Paige Patterson on Non-Conservative Baptist Colleges

I have seen a couple of references to a 'let moderate and liberal colleges go' statement attrubuted to Dr. Paige Patterson, but did not know of a source until a Refugee Baptist reader sent me this link (thanks, Charles).

In an EthicsDaily.com post titled, "SBC Leader Says Fighting Over Baptist Colleges a Waste of Time", Dr. Patterson is quoted as saying:

"Most of the colleges and universities that have chosen not to move with the conservative movement are not going to move with the conservative movement," Patterson said. "[There's] nothing you can do that will do anything but create more hostility and more difficulty."

Please excuse my cynicism, but I believe that most of the colleges (and seminaries) who moved with the conservative movement did not do so by 'choice'...although, there were some colleges who did. Patterson clarified his position in later sections of the story:

"I thought frankly when we started out that out of the 56 Southern Baptist state-run colleges and universities we wouldn't get (emphasis mine) more than four or five of them for the conservative movement," he continued. "We've actually ended up with about 15 of them."

"There's no use fighting that battle any further in my estimation," Patterson said. "The thing to do is keep our own house clean."

In the cases of Belmont University and Carson-Newman College, I believe that Paige Patterson's estimation is correct. "We" (whoever-the-heck 'we', is) probably won't 'get' Carson-Newman or Belmont into the conservative movement. The question of whether battling institutions can cooperate in ministry after the dust settles from the feuds still remains to be asked or answered. I am still hopeful that partnerships between Belmont, Carson-Newman and the Tennessee Baptist Convention will happen in spite of the rift between the institutions. I cannot image that anyone in the ranks of Tennessee Baptists view Belmont or Carson-Newman students as a mission field that should be thrown out, discarded, or abandoned. There are examples of non-affiliated institution who completely abandoned their Baptist heritage, and there are examples of institutions who remain Christian with Baptist roots who continue the cooperative spirit that once was the glue that held Southern Baptist Churches together. I am willing to allow those who wish to "follow the conservative movement" to do so, and am still willing to find common, cooperative grounds for ministry...it is what I see that makes Baptists different from other denominations.