On the backend of the conservative resurgence, many in the Southern Baptist Convention seem to be experiencing an identity crisis. With the Battle for the Bible seemingly won, how should we as Southern Baptists be defined?
David Dockery seeks to answer that question with Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal. The subtitle, A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Proposal adequately sums up Dockery’s efforts in writing this well-researched and immediately applicable book. Dockery blames much of the controversy in the twentieth century on a lack of theological emphasis in Southern Baptist churches, universities, and seminaries. In his own words,
Moreover, when the controversies surrounding the Bible broke out during that time, most Southern Baptists were horrified to learn that some professors in our seminaries and colelges did not believe in the full truthfulness of the Bible. Our pragmatic and programmatic identity left us ill-equipped to respond to these theological challenges concerning Scripture.