Southern Baptists and the Conservative Resurgence

In the 1970s, Paige Patterson was a doctoral student at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and he was contacted by Judge Paul Pressler, a Texas Appeals Court Judge and active Baptist layman. Both of these gentlemen were concerned about the scourge of theological liberalism in Baptist seminaries and in the Baptist Sunday School Board.
Judge Pressler understood the by-laws of the Southern Baptist Convention and Dr. Patterson understood the theological debates involved. In time, these two brothers traveled the country, rousing Baptists and urging them to come to the convention to elect conservative Convention Presidents who would, in time, appoint conservatives to the Committee on Committees who would in turn nominate members to the Committee on Nominations who would nominate conservative trustees to the seminaries and boards. Beginning with the election of Adrian Rogers in 1979, Southern Baptists have elected Presidents with a commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture. Today, all six seminaries are staffed with professors who hold to the fundamentals of Christian faith. While other denominations have moved toward theological liberalism, the Southern Baptist Convention has returned to the roots of faith and fidelity to the Bible.
The Southern Baptist Conservative Resurgence is unparalleled in modern American history. Was this movement merely political maneuvering? No, the effort of the Conservative Resurgence was a movement not unlike the Reformation. This writer is pictured with the two men who engineered this mighty effort-- Dr. Paige Patterson, now President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Judge Paul Pressler, now retired, but faithfully speaking for Christ around the globe.