Are We Confused Tennessee Baptists?

WTVF has posted an Associated Press story that attributes outgoing Tennessee Baptist Convention President, Philip Jett, saying that, "money is not the object in a 57 (M) million dollar suit against Nashville's Belmont University...the primary goal is to return Belmont to the Baptist fold." In the waning paragraphs of the article, the following appears, "In its lawsuit, the convention says it wants back a total of 57 (M) million it has given Belmont since 1951."

Which is it?: the TBC wants Belmont back into the fold? OR, the TBC wants 57 million dollars back? OR, the TBC wants Belmont back and wants 57 million dollars back?

From my perspective, here is my translation of what Mr. Jett was saying: The TBC has filed the lawsuit in order to put pressure on Belmont's leadership to give up their quest to place other non-Baptist Christians on their Board of Trustees (and return to the flock). I have heard from two sides on the money: one side says that those monies were intended as gifts, the other side views the 1951 document as a contract (that over-rides any other agreements thereafter) and feels that the money should be returned. From the little information that I can get from Belmont, they view the change in Tennessee Baptist Convention leadership as a threat to academic accreditation and as an effort to dictate what is taught in the religion and biology departments (there is probably more, but Belmont isn't talking).

Unfortunately, much of this turned into a spitting contest. Things have been said by Belmont's president that hurt feelings and abused egos. Things have been said from the floor of the convention and from the pulpits in our Baptist churches that I would qualify as "less-than-Christian". There are personalities in conflict here, and unfortunately, both sides appear to be willing to roll the dice and see what the courts have to say. I blieve that one side will not be happy with whatever long, drawn-out, and expensive legal exercise that we'll read about in our newspapers. I would venture to say, that neither side will come out winners. Both sides will lose, particularly in the eyes of the non-Christian world.

By the way, someone needs to point out where, in this document, that it mentions anything about "returning Belmont to the Baptist fold". This document IS about the money, Mr. Jett. Please show me a document that welcomes Belmont "back into the fold" that doesn't include worldly intimidation.