Traditional Baptist Values

The search for a new college president at Carson-Newman College has been underway for a while now. I finally made a visit over to the presidential search web site to see what sort of qualities and qualifications the university is seeking. I give the group selected high marks for defining the individual and for the diversity within the search committee itself.

There is one sentence in the qualification statement that interested me, particularly in the light of politics among the ranks of Tennessee Baptist Convention folks. The sentence reads:

"He or she will be a committed Christian who holds traditional Baptist values (my emphasis) and supports the institution’s heritage while bolstering the College’s relationships with friends of the College, Tennessee Baptists, and the public at large."

First of all, I'll not even venture into the minefield of the "he or she"...although politically correct and a great legal posture, let's be honest. Carson Newman's next president will be a man lest the university face the wrath of Pattersonians in our ranks who would probably view the selection of a female president as a full scale attack on the Bible.

What does interest me is the phrase "traditional Baptist values". I would ask, "Who gets to decide what traditional Baptist values are in this instance? Noting that the committee includes at least one member of Carson Newman's religion faculty and remembering the accusations of 'liberalism' hurled in that department's direction, I do wonder if it is a matter of Concern for some Tennessee Baptists. Or possibly, does this new president's historical association with Baptists define traditional Baptist values via some sort of proxy affiliation with the Baptist churches where he has been a member since Sunbeams. If so, isn't there some sort of litmus test or Likert Scale (ranging from "ultra-liberal" to "ultra-conservative") whereby this new man's status as a Christian-and-Baptist can be judged?

Lucky for Carson-Newman, there is help on the way in making this value judgment. I predict that the Tennessee Baptist Convention will vote to control have more say in the selection of trustee members for the college, and my question regarding who gets to decide will be answered (conservatively speaking).

My suspicion: inclusion of traditional Baptist values is a bone being thrown to the TBC to delay the inevitable severing of a financial lifeline. My suggestion for all involved, particularly those who indeed wish to control the university: drop the charade. Go ahead and consolidate the TBC's venture(s) into Christian education and re-name Carson-Newman, "Union East". The newly selected pastor president at Union East could not find better coat tails to hang onto than those of the star of traditional Baptist values found at Union.

My dollars to Union East would be designated to the new School of Traditional Baptist Cooking. Why hasn't someone thought of that before?? Sign me up for Desserts 101!