlybankruptinthearenasofcivilandhumanrights,Iwouldsubmittoyouthatwemust

becomesolventinthenationalandinternationalworldbankofhumanrelationsontheonehand,and

ontheotherhand,1969not1970mustbeayearofmajorsurgeryininhumanrelationsifthedecadeof

the1970sistobeatimeofhealing.

ToomuchinAmericaisbeingdestroyed.Oursmustbeatimeofhealingandatimeofbuildingonthepart

ofeveryAmerican.LetitbesaidofAmericathatinspiteofherdilemmashewasabletooutliveherracismandherbigotryandliveouther

destinyoftheAmericandreamthatfuturehistorianswillsayofusthatintheperiodofcrisiswewereabletoresolveourdifferencesand

solveourproblemsofraceandinhumanityandintheprocesstogetherweachievedthenesthourinhumanhistory,sohelpusGod.

Arthur Whitaker


11/20~ 11 ~


tionsweresurroundinghisappearancewe

lookedintoourowncollectionofdocu-

mentsintheHistoryCenter.Welearnedof

theexistenceofcorrespondence,spanning

from1957to1960,betweenLundquistand

KingfromStanfordUniversity,oneofthe

institutionsthatBethelLibrarycontacted

duringtheinvestigations.Althoughwehave

othermaterialsofLundquists,wewerenot

abletolocatethisparticularseriesinourown

archive.Althoughthiswasdisappointing,our

searchprocessledustomoredocumentsthat

providedcontextforthecontroversialnature

ofthisinvitation.WefoundtheConvocation

andCommencementCommitteeminutes

from1960-1961thatcontainedWenigerslet-

terandLundquistsresponse.Theseminutes

werefortuitouslydonatedonlyafewmonths

priortooursearchbythefamilyofprofessor

emeritus,Dr.RoyDalton.Withoutthestew-

ardshipoforganizationsandpeoplewhocare

abouttheirownhistory,theonlyinformation

wewouldhaveaboutthiseventwouldbe

anecdotalandincomplete.Thedistribution

ofMartinLutherKingspapersisanother

goodexampleoftheneedforgoodsteward-

shipfromorganizationsthatwishtocultivate

theeffortsofthosewhoattendedthem.King

graduatedfromMorehouseCollegeinAtlanta

andhadintendedtodonatehispapersthere

butinsteadsentthemtoBostonUniversity,whereheearnedhisDoctorateinTheology,

becausetheyactivelypursuedthemandhe

knewthattheyhadtheinfrastructureand

resourcestosupportandcareforhismaterials

properly(Branch,1998).

TheArchivesandtheDigitalLibraryare

activelypursuingthegoalofstewardingthe

BaptistGeneralConferencesandBethel

Universitysresourcesbystrengthening

ourabilitytocareforandshareourown

materials.Thispartnershipstrengthensthe

foundationofstoringandpreservingour

culturalheritageandhelpstondnewways

toengagethecommunityinlearningabout

thepastanditsinuenceonthepresentand

future.ExposingtheMartinLutherKing,Jr.

articleledtoacommunity-widediscussion

andawarenessofakeymomentinBethels

past.Wealsowanttoraiseawarenesstha

activestewardshipof ourculturalheritage

isnecessarybecauseitisnotalwaysclea

whatitemswillbeneededinthefuture.The

Bethelcommunitywasabletolearnmore

aboutitselfandsomememberswerevery

encouragedbywhattheyfoundout.

ThewebsiteofTheHistoryCenteris

www.bethel.edu/bgc-archives.Thedigital

libraryisfoundunderLinks.

ReerencesAnotherkindofinvolvement.(1964).FacultyJournal,6(2),12-14.

BethelUniversity.(2011).Values.Bethel University.Retrievedfromhttp://www.bethel.edu/about/values

Branch,T.(1998).Pillar of re: America in the King years, 1963-65. NewYork,NY:Simon&Schuster.

Carlson,G.W.(2002).Baptistpietistsshouldcelebratethecivilrightsmovement.Baptist Pietist Clarion,Vol.

1(No.1),9-10,11,12.Gehrz,C.(2011,Winter).Recoveringapietistunderstandingofchristianhighereducation:CarlH.Lundquist

andKarlA.Olsson.Christian Scholars Review40(2),139-154.

Gilbreath,E.(1998,March2).Catchingupwithadream:Evangelicalsandrace30yearsafterthedeathofMartinLutherKing,Jr. Christianity Today. 21-29

Graham,B.(1997).Just as I am: The autobiography of Billy Graham.[SanFrancisco,Calif.];[GrandRapids,Mich.]:HarperSanFrancisco;Zondervan.

Hulteen,Bob.(2008,December23).CivilrightsleaderpreachesatGloriaDeiLutheranChurch.Metro Lutheran.

King,M.L.,Carson,C.,Armstrong,T.,Carson,S.,Clay,A.,&Taylor,K.(2005).ThePapersofMartinLu-therKing,Jr.volumeV,thresholdofanewdecadeJanuary1959-December1960.Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress.

King,M.L.,Carson,C.,Burns,S.,Carson,S.,Holloran,P.,&Powell,D.L.H.(1997).ThePapersofMartinLutherKing,Jr.volumeIII,birthofanewageDecember1955-December1956.Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress.

King,M.L.,Carson,C.,Carson,S.,Clay,A.,Shadron,V.,&Taylor,K.(2000).ThePapersofMartinLutherKing,Jr.volumeIV,symbolofthemovementJanuary1957-December1958.Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress.

KlanandNegroesMarchinAtlanta.(1960,Nov27). New York Times(1923-CurrentFile),pp.1.

Moberg,D.O.(1972).The Great Reversal; Evangelism Versus Social Concern.Philadelphia:Lippincott.

Truceonsit-insendsinAtlanta.(1960,Nov26). New York Times(1923-CurrentFile),pp.10.

continued on p. 12

A Review o Greg Boyds bookPresent Perfectterri l. HansenGreg

Boyd Present Perfect

GrandRapids,Michi-

gan:Zondervan,2010

| Asapersonwho

readsafairamount

ofpopularChristian

material,Itendtohavefavoritetopicsand

favoriteauthors.Whenoneofmyfavorite

authorsandthinkerscomesoutwithabook

onatopicthatisnearanddeartome,Iget

particularlyexcitedsometimesoverly

excited,settingmyselfupfordisappoint-

ment.WhenGregBoydsnewestpublication,

Present Perfectwasputintomyhands,Iwas

leery.GregBoydisarevolutionarythinker

abreathoffreshairintheevangelicalworld.

Hestirsthingsupandoftenwithgreatpas-

sionandinterest.Hetypicallyaddressesour

ailingChristianculturebypointingoutnew

truththroughsoundbiblicalexegesis.

Present Perfectisanewbookonanancient

spiritualpractice:practicingthepresence

ofGod.Iwasnotinterestedinseeinganew

twistputonthispreciousanddearpractice

onethatisattheverycoreofpersonaldis-

cipleshipandspiritualformation.Itrequires

apurityofattitude-acertainmindset,and

anindividualizedexperience.Ididnotwant

toseeitbecomejustanothernewgimmick

losingitssacred,profound,andChrist

centeredroots.

Restassuredthiswasnottobethecase

with Present Perfect.Ratherthanputting

anewtwistonthepracticeofthepres-

enceofGod,Boydreturnsustoitsroots.

Boydartfullyincorporatestheworksofthe

mastersonthistopic,weavinginquotes

andthoughtsfromBrotherLawrence,Jean

PierredeCaussade,andFrankLaubach.H

approachesthepracticeofthepresenceo

Godasafellowpilgrimbeingschooledby


12/20~ 12 ~

Present Perfect, from p. 11

thesemasters,notaddingtoortrumping

theirteachinginanyway.Hespeaksfromhis

personalstruggleandtriumphinmastering

thissimple,yeteasilyforgottendiscipline.

Heinvitestransformationbylivingoutthe

transformingpowerofallowingthoughtsof

Jesustopermeatehisthoughtsandinform

hisordinarylifeexperiences.

are we ConsCiousoF goDs

PresenCe

Ofmostimportancewhenitcomestoper-

sonalformation,Boydalsoincorporatesthe

elementofgrace.Heteachesthatallwereally

haveisthepresentmomentthemoment

thatwendourselvesinatanygiventime.

IfinthatmomentweareconsciousofGods

presence,thenwehavesucceeded.Themo-

mentbeforeandthemomenttofollowdonot

matterbecauseallwereallyhaveisnow.BeingawareofChristspresencenow

isenoughtotransform

thatmomentcompletely.

Onc e heest abli shes

thisidea,Boydspends

theremainderofthebook

discussingitsrelativedif-

cultyinlightoftheover-

stretched,stressfulliveswe

alllead.Indescribingthe

manybenetsofpursuingthisdiscipline,headeptly

providesmotivationtopersist

inthispractice inorderthatwemightrise

aboveourbusyandpettylives,andthusarrive

atahigherplaneofspiritualexperience:the

awarenessofGodsoverwhelminglove.

WhatGreghasbeenabletodoistonor-

malizeaspiritualpracticethatmanymight

thinkisonlyfortheancientsandthespiritual

super-humans.Hedescribesourcommon

objectionsthisway:

Thesecularworldviewcausesustocom-

partmentalizeourlife,isolatingthespiritual

fromtherestofourexperience.Ourrelation-

shipwithGodisboxedintospecialprayerand

devotiontimesalongwithweekendchurch

services,allofwhichhavelittleimpactonus.

ButintheprocessofsegregatingGodfrom

ournormallife,weblockthelove,joy,peace,

andtransformingpowerofGod.

Ifwereevergoingtoexperiencethefullness

ofLifethattheNewTestamentpromisesus,

weregoingtohavetoteardownthewallsthat

compartmentalizethespiritualandnormal.

Weregoingtohavetoacceptanewdenition

ofnormal,andthismeansweneedto get

overourmistakenideathatthepracticeof

thepresenceofGodisonlyforthesuperholy.

ThecalltopracticethepresenceofGod

isnotahyperspiritualexercise.Onthe

contrary,itsthecoreofwhatitmeansto

surrenderourlifetoChrist.Thoughfew

realizeit,thispracticeiswovenintothevery

fabricoftheNewTestament,writtenforall

followersofJesus.(pp.29-30)

DeVeloPinga relationsHiPwitH

our Creator

Boydexplainsthatourverynatureincludes

adesire,acravingtofeellovedandtobehappy.

Weall haveauniversalneedto experience

worthand signicance. OnlyarelationshipwithourCreatorcansatisfythiscraving.

Godwantstosharehimselfwithus,and

haveusparticipateinhisdivinenature.

Helongsforusto,joininhiseternal

danceofperfect,ecstaticlove.We

comefullcircleasourinsatiablehun-

gerbringsustoliveinthepresentmo-

ment,whichistheonlystateinwhich

ourhungerforGodcanbesatised.

Thisrequirescompletesurrenderto

God,believingourownattemptstoacquireworthandsignicanceare

notonlyunsatisfying,butidolatrous.

Dyingtothisfalsewayoflivingisscary

anddifcultbut,Boydclaims,nothingcould

bemoreliberating.Whenweclingtothings

thatareperpetuallythreatenedandthatwe

knowwewilleventuallylose,itinevitably

createsinusworry,anger,jealousy,envy,

frustration,strife,violence,anddespair

Todietotheeshisthegreatestliberation

possible.Nowoneisinapositiontolivein

themomentandfeelfullyaliveWereon

ourwayhome(p.53).

Andthisroadhomeisoneoftruetransfor-

mation.Boydstatesthatweliveinaculture

thatistheproductofthescienticrevolution

whereinformationisofprimaryimportance.

Hesaysthatwhileknowledgemaygiveus

power,itdoesnotonitsownempowerusto

becomemoreChristlike.SubmittingtoGod

inthepresentmomenttransformsusinaway

thatnoamountofknowledgecanRelying

onverylittleknowledge,Godslovecompel

ustodothethingsJesusdidandliveoutthe

thingsJesustaught.Insteadofmerelylearning

abouttheKingdom,webegintosacriceou

time,energy,andmoneytofeedthehungry

housethehomeless,welcomeoutcasts,and

befriendprisoners...ashislifeispouredinto

us,itcanthelpbutbeexpressedthroughus.

(p.101)

aPPreCiating saCreD moments

BoydsuseofScriptureisbornethroughou

thepagesofthebook.Heincludespractica

exercisesattheconclusionofeachchapter

drawingfromhisownexperienceandpractic

ofbeinginthemomentwithGod.Quotation

fromthethreeauthorshedrawshisideas

fromaresprinkledthroughoutinstructing

thereaderthatthisisnotsomethingnew,but

aremindertogobacktowhatmatters.HeteasesusintoactualpracticeofGodspresenc

withlittlehandwrittennotesthatask,Areyou

awake,lestwebelulledintothinkingthat

havingthisinformationonpracticingGods

presenceisenough.

Pullingoutofmygaragethismorning,I

wasawareofthechatterofabird.Ibackedou

inordertodiscernifthesoundwasinsideo

out,concernedthatthebirdmaybetrapped

inmygarage.Onceoutofmygarageandinto

thesparklingbeautyofthecrispfallmorn-ing,Ifoundthesourceofthenoise.Perched

amongstthebrightornamentalapplesthe

onlylifestillclingingtothebarebranchesof

mylittleoweringcrab-satamalecardinal

Hiscrownwasilluminatedbythesunand

hisbrilliantredfeathersnearlyglowing.Sur

roundedbythefeastoffruithefoundhimself

in,Iwasunnoticedinmyappraisalandap

preciationofthissacredmoment.

Howmanymomentslikethisareweno

awakefor?Howmanyordinaryexperi-

encesareburstingwithGodspresenceand

overwhelming lovefor us, ndingus los

in indifference?Wemustpractice Gods

presencebecauseitdoesnotcomenaturally

tous.Wemustmakeitadisciplinedexercis

inourspiritualtnessroutine.Donotregre

thepastmomentslostorthefuturemoments

farbeyondourcontrol.Beawareinthepres

ent!Openyoureyestotheonlymomentwe

havethepresentperfect.

Areyouawake?


13/20~ 13 ~

continued on p. 14

Dr. Martin Luther King: A Pastor Who Altered thePolitical Landscape o America

anGela sHannOn |

assistant prOfessOr

Of enGlisHat BetHel

uniVersity, central

B a p t i s t c H u r c H ,

martin lutHerkinG

sunDay, January 2011

Beore I ormed you in the womb I knew

you, beore you were born I set you apart; I

appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

Jeremiah1:5,NIVtranslation

martin lutHer kinganDtHe CiVil

rigHts moVement: PraYer Power

MartinLuther King, Jr., (January15,

1929-April 4, 1968)was bornMichaelLu-therKing,Jr.toAlbertaChristineWilliams

KingandMichaelKing,Sr.Hewasoneof

alonglineofpreachersstartingwithhis

great-grandfather,WillisWilliams,whowas

aslave-erapreacher.Hismaternalgrand-

father,AdamDanielWilliams,ignitedthe

pulpitwithhissermons.Hisgrandfather

waspastorof thefamousEbenezerBaptist

ChurchinAtlantafrom1914to1931.His

fatherthenservedaspastorwhenWilliams

died,andKingbecameco-pastorfrom1960

tohisdeath.

Kingspokeglowinglyofhischildhood.He

saidhiswasafamilywherelovewascentral

andwherelovelyrelationshipswereever

present.WhenKingsfather,inuencedby

thegreatMartinLuther,decidedtochange

hisnamefromMichaeltoMartin,theteen-

agejuniorfollowed.

EveninKingslovinghomequestions

aroseregardingracism.Kingattendedseg-

regatedpublicschools.HememorizedBibleversesandwenttoSundayschoolyetwit-

nessedandexperienceddeepracialinjustice.

Racismbecame personaland painfulat

theageofsix,whenKingwasnotallowedto

playwithawhitefriend,becausethefriends

fatherdidnotwanthischildplayingwith

blacks.Still,Kingwasbeingtaughttobeliev

inapowerhigherthanman.

KinggraduatedwithaB.A.degreefrom

MorehouseCollege(1948),adistinguished

institutionforBlackmenalsoattendedb

hisfatherandgrandfather.Hecontinued

hisstudiesatCrozerTheologicalSeminary

andearnedhisB.D. in1951. Fromthere

KingwasawardedhisdoctoratefromBoston

Universityin1955.

Kingenteredthe adultworldequipped

withbothaheartforGodandtheeduca-

tionnecessarytobeagreatleader.However

Kingdidnotchoosehisplaceinhistory

historychosehim.Aftergraduateschool,

KingacceptedthepastorateatDexterAvenueBaptistChurchinMontgomery,AL.Healso

waselectedpresidentofMontgomeryIm

provementAssociation.Kingwasplacedin

Montgomeryatacriticaltime,andlessthan

ayearlater,theMontgomeryBusBoycot

wouldbegin.AddressingtheissueatHol

StreetBaptistChurch,Kingwasthrustinto

aleadershipposition.Becauseofhisstrong

Christianfoundation,Kingwasproperly

preparedtolead.

TheCivilRightsMovementwouldbring

Kingandthousandsofotherstotheirknees

notinsurrenderbutinprayer.In1956,dur

ingtheMontgomerybusboycott,Kinghad

receivedseveraldeaththreats.Hewentto

thekitchentable,andwithacupofcoffee,

prayedtoGodforhelp.Hisprofoundspiri

tualexperiencewasexpressedinhisbook

Stride Toward Freedom.

Iwasreadytogiveup.Withmycupo

coffeesittinguntouchedbeforeme,Itried

tothinkofawaytomoveoutofthepicture

withoutappearingacoward.Inthisstateo

exhaustion,whenmycouragehadallbut

gone,IdecidedtotakemyproblemtoGod.

Withmyheadinmyhands,Ibowedoverthe

kitchentableandprayedaloud.

Atthatmoment,Iexperiencedthepres

enceoftheDivineasIhadneverexperienced

before.ItseemedasthoughIcouldhearthe

quietassuranceofaninnervoicesaying

Standupforjustice,standupfortruth;and

IwasborninTulsa,Oklahoma.In1921,myfamilyschurch,Mt.ZionBaptistChurch,

wasburned.ItwasoneoftheworstexperiencesofracialviolenceinAmericanhistory.

FortyblockswerelootedandscoresofpeopleweredeadintheAfrican-American

sectionofthecity.Twenty-threeAfrican-Americanchurchesandoveronethousand

homeswereruined.TheeffortstorebuildthechurchandmaintainaChristianwitnessinTulsaistobehonored.Notuntilthe1980s,seventyveyearsafterthetragicevent,

didtheTulsacommunitytrytohealthewounds.Thispoemismyefforttoexpress

theneedforhealingandreconciliation.

mount Zion

(aFtertHe tulsa raCe riot, 1921)

Tobaccotuckedinhisleftcheek,

Hesays:theyburnedMountZion.

SisterWileysspirit-drivenvoice

Wasnttestifying,Here I am Lord.

DeaconMackwasntthumbingthrough

Hisred-inkBiblelookingforwords.

NochildrenintheirSundaybest

wereskippingpastthepews.

Ms.Williewasntbendingonarthritic

knees.Rosewasntplayinghopscotchinback.

Still,whentheyscorchedMountZion,

theysettheretothepeople.


14/20


15/20~ 15 ~

Virgil Olson: Pastor, Historian, Proessor,College Dean, Mission Leader and College PresidentJim spickelmier|VirgilOlsonwasborninto

thehomeofAdolfandEstherOlsonon

June17,1916.HisfatherAdolfwaspastorof

BethanyBaptistChurchinSt.AnthonyPark,

MNatthetime.Adolfwasalsoateacherof

SwedishandBibleatBethelAcademy(1915).In1919,heleftBethanytobecomeprofessor

ofchurchhistoryatBethelSeminary,andlater

professorofsystematictheology.Virgilsdad

wasalsosecretaryandarchivistoftheHistori-

calSocietyoftheBaptistGeneralConference

fromthoseearlyyearsuntilhisdeathin1955.

SoVirgilgrewupthoroughlyembeddedin

thefellowshipoftheBaptistGeneralConfer-

enceandinthecommunityofstudentsand

professorswhichwasBethelCollegeand

Seminary.VirgilattendedBethelAcademygraduatingin1934.HethenearnedhisAs-

sociatedegreefromBethelJuniorCollege.He

nishedhiscollegeworkatMacalesterand

returnedtoBethelSeminaryandgraduated

in1941.WhileastudentatBethelhebeganto

workwithhisfatherinthewritingofchurch

history.Seventy Five Years: A History of Bethel

Seminary(1946)wasjointlywrittenbyVirgil

andAdolfbutwasrootedinVirgilssenior

paperforhisseminarygraduation.

AdolfhadbegunworkonCentenary His-

tory,a100yearhistoryofBethelandthe

BaptistGeneralConferencein1931.Again

heenlistedhissontoworkwithhimand

Virgilwroteseveralofthechaptersofthe

bookthatwaspublishedin1952.Hewas

offtoagoodstartasthepremierhistorian

ofBethelandtheBGCforthesecondhalfof

thetwentiethcentury.Hecontinuedmaking

acontributionovertheyearsinnumerous

Standardarticles,monographsandSemi-

naryJournalarticles.Morerecently,hehas

beentheimpetusformanyofthestoriesinTrailmarkersandhasbeentheguidingstar

helpingtheFriendsoftheHistoryCenter

determinetheireventsanddirections.

Whileearninghis wingsasa historian,

Virgilwasapastor.GraduatingfromSemi-

naryin1941,hebecamepastorattheDalton

BaptistChurchjustnorthofMuskegon,MI.

Hewascalledfromtherein1945tobesenior

pastoratEmeraldAvenueBaptistChurchin

Chicagowhereheservedsixyears.

ThenextphaseofVirgilslifebroughthim

backtoBethel.Hehadbeensoughtafterby

Bethelforsometimebutresisted.Hesays

inamemoirIdidnotwanttogotoBethel

toteach. Ihada lowviewof the teaching

situationattheSeminaryinthatmyfathersacriciallytaughtwithlowpay,littleencour-

agementfromtheadministration,facultyand

students.IannouncedwhenIgraduatedin

1941thatIwouldgoanywheretheLordleads

meexcepttwoplaceswhichIwouldgowith

muchreluctance,namelytobeapastorin

ChicagoandtheothertoteachatBethelSemi-

nary.In1951,Bethel

nallyprevailedand

Virgilbeganan18

yearteachingcareeratBethelSeminary

t eac hi ng c hurc h

history.WhenVir-

gils uncle,Walfred

Danielsonwhowas

teachingmissionsat

theseminarydied,

Virgiltookoverhis

unclesresponsibili-

tiesforteachingmissions.Thatledtoaplace

ontheBoardofWorldMissionsoftheBaptist

GeneralConferenceandtwoyearsasitschair.

In1967,onasabbaticalleavefromBethel

Virgilandhiswife,Carol,visitedchurchand

missionleadersinAfricaandAsia.

In1968,Virgilmovedfromtheseminary

overtoBethelCollegetoserveasDean.It

wasatimeofturmoilwiththeCivilRights

revolutionandthegrowingproteststothe

VietNamwarstirringtensionsacrossthe

nationandespeciallyoncollegecampuses.

Inaddition,BethelCollegewasplanninga

relocationtoanentirelynewcampusinAr-denHillsandwasgoingthroughthedecadal

reviewforreaccreditationwiththeNorth

CentralAccreditationprocess.Itwasabusy

time,buteveninthemidstofthesepressures

Virgilsmissionconcerncontinuedandhe

tookanothersabbaticaltoteachatHaillie

SelassieUniversityinAddisAbaba,Ethiopia.

Hisstrongmissioninterestandinvolve-

mentledtheBGCWorldMissionBoardto

extendaninvitationtoVirgilin1974tobe-

cometheirleader.So,hefollowedinUncle

Walfredsfootstepsagain.(Walfredwasth

firstworldmissionsleaderfortheBGC.

Virgilledtheboardforsevenyearsduring

partofthetransitionfromAmericanmission

controltocontrolofthemissionthroughapartnershipbetweentheBGCmissionboard

andtheindigenouschurchesontheelds.H

retiredfromBGCWorldMissionsin1981.

Uponretirement,Virgilsteppedimmedi

atelyintotheroleofPresidentforWilliam

CareyInternationalUniversity,acollege

beingdevelopedbyRalphWinterandtheU

S.CenterforWorld

MissionsinPasa-

dena,Calif.which

wasdoingcuttingedgedevelopmen

ofdistancelearn-

ing.Inthisrole

Virgilwasableto

combinehistwo

passionsofeduca

tionandmissions

In1986,Virgi

retiredforasecond

time,onlytobeginanewpart-timecareer

inmissionsteachingatBethelSeminaryand

inteachingPerspectiveclassesaroundthe

country.Carol,hiswifeofnearly60years

diedin2002.Virgilwentonaloneuntilhe

married the wife ofan old partner from

hisdaysintheWorldMissionsOfce.Dal

Bjorkhaddiedin1984.VirgilandAlma

BjorkOlsonmarriedin2004.

Thoseof uswhoareinterestedin wha

GodhasdonethroughBethelandtheBaptis

GeneralConferencemarvelthatVirgilcar-

ries the answers tomostof our question

inhishead.HeisawalkingencyclopediaoConferencehistory.HeknewalltheDeansof

BethelSeminarybutEdgren.Hetaughtmos

oftheBGCpastorsoftheseconddecadeo

the20thCentury.HeservedatBethelandhe

servedintheChicagoofcesoftheBaptist

GeneralConference.Hecontinuestohelp

allofusrememberourcorefaithcommit-

mentsandtopraiseGodforthewayHehas

blessedBethelandtheministriesofthe

BaptistGeneralConference.

Gordon Johnson and Virgil Olson; Deans of Bethel Seminaryand Bethel College in 1972


16/20~ 16 ~

continued on p. 17

Virgil A. Olson: A Servant Leaderclarence Bass,Professor Emeritus System-

atic Theology, Bethel Theological Seminary

|IbecameacquaintedwithVirgilfty-six

yearsagowhenIcametoBetheltospeakat

FoundersWeekasacandidatefortheposition

ofprofessorofSystematicTheology.Ivividly

rememberhisinterestingettingacquainted

sinceIwastosucceedhisfatherwhohadheld

thatpositionforovertwentyyears.Iwasnot

Swedish,didnthaveaBaptistGeneralCon-

ferencebackground,andmydoctoralstudies

hadbeenconductedinasuspiciousEuropean

atmosphere.Iwasmorethanalittlesuspect.

Wespentmanyhoursofdiscussionand

prayerthatweek.Hisrstconcernwasto

assessmypersonalandtheologicalcom-

patibilitywithBetheland the BGC.I was

impressedwithhowintenselyhefeltthe

examiningprocessshouldexploreallaspectsofmycandidacy.Iwasequallyimpressed

that,oncesatised,heshowedthesamein-

tensedesiretoconvincemeoftheviability

ofministryatbothBethelandtheBGC.I

rememberVirgilsassurancethat,youcan

castalongshadowfromBethelSeminary.

Weendedtheweekwiththemutualprayer

that,shouldtheLordsolead,wecouldserve

togetherinafruitfulministryforChristand

HisKingdom.Fifty-sevenyearslaterIam

pleasedtowritethatthatprayerhasmore

thanbeenfullled.IpaytributetoVirgil.

1. As a Friend and Colleague.Notonly

havewebeencolleaguesonthefaculty,butwe

hadthepleasureofteamteachingcourses.We

sharedthesamephilosophy-tohelpstudents

notonlyunderstand theirtheology,butto

appreciatethehistoricalcontextinwhichit

wasshaped.Thesewererichtimesnotonly

forstudents,butforprofessorsaswell!

Welivedacrossthealleyfromeachother

andenjoyedtheprivilegeofbeingneighbors.

Severaleveningsaweekthetelephonewould

ringatabout9PM.Ifthecalloriginatedin

Virgilshometheone-wordconversationwouldbe,Coffee?Ifitwasplacedfrommy

homeitwas,Tea?Wedcrossthealleywith

ourwivesforanhouroffellowship,ending

thedaysharingfamilyproblemsandjoys.

2. As a Servant /Leader. Justthinkofthe

positionsofleadership(alwayswithaservant

spirit)thismanhasshared.Adistinguished

careerastheProfessorofHistoricalTheol-

ogyintheseminaryfollowed,characterized

bybotheffectiveteachingandextensive

writing. Later, elevated tothe position o

Provost/DeanofBethelCollege,hesetth

toneforbothcurriculardevelopmentand

facultyacquisition.

HerB skOGlunD,former Director of WorldMissions, Baptist General Conference|Igot

toknowVirgilin1946atabanquetatBeth-

elBaptistChurchinChicago.Iwas16years

oldandhelpedtosetupthetables.Virgil

wasthespeaker.Atthetimehewaspastor

oftheEmeraldAvenueBaptistChurch.

ThetextofhissermonwasLuke9:51,He

steadfastlysethisfacetogotoJerusalem.

(KJV)VirgilOlsonurgedourchurchto

followJesusexampleoftotalcommitment

toallphasesofthetaskGodhascalledus

toaccomplish.Istillrememberit.

From1951-54 Ihadtheprivilegeto

encounterDr.VirgilOlsonat

BethelSeminary.Hetaughtme

churchhistory,ecumenicalmove-

menthistoryandthehistoryof

preaching.Healwayshadtime

totalkwithstudents.Weknewhe

wouldwelcomeusintohisofce

toanswerquestionsrelatedtoour

Virgil Olson: Committed to Missions

studiesandfutureministryissues. In1956 Iwas appointed toJapanasa

Baptist General Conference missionary.

WhileatBethel,VirgilOlsonservedaterm

asamemberoftheWorldMissionBoard

andvisitedseveraleldsinthe1960s.Inan

articleentitled,PartnersintheGospel,Virgil

recognizedthatmissionariesnolongercome

totheseareasonlytoplantthegospelaspio-

neers,buttheyhavecometoworkaspartners

withthenationalchurchintheproclamation

ofthegospel.Thiswasespeciallytrueforthe

Japaneseassociationofchurches.

VirgilOlsonwasapartnerinministry.He

however,wasalsoa

missionsstrategist.

Hiscommitmentto

missionswasseen

in1974whenhe

cametoleadthe

Baptist General

ConferenceMis-

sionBoard.HeservedtheBoardforsevenyears.Hehad averycomprehensiveview

ofmissionhistory,theologyandstrategy.

HewasconcernedthattheBaptistGeneral

Conferencepastorswouldnurtureamis-

sionsdimensionintheirpreachingsched-

ule.Thepastor,Olsonbelieved,wasthekey

toacongregationsmotivationformissions.

TherewereanumberofissuesthatVirgil

helpedtoresolve.Theseincludetheestab-

lishmentofarelationshipwiththeNorth

AmericanBaptistsintheCameroons.Dur-

ingthedifculttimeoftheMaryStauffer

kidnapping,Virgilmadeavailableallofthe

resourcesoftheWorldMissionsBoardto

theauthoritiesinSt.Paul.

Hehasalwaysexempliedtheattitude

ofJesus.LikeJesushehassteadfastly

maintainedhiscommitmenttothewill

oftheFatherthatallpeoplesoftheearth

shouldhearandbelievetheGospel.Happy

Birthday,Virgil!

Clarence Bass and Virgil Olson

Jean and Herb Skoglund

As ifthis werenotenough, hewas then

electedtothepostofExecutiveSecretaryofthe

BGCBoardofWorldMissions,administering

amulti-milliondollarbudgetandthepersona

superintendenceofhundredsofmissionarie


17/20~ 17 ~

continued on p. 18

Tribute to My Father, from p. 1

tics.Wetalkedaboutsports,wetalkedabout

ourfamily,andbecausemydadtaughtchurch

history,wesometimeseventalkedabouttop-

icslikethesixteenth-centuryAnabaptists,or

CountZinzendorf.

Whenhetalkedaboutchurchhistory,it

wasclearitwasmorethanjustanacademic

andprofessional pursuitforhim.Formy

dad,knowingabouttheAnabaptistswasnt

importantonlybecauseithelpsonetoun-

derstandmodernMennonitesandHutter-

ites.TheAnabaptistsareimportantbecause

theyexemplifywhathappenswhenpeople

arewillingtocourageouslyfollowtheir

faithandtheirconsciencedespitepersecu-

tionfromboththestateandthedominant

churches.ManyAnabaptistsdiedasmartyrs

fortheirfaith.Inmydadseyestheyweremodelsofwhatitmightactuallylooklike

ifChristiansweremorewillingtomake

sacricesforGodsKingdom.

Duringthe17yearsthatmyfatherwasa

seminaryprofessor,heoftensupplemented

hisincomebyacceptinginterimpastoratesat

variousBaptistchurchesaroundtheTwinCit-

iesarea.Ialwaysthoughtitwasspecialwhen

hewould invitemealong.Itwouldbejust

thetwoofus.Ienjoyedsittingintherstor

secondpewofthechurchallbymyselfwhilemydadpreached.Iheardhimpreachalotof

differentsermons.Iheardenoughofthese

sermonstorealizethathehadsomefavorites

thathelikedtorepeatwhenhehadanew

audience.Hehadonewhereheemphasized

thatJesuswaswillingtogethishandsdirty

withtheworldandhewouldholduphis

handslikeclawsandyoucouldvisualizethe

muddrippingoffofJesushands.

The sermon Iwant to recall today was

basedonthebookofJohn,chapterone,verse

six,TherecameamansentfromGodwhose

namewasJohn.Iheardthissermonmany

times.Itisaperfectexampleofthepoint

Iwanttoemphasizetoday.Formyfather,

Churchhistoryismorethananinteresting

academicstudy,itprovidesexamplesofhow

toliveasaChristianintodaysworld.

Thesermonwascomposedofanumber

ofshortvignettesaboutpeoplenamedJohn

intheBibleandinchurchhistory.Eachof

them,indifferentways,werecalledbyGod

todoajob,andeachofthemwerefaith-

ful incarryingoutthat job,evenif itwas

sometimesatgreatpersonalrisk.Butmore

importantly,eachofthem,becausetheywere

faithfultoGodscalling,madeadifference

forGodsKingdom. ThesermonbeganwithJohntheBaptist

ofcourse,thepersondescribedinJohn1:6.

NexttherewasJohnChrsysostomfromthe

fourthcentury,someonethatalmostnone

ofhisBaptistlistenersknewanythingabout.

Idontrememberallthedetailseither,but

mydadsaidChrsysotom wasimportant

becausewhenGodcalledhimheresponded.

Wikipedia,thatgreat memoryjogger,says

Chrysostomwasknown,amongotherthings

forhispreachingandpublicspeaking.ThatishowhegotthenameChrysostomwhich

meansgolden-tongued.

NextthesermonturnedtoJohnHus,a

manwhowasburnedatthestakeforhisfaith

butwhoseideasinuencedtheProtestant

movementthatcame100yearslater.My

dadthendiscussedtheProtestantreformers

JohnCalvin,JohnWycliffe,andJohnKnox.

Ineachoftheseexamplesmydadwould

beginbysaying,Therewasamansentfrom

GodwhosenamewasJohn.Eachvignette

illustratedhowthesepeoplehadthecourage

tospeakupanddowhattheybelievedGod

wascallingthemtodo.Andeachmade

differenceforGodsKingdom.

Finally,mydadcametoJohnDanielson

hisjuniorhighSundayschoolteacher.John

Danielsonwasnota big historicalgure.I

thinkhewasatradesman,perhapsheworked

inamachineshop.Hemaybedidnteven

nishhighschool.Idontknow.Wikipedia

servinginaglobaloutreach.Histermwasdis-

tinguishednotonlybygrowth,bothinbudget

andnumberofmissionaries,butbypersonal

involvementwithnationalchurchleaders.

Timeforretirement,butnotforVirgil!Ina

post-retirementcareer,heassumedthepresi-

dencyoftheWilliamCareyInternational

University,agloballearningcommunitycommittedtodiscoveringandaddressing

therootsof humanproblemsaroundthe

world,withthechiefroleofdemonstrating

thecharacterofGod.

3. As the Soul-Force of the BGC/Converge.

Duringitslonghistory,theBaptistGeneral

Conferencehasproducedmanynationaland

internationalleaders.Standingatthetopof

thislistisVirgilOlson.

Hislifereectspreeminenceinbothleader-

shipabilitiesandpersonalpiety.Throughouttheyearshehasmodeledaquiet,unassuming

spirit;acompassionforthelessfortunate;

apassionfortruth;leadershipbyexample;

ferventchroniclerofBGChistory;anda

prayer-relateddependenceupontheSpirit

Hehasbeentheforemostarticulatorofthe

pietisticheritagewhichhehasinheritedand

forwhichhestandsasanexample.

Nowinthemiddleofhisninthdecade

heishonoredasoneoftheseniorstatesmen

oftheBGC/Convergeinparticular,andoEvangelicalismingeneral.AndI,withamul

titudeofothers,amhonoredtobeamong

hisfriends!

Virgil Olson, A Servant Leader, from p. 16

doesntsaymuchaboutJohnDanielson.

Thatbeing thecase,whydid myfatheincludeJohnDanielsoninhispantheonof

churchhistorynotables?Idoubtthejunio

highboysinmyfathersSundaySchoolclas

nick-namedhimJohnthegolden-tongued

The story my father toldwasthis. One

Sundayafterchurchdadwaschasingthe

otherboysaroundthechurchbuilding.Asmy

fatherroundedacornerinhotpursuitofan

otherlaughingboy,JohnDanielsongrabbed

myfatherbytheshouldersandlookedhimin

Dan and Virgil Olson


18/20~ 18 ~

Tribute to My Father, from p. 17

My Thoughts at Dr. Virgil Olsons94th Birthday PartyrOn saari, Pastor Central Baptist Church, St. Paul, Minnesota|WhenIwasincollege

andconsideringministry,IattendedaBethelsponsoredconferenceontheministry.I

wasopentoBethelandpastoralministry.Itisimportanttoremembertheclimateof

thosedays.TheVietnamwarwasrampingup.Studentprotestswerebeginningtotake

place.Mygenerationwasbeginningtoquestionourgovernmentandauthoritiesin

general.Thereactionoftheestablishmenttotheprotestwastocriticizemygenerationasradicalandunruly.

ThespeakeratthisconferencewasDr.VirgilOlson.Dr.Olsonwasanunknownto

me.WemetonthelakesideoftheArdenHillscampus.Theseminaryhadjustmoved

intothenewcampus.Thegrasswasnotin.Asbeautifulasthesettingwasevenwithout

perfectlandscaping,myfocuswasonwhatDr.Olsonhadtosay.Histext,letnoone

despiseouryouth.Itwasrefreshingword.Whileothersweredegradingtheyouth,he

wasafrmingthem.HeusedtheexampleofMartinLutheranddrewtheanalogyof

LuthersyouthfulnessandhissignicanceforKingdomministry.Myrstimpression

wentalongwaytosealmychoiceofBethelasaplacefortraining.

MysecondencounterwithDr.Olson

camein1980asIassumedthepastorate

ofSalemBaptistChurchofChicago.It

wasformerlyknownasEmeraldAvenue

BaptistChurchandVirgilOlsonwasthe

pastorfrom1945-1951.In1951heac-

ceptedachurchhistorypositionatBethel

Seminary.

IcreditthelateDr.HaroldChristianson

forcounselingmetoalwayshonormy

predecessors.It waseasyto honor Dr.

Olson.Hewaswelllovedandrememberedbythechurch.IinvitedVirgiltospeakwhen

theoccasionwarranted.WhenmywifeandIconsideredwhomwewouldliketoaskforthe

dedicationofourrstchildin1981,IaskedDr.Olsonifhewouldhonorusbydedicatingourson.Itwasapleasuretocallhim,pastor,asheledthechurchinprayerforourson.

AsIcametoCentralBaptistChurchIhavehadtheopportunitytorubshoulderswith

Dr.Olsonandappreciatehiswitandcreativity.Duringtheopentheismtheological

deb

The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011

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Transcript of The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011