7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
1/20
Contents 1 TributetoMyFather:Speechin
HonorofVirgilOlson|Dan Olson Five Decades of Growth|Glen Scorgie
2 Insidethisissue|G. William Carlson AdolfOlson:HistorianoftheBGC|
Virgil Olson
3 TheWritingofFive Decades ofGrowth and Change|Jim and CaroleSpickelmier
4 DictionaryofChristianSpirituality|Glen Scorgie
7 MartinLutherKingInvitedtoAddressBethelConvocation|DianaMagnuson and Kent Gerber
8 JohnPerkinsSpeaksonWhatItMeanstoBetheChurch|G. WilliamCarlson
9 DaleJohnsonsMuralRemember,BelieveandAct|G. William Carlson
10 ArthurWhitaker:ChristianWitnessinRevolutionaryTimes|G. William
Carlson11 ReviewofGregBoydsbookPresent
Perfect|Terri L. Hansen
13 MyReectionsontheLifeandWitnessofMartinLutherKing|Angela Shannon
15 VirgilOlson:Pastor,Historian,Professor,CollegeDean,MissionLeaderandCollegePresident|JimSpickelmier
16 VirgilOlson:AServantLeader|Clarence Bass
VirgilOlson:ATribute| Herb
Skoglund
18 MyThoughtsatDr.VirgilOlsons94thBirthdayParty|Ron Saari
19 ReectionsontheLifeandWitnessofDr.RoyDocDalton|G. WilliamCarlson
20 RecoveringaPietistUnderstandingofChristianHigherEducation:CarlH.LundquistandKarlA.Olsson|Chris GehrzVirgilOlson:SelectiveBibliography|G. William Carlson
The Baptist PietistCLARIONVol. 10,No. 1 InessentialsunityInnon-essentials libertyIneverythingcharity June2011
Edited byG. WilliamCarlson, Professor of History and Political Science at Bethel University; ronsaari, Senior Pastor at Central Baptist Church
Previous issues can be found at http://www.bethel.edu/cas/dept/history/Baptist_Pietist_Clarion
continued on p. 17
continued on p. 3
Dan OlsOn, Asso-
ciate Professor of
Sociology, Purdue
University, son of
Virgil Olson, June
19,2010atGrace-
PointChurch,New
Brighton,MN | WeareheretodaytohonormyfatherVirgil
Olson.Thishonorispartlybasedonhis
contributionstothewritingofthehistory
oftheBaptistGeneralConference.TodayI
alsowanttotalkaboutmyfatherasachurch
historian.ButthethingIwanttoemphasize
isthatmydadisinterestedinchurchhistory
notjustasaninterestingacademicsubject,
butalsobecauseinchurchhistoryhends
Tribute to My Father: SpeechinHonorofVirgilOlsonontheOccasionofhis94thBirthdayCelebration
modelsforhowtoliveasaChristianin
todaysworld.
Iwasfortunatetohaveadadwho,though
hewasoftenverybusy,alsomadetimetobe
withhisfamily.Igrewuphavingplentyo
timetotalkwithhimaboutallkindsoftopics
Ifeelespeciallyprivilegedinthisregardsinc
Iwastheyoungestchild.IhadmyparentstomyselfduringtheyearsIwasentering
adulthood.Weoftentalkedaroundthedin
nertable.MydadandIenjoyedoccasionally
takingwalkstogetherintheevenings.Healso
tookmeonseverallongcampingtrips,jus
thetwoofus.Wetalkedaboutlotsofthings.
rememberpressinghimtotalkabouttherst
girlhehadacrushon.DontworryDad,Im
nottelling.Wetalkedaboutpresidentialpoli-
A Review oFive Decades of Growth andChange, 1952-2020: Pondering the Future of the
Baptist General ConferenceGle n G. scOrGie,
Professor of Theol-
ogy, Bethel Seminary
San Diego | Spick-
elmier,Jamesand
Carole,eds.Five De-
cades of Growth and
Change, 1952-2002:
The Baptist General Conference and Bethel
College and Seminary.St.Paul,MN:The
HistoryCenter,2010.xi+676pp.,index.
Denominational Histories:
CHaraCteristiCsanD Value
Thisimpressive collaborative historical
work,editedbythehusbandandwifeteam
ofBGCleadersJamesandCaroleSpickel-
mier,isasequeltoAdolfOlsonsA Centenary
History(1952),whichdocumentedthers
century(1852-1952)oftheBaptistGenera
Conference.Assuch,thisnewvolumecar-
riesforwardthestoryofSwedishBaptistsin
NorthAmericathroughtheirnextimportan
half-centuryofexpansion,enculturation
andmaturationacrossaspan,asthe
bookssubtitledeclares,ofvedecadesof
growthandchange.Thebookispublished
undertheauspicesoftheHistoryCenter,th
archivesoftheBGCandBethelUniversity
locatedonthelatterscampus.Sincethe
studydoesnotextendbeyond2002,there
isnocoverageofthedenominationssub
sequentadoptionofthemission-oriented
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
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Inside this Issue o the Baptist Pietist Clarion
In essentials
UNITY
In non-essentials
LIBERTY
In everything
CHARITY
G. William carlsOn,
Professor of History
and Political Science
| Thisistheeleventh
issueofthe Baptist
Pietist Clarion.The
rstissueemergedinMarch2002.Ear-
lierissuesfocusedonthetheologicalvision
ofJohnAlexisEdgren,Baptistpietistspiri-
tualityasexpressedinthelifeandwitness
ofCarlH.Lundquist,Baptistcommit-
mentstoreligiouslibertyandthe
separationofchurchandstate
(exploringthecontributionsof
Dr.WalfredH.PetersonandDr.
C.EmanuelCarlson),thehis-
toryofSwedishBaptistpietism,
thehistoryoftheologicaldisputes
intheBGCandacelebrationof
GordonJohnsonsMy Church.Previous
issuesoftheBaptistPietistClarioncanbe
foundat:http://cas.bethel.edu/dept/history/
Baptist_Pietist_Clarion.
1. The frst theme o this issue o the Baptist
Pietist Clarionis to celebrate the lie and
witness o Dr. Virgil Olson. Manyofthe
articlescomefrompresentationsmadeat
the94thbirthdaycelerationforVirgilOlson
onJune19,2010atGracePointChurchand
sponsoredbytheFriendsoftheBaptist
GeneralConferenceHistoryCenter.DrOlsonhasbeenasignicantchroniclerof
BGChistory,especiallythecelebrationof
itsBaptist,pietistheritage.
2. A second theme o this issue o the
Baptist Pietist Clarion is to
explore the signifcance o a
new monograph on Baptist
General Conerence his-
tory entitled Five Decades
of Growth and Change.
Dr.GlenScorgie,Professor
ofTheologyatBethelSemi-
nary,SanDiegowasaskedto
reectonthesignicanceofthis
accountandits potential contributionto
understandingcurrentissuesfacingthe
denomination.Themonographwasedited
byJimandCaroleSpickelmier.
3. The third theme is an interesting discus-
sion concerning the convocation invitation
to Dr. Martin Luther King at Bethel in
November 1960.HistorianandArchivis
DianaMagnusonandLibrarianKentGerbe
wereableto accesstheKingarchives and
developedaninterestingbroaderanalysisofthisevent.AlsoincludedisAngelaShan
nonsMartinLutherKingSundayreective
sermongivenatCentralBaptistChurch,St
Paul,MinnesotainJanuary2011.
4. A ourth theme is the recognition o the
passing o several signifcant supporters
o the Baptist Pietist Clarionand its mes-
sage. TheseincludeWebsterMuck,Stan
Rehndahl,GordonJohnson,andRoyDalton.
Includedisapersonalreectiononthelife
andwitnessofRoyDocDaltonwhowas
anextremelyimportantcontributortomy
Christianjourneyandcommitmentstoou
Baptist,pietistheritage.
5. A inal theme is Terri Hansen relec
tions on BGC publications on Christian
spirituality.ThisissuesbookisGregBoyd
Present Perfect.
VirGil a. OlsOn, Professor Emeritus of
Church History, Bethel Seminary, Preface
Five Decades of Growth and Change,p.viii
| Centenary HistorybyAdolfOlsontoldthe
storyofmenandwomeninSwedenwhohad
beentouchedwitharevivalspirit,known
aspietism,whichcouldnotbequenched.
Theideaofachurchmadeupofregenerate
believers,baptizedbyimmersionuponcon-
fessionoffaith,acceptingtheNewTestament
asbeingmoreauthoritativethancreedsand
confessions,andcommittedtoalife-styleof
godlyliving,gavethepietistsa
spiritualvehiclethatrancounter
totheformalistic,rationalistic,
legalisticstructureofthena-
tionalchurch.Persecutionarose
againstthesepietisticBaptists
andtheconsequenceswerethat
theybecamerefugeeemigrants
tothenewworldoffreedomand
promise,America.
Atthetimeofthewrit-
ingOlson,wasProfessorTheol-
ogyandBaptistHistoryandMis-
sionsatBethelSeminaryandthe
ArchivistfortheSwedishBaptist
GeneralConference.AdolfOlson
foryearscombedthroughthedenomina-
tionalpapers,like Nya Vecka Postenand
Standaret, allinSwedish,gatheringdatafo
thehistory.Adolfwasmyfather.Iremem-
ber,whenIwasastudentintheSeminary,
howthediningroomtableofourhomewas
stackedwiththeseboundvolumesofold
papers,muchtotheconsternationofm
motherwhowasanopendoorentertainer
My fathercommissionedme towrit
chapters26and27,YouthActivitiesand
MensandWomensOrganizations.Myfa
thersmanuscriptwaswritteninlonghand
Adolfhadbeautifulhandwriting,alltheline
wereevenandclear.Nocomputerinthose
days.Irememberhow,whenfatherhad
completedthenalparagraph,motherand
Ikneltwithhimbythediningroomtable
andthankedGodthatthewritingofthe
hundredyearhistoryoftheBaptistGenera
Conferencewascompleted
Adol Olson writes the Centenary History:The Story o the First 100Years o the Swedish, Baptist, Pietist Community
Adolf Olson celebrates publication ofA Centenary History.
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
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continued on p. 4
JamesanD carOle spickelmier
How DiD tHis Book originate?
Thehistory ofthe BGCandBethelhas
beenrecordedinanumberofways,perhaps
mostnotablyintheCentenary Historyby
AdolfOlson,whichcoveredtheyears1852-
1952.More recently theBGC publisheddecadebookstopreservethehistoryofthe
1960s,1970sand1980s.Butnobookwas
publishedforthe1990s.Concernedabout
thisomission,theFriendsoftheHistory
Centerwantedtolookintothepossibility
ofanotherdecadebook.JimmetwithGary
Marsh,editorofBGCWorld,toexplorethis
possibility.Garyfeltthatwhatwasreally
neededwasa50-yearhistory
totakeupthestoryofthe
years since 1952. Interested
inthispossibility,theHistory
Centerpledgedtoprovidefunds
towardthisproject,andtheBGC
agreedtomatchthatamount.
Overthirtywritersvolunteered
tohelpuschroniclewhatGod
hasbeendoinginworldmissions,
churchplanting,literatureandChristian
education,culturalassociations,ministries
ofthedistricts,andatBethelCollegeand
Seminary.Thewritersweremenandwomen
whohavebeenintimatelyinvolvedwith
theseministries.Theywroteaboutwhatthey
knew.Weweredesignatedastheco-editors.
GaryMarsh,nowrunninghisownindepen-
dentgraphicdesigncompany,waschosenas
ourlayouteditor.VirgilOlson,sonofAdolf
OlsonandpremierBGChistorian,gaveus
thenameFive Decades of Growth and Changeandwrotethepreface.
wHat insigHts DiD You gainas
tHis Bookwas written?
Adominantthemeisthatthiswasatime
ofgreatgrowthandblessingfromGod.
Whilemanymainlinedenominationswere
declining,thenumberofBGC
churchesnearlytripled,andat-
tendanceincreasedfour-fold.
TheBGCworldmissionforce
grewfrom50toover200.The
formerlySwedishBGCex-
pandedtoincludepeopleof
allracesandbackgrounds,
untiltodayweareagrow-
ing,multi-ethnicfellowship.
Similargrowthwasalsohappeningat
BethelaswebuiltanewcampusinSaint
Paul,establishednewseminarysitesinSan
DiegoandontheEastCoast,addedmany
programsatthecollegelevel,andbegana
graduateschool.Thestudentbodygrew
from600in1952toover4,000in2002.
Asecondstrongimpression fromthese
chaptersisthatGodusedmanyhumbl
peopletodohisworkamongus.Manyo
theleaderswhomadestrong,lastingand
strategiccontributionstotheBGCandat
Bethelwerenotashypeople,butrathehumble,hard-working,practical,persistent,
andhighlydependentonGod.
wHo sHoulD reaD tHis Book?
Sincetherstchapterofthebookisacon
densationofCentenary History,thismeans
thatthisbookcanserveasaone-volum
historyoftheBGCandBethelfrom1852
to2002.Thosewhohaveparticipatedinthe
ministriesofBethelortheConferencedur
ingtheseyearswillwanttohavethisbook
becauseitisreallytheirstorytoo.Current
missionariesandpastorsoftheConference
shouldhavethisbooksotheywillknowon
whoseshoulderstheystandastheydomin
istrytoday.Itwouldalsobeagreataddition
tothelibraryofallourConferencechurches
GodhasbeenatworkintheBGCandat
Bethel.Readaboutitandseeforyourself!
(Five Decades of Growth and Changecan
beobtainedthroughHarvestBooksorth
BethelUniversityBookStore.Manyofthe
districtofcesalsohavecopiesforsale.)
The Writing oFive Decades of Growth and Change
nameConvergeWorldwidein2008.
Denominationalhistories,asagenre,are
seldomrivetingliteratureexcept,perhaps,
forafewwell-connectedinsiders.Usually
theydonotgeneratethesamelevelofexcite-
mentas,say,anactionthriller,orthesame
wide-eyedsuspenseasacleverlyconstructed
whodunit.Butsuchhistoriesremainnone-
thelessimportant;eachisarepositoryofareligiousmovementscollectivememoryand
asourceofwisdomtograspitscorevalues
andtoperceiveitstruehistoricaltrajectory.
Itisstandardpracticeinthebusinessworld
toloopbackandreviewacorporationsre-
centperformance,toseewhatlessonsmight
belearnedtocreateanevenmoreeffective
future.Historieslikethisarethefunctional
equivalentforfellowshipsofchurches.
Denominationalhistoriesvaryconsider-
ablyinqualityandexpertise.Thisparticular
oneshowsnumeroussignsofattentionto
detail,competenceinediting,andaesthetic
appealinlayoutandbinding.Itisevident
thattheeditorsandcontributorsvaluetheir
spiritualheritage,andasaresulttheircollec-
tiveachievementbringsthatheritagefurther
honor.
FiVe DeCaDesoF growtH: an
inFormatiVe eFFortto unDerstanD
BgC HistorY
Thevolumebeginswithabrief,butde-
lightfullyinformativeprefacebyDr.Virgil
A.Olson,oneoftheelderstatespersonsof
theBaptistGeneralConference.Amonghis
manyrolesthroughtheyearsVirgilOlson
hasservedasapastor,deanofBethelCollege,
andexecutivesecretaryofworldmissions
for the BGC.Heisalsothe son ofAdol
Olson,theeditoroftheoriginalcentenar
historyoftheBaptistGeneralConference
Athisfathersrequest,Virgilcontributed
twochapterstotheolderwork,soheisthe
perfectbridgepersonbetweentheolderhis-
toryandthis,itsrecentlyreleasedsequel.
Thenewvolume has23chaptersinall
Intherstofthese,editorJimSpickelmiersummarizestheConferencesrstcentury
rehearsingthehighlightsofOlsonsoriginal
accountandtherebylayinga retrospective
foundationforwhatfollows.Indoingso
theauthornotesthatthedecisivefactor
ensuringthesurvivalandourishingofth
BaptistGeneralConferenceasadistinctive
denominationclearlydifferentiatedfrom
themuchlargerEnglish-speakingAmerican
Baptistdenominationwithwhichitinitially
A Review of:Five Decades o Growth and Change, from p. 1
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
4/20~ 4 ~
continued on p. 5
A Review of:Five Decades o Growth and Change, from p. 3
hadclosetieswasadecisionreachedby
BGCdelegatesin1944toestablishand
support their ownmoredoctrinally-con-
servativemissionboard(p.12).Thus,while
theBGCwasborneinthemid-nineteenth
centuryofpracticalimmigrantexpedience,
itevidentlyenduredandourishedbecause
atasubsequentcriticaljunctureitembracedafreshandinvigoratingvisionformission.
Thereafterthestructure ofthebookis
straightforwardandconsistingoftwosec-
tions.Therst(chapters2-8)isatopical
one.Thesechapterstreatkeydivisionsor
aspectsof theoverallBGCenterprisein-
cludingBethel(itsagshipschool)andits
globalmissionsenterprise,aswellassuch
importantspheresas(andthislistisnot
exhaustive)homemissions,publicationsand
literature,andculturalministriestoNative
Americans,African-Americans,Hispanics,
FilipinosandVietnamese.Afullchapter,the
ninth,isdevotedtothehistoryoftheBGC
abovetheforty-ninthparallel,inCanadaa
workthatbegandirectlynorthofMinnesota,
inWinnipeg,Manitobain1894.
Thesecondmajorsectionofthevol-
ume(chapters10-22) surveysthe history
geographically.Thesechaptersexplore the
historyoftheBGConeregionalconference
atatimenotinchronologicalorderor
according tosize,but alphabetically.The
thirteenconferencesarepresentedinorder
fromtheColumbiatotheSouthwest.They
areauthoredor co-authoredbypersons
intimatelyacquaintedwiththeirsubjectmatterthroughalifetimeofpersonalpar-
ticipationandservice.Nottoomanyreaders
willbeinclinedtoreadthesechaptersright
throughinorder,certainlynotinonesit-
ting.Thesechaptersfunctionmoreinthe
orderofvaluablereferenceworkspagesto
whichonemayreturnmorethanoncefor
reliabledetailsandclarications.Thetypical
reader,Isuspect,willbeginwiththechapter
ontheconferencewithwhichtheyaremost
familiar,andmoveoutwardfromthere.
Perhapsthemostinteresting,andcertainly
themostinterpretive,chapteristhenalone
onTrends inFaithand Life.Here editor
JamesSpickelmiercastshisinformedeyeback
acrossmorethan600pagesandalifetimeof
experiencetooffersomesummativeperspec-
tivesandinsights.Thisisthesortofthing
thatseparatesgenuinehistorywritingfrom
merelychroniclingnamesanddates,andi
constitutesavaluablecapstonefortheproject
asawhole.Theeditorpresentstrendshehas
observedwithinhisfaithcommunityove
ahalfcentury,andsuggestsvariousbroad
culturalfactorsthatinuencedthesetrend
andhelptoaccountforthem.Thechapter
concludesbyidentifyingsomesignicantchangesthathaveoccurredwithintheBGC
itselfduringthevedecadesunderscrutiny
There are alsosome appendicestothis
volumeofalmost700pages.Theyincludea
helpfultimelineandevensomewell-chosen
colorphotographs.Thevolumewrapsup
with athoroughindex inwhich Scandi
naviansurnamesstillpredominate,butin
which theemergingmulticulturalfaceof
thefellowshipisalsonowevident.
tHe PiCture reVealeD: moVingBeYonDtHe sCanDinaVian Heritage
TheBGCstorytoldinthisvolumeisa
colorfulchipinthelargermosaicofthe
historyofChristianityinAmericainthe
secondhalfofthe20thcenturyastoryabl
narratedinsuchworksasMartinMarty,Pil
grims in Their Own Land(1984),MarkNoll
Scorgie Edits New Book on Christian SpiritualityZondervan Dictionary of Christian Spiri-tuality,gen.ed.GlenG.Scorgie(July
2011),864pp. | InrecentdecadesChris-
tianspirituality,spiritualformationand
spiritualtheologyhavebecomeimpor-
tantconceptsintheglobalevangelical
community.Consequently,aneedwas
recognizedforanaccessibleandreliable
academicresourceonthesetopicsone
thatoffersadiscerningorientationtothe
wealthofecumenicalresourcesavailable
whilestillhighlightingthedistinctheri-
tageandafrmingthecoregrace-centered
valuesof classicevangelicalspirituality.
TheZondervan Dictionary of Christian
Spiritualityreectsanoverarchinginter-
pretiveframeworkforevangelicalspiri-
tualformation:aholisticandgrace-lled
spiritualitythatencompassesrelational
(connecting),transformational(becom-
ing),andvocational(doing)dynamics.
Atthesametime,contributorsrespectfully
acknowledgethedifferencesbetweenPietist,
Reformed,Holiness,andPentecostalpara-
digmsofthespirituallife.And,bybringing
togetherovertwohundredwritersfrom
aroundtheworldwhoshareacommonor-
thodoxy,thisreferenceworkistrulyglobal
andinternationalinbothitstopicalscope
andcontributors.
Wearepleasedtoreportthatthenumber
ofcontributorsfromBethelexceedsthatof
anyotherinstitution.Dr.JamesD.SmithIII,
professorofchurchhistoryatBethelSemi-
narySanDiego,servedasaconsultingeditor.
Altogether34Bethelfacultymembers,from
St. Paulandboth coasts, wrotepieces for
thevolumeanencouragingindicationof
ongoingcommitmentatBetheltotheuni-
versityshistoricregardforheartandmind.
Over700 essays and entries giveappro-
priateattentiontoconcepts,concerns,and
formativefigures
intheevangeli-
caltraditionof
spiritualitythat
otherreference
work neglect.
T h e y o f f er a
d i s c e r n i n g
orientationtothe
wealthofecumenicalresourcesavailable,
exploringthesimilaritiesanddifferences
betweenChristianityandalternatespiri-
tualitieswithoutlapsingintorelativism.
TheZondervan Dictionary of Christian
Spiritualityisaresourcethatcoversa
widerangeoftopicsrelatingtoChristian
spiritualityandisbiblicallyengaged,ac-
cessible,andrelevantforallcontemporary
Christians.Wetrustthatthismilestone
workwillproveveryusefultothepeople
ofGodinthedaysahead.
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
5/20~ 5 ~
A Review of:Five Decades o Growth and Change, from p. 4
continued on p. 6
History of Christianity in the United States
and Canada(1992),andThomasAskew
andRichardPierard,The American Church
Experience(2004),TheBGCstorytoldhere
inFive Decadesbeginsin1952whenthede-
nominationhad366churches,mostofthem
onthesmallerside.Foralmosttheentire
previoushalfcenturythedenominationhadbeeninapost-immigrationplateau,andin
somewaysitwasshowingsignsofdecline.
Yetftyyearslater,in2002,theConference
hadgrownto971churchesintheUnited
StatesandCanada.Thiswasroughlydouble
therateofgeneralpopulationincrease
duringthissameperiodoftime.Becausea
signicantnumberofthesechurcheshad
becomeconsiderablylargerthananyofthe
BGCcongregationsbackin1952,theoverall
growthinthenumberofactivemembersand
adherentsduringthisperiodwasevenmore
substantial.
TheowofSwedishimmigrantstoAmer-
icaduringthesecondhalfofthenineteenth
centuryhaddriedupyearsbefore,sothatthe
growthexperiencedwasduetofactorsother
thantheoriginalethnicityandlinguistic
distinctivenessthataccountfortheorigins
andearliestexpansionoftheconference.The
BGC,likesomanyotherchurchgroups,ben-
etedfromthegeneralsurgeinreligiosity
andchurchattendance(nottomentionthebirth-rate)inAmericafollowingthenational
crisisandeventualvictoryoftheWorldWar
IIyears(1939-1945).
Butthere wasmoretoit than just that.
Five Decades of Growth and Change, 1952-
2002isaquarryfromwhichsupplementary
explanationsforBGCgrowthcanbemined.
Fromatheologicalperspective,itappears
thatGodhashonoredtheBGCsfaithful-
nesstotheGospelmessageanditsvigorous
proclamationinNorthAmericaandbeyond.Consideringthesamephenomenonfrom
anotherangle,wemightsuggestthatthe
BGChasgrownbecausepeoplewithperen-
nialhumanneedshavebeendrawntothe
Gospelandexperienceditspower,andhave
foundmeaningandpersonalsignicance
throughgettinginvolvedinGreatCommis-
sionwork.
Intheperiodunderreviewthenumberof
full-timeBGCmissionariesgrewfromthe
low50sto130,whilethenumberofmis-
sion eldsexpanded fromseveral toover
twenty.Duringthissamehalf-centuryspan
(1952-2002)BethelCollegeandSeminary,
theBGCsflagship schools,experienced
parallelpatternsofgrowthanddevelop-
ment.In1952therewereapproximately600
studentsontherelativelyconnedSnellingAvenuecampusinSt.Paul.Fiftyyearslater
theschoolshadrelocatedtoaspaciousnew
homeinArdenHills,andhadatotalenrol-
mentofover4,000students.
Againstthebackdropofanincreas-
inglypopulousAmerica,theBaptistGeneral
Conferenceexperienced substantial,if not
exactlyspectaculargrowthofitsown.Yet
forallofthatitremainsarelativelysmall
chipintheecclesiasticalmosaicofAmerica,
dwarfedbynumerouslargerdenominations
andeven byother Baptist groups likethe
SouthernBaptistConvention.Whilethe
thirteenregionalconferences of theBGC
covermostofthemapoftheUnitedStates
the realityis that the BGC isstill primar
ilyaregionalbody,reectingitshistoricoriginsintheupperMidwest.In2000,fo
example,thenumberofchurchattendees
intheMinnesotaBaptistConventionalon
was48,000(p.517)aconsiderableportion
oftheentireBGCconstituency.Bycontrast,
intheNortheastBaptistConference(see
chap.19),whosesprawlinggeographic
constituencyencompassestensofmillions
ofAmericansinsomeofthenationslargest
The Baptist General Conerence and Its
Pietist Heritage: Pietistic CharacteristicsAmong the Conerence BaptistsVirgilOlsonBethel Seminary QuarterlyVol.IV,No.3,May1956,pp.54-66.
1. The frst principle characteristic o pietism is that o the centrality o the Bible in
the lie o the believer.
Aspointedout,thisisonereasonwhytheBaptistsmadesuchheadwayamongthe
lsareinSweden.Theoneprinciplethatthepietistskeptalive,however,wasthateach
individualbelievershouldbeaBiblereaderandaBiblestudent.
2. The second characteristic o importance is thato insisting on a born-again experience or every
believer.
ConferenceBaptistchurchesinyearsgoneby
haveinsistedonaregeneratechurchmembership.
Greatstresshasbeenlaidonthefactofwhetheror
notapersonhashadanexperiencewiththeLord.
3. The third characteristic that is always a domi-
nant part o any pietistic movement is that o
holy living.
Abstainfromeveryappearanceofevilwasa
watchword.Afavoritesongoftheold-timerswasIamapilgrim(Jagrenfrmling).
4. The ourth characteristic is that pietism is
prominently a laymans movement.
DemocracyinthechurcheshasalwaysbeenhighlyregardedThefreechurchspirit
hasrevoltedstronglyagainsthierarchyandpowerfulpressuregroups
5. The fth characteristic is that o revival.
Pietismwasbornandpropagatedinreligiousrevival.Ithascometotheforeintimes
ofnationalmoralpoverty,religiouscoldnessandcynicism.Pietismseemedtobethe
breathofGodmovingamongthedrybones,bringinglifetothevariousvalleysofarid
skeletonsoftheologyandreligiousformalism.
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
6/20~ 6 ~
A Review of:Five Decades o Growth and Change, from p. 5
cities,churchesaremuchfewerandfarther
between.Somewhatsurprisingly,givenits
geographicremotenessfromMinnesota,
SouthernCaliforniahasarelativeconcentra-
tionofBGCchurches.Perhapsthisispartly
areectionofSwedishBaptistdisenchant-
mentwithlongnorthernwinters!
ConClusion: PonDeringtHe Future
oFtHe BaPtist general ConFerenCe
Forthemostpartthevolumecanbeclas-
siedasinstitutionalhistory,inasmuchas
ittracesthedevelopmentofsuchfamiliar
denominationalpreoccupationsasbudgets,
donations,administrativestructures,mem-
bershiproles,youthwork,womensmin-
istries,short-termmissionsandoutreach
teams,churchplanting,changingmusic
styles,keyleaders(almostexclusivelymen,
incidentally),variousprograminitiatives,
SundaySchoolwork,campingministries
andhomesforseniors.
Butsomething ofthesoulofthe BGC
isalsorevealedinthisvolume.Asawhole,
theBGCdidnotengagemuchwiththeis-
suesofsocialconsciencethatenergizedand
convulsedothergroups.Notmuchprogress
wasmade, forexample,on empowering
womenforchurchleadership.Nonetheless,
whiletheconferenceremainedtheologically
conservativeinethos,itdeftlyskirtedtheFundamentalistoptionepitomizedinthe
MinneapolisregionbytheinuentialWil-
liamB.RileyofFirstBaptistChurchand
whatbecameNorthwestBibleCollege.The
BGCclearlylocateditselfintheemerging
evangelicalmainstreamandhasremained
thereeversince.Occasionallythereare
referencestodoctrinalcontroversies(e.g.,
pp.46-50)includingtherecentfurorover
OpennessTheology(pp.516-517)but
theseareregardedlargelyassidebarstothemainstoryline.Notoriousscandalsare
omittedaltogether,ortreatedverybriey
andwithconsiderablediscretion.
Throughtheyearstherehasbeengrowing
angstovertheall-whitefaceoftheBGC,
andmoreandmoreintentionaleffortsto
diversifythedenominationthroughthenur-
turingofmoreethniccongregations.While
theirnumbersremainrelativelysmall,some
ofthesefellowshipsarenowamongthemore
robustintheentireconference.
Theelephantintheroom ofthis de-
nominationalhistoryistheemergenceof
multipleelephantsanumberofso-called
mega-churchesthathavealteredthesocial
dynamicsof theentire conference. These
congregationsarelargeenoughtobeessen-
tiallyautonomous;theynolongerneedthepooledresourcesofthelargerdenomination
toachievetheirlocalobjectives.Butwehave
alsocometoseehowdependenttheyare
uponcapableleader-
ship,andhowwildly
theycanoscillatein
sizeandhealthduring
timesoftransition.
Whatissomewhat
surprisingistherela-
tivelymodestattention
giveninthisvolumeto
thedistinctspirituality
andethosoftheBGC.
Thegroupsoriginsin
biblicallyorthodoxEu-
ropeanPietismarewell
known,andthesaintly
leadershipofPresi-
dentCarlLundquistat
Bethel(1954-1982)is
respectfullyacknowl-
edged(pp.29-39).Andyetforallofthatthere
isrelativelylittleem-
phasisinthebook,or,
apparently,withintheBGCitself,onthe
distinctunionofheartandmindthathas
beensocentraltoourPietisttraditionever
sincePhilipSpenerwrotehisclassiclittlePia
Desideriabackin1675.Itisatraditionemi-
nentlysuitedtosatisfytheheart-hungerof
thosewhohavegrownskepticalofapurely
rationalandpropositionalreligiosity. As one concludes thisimportantbook,
onecannothelpponderingthefutureof
theBaptistGeneralConferenceanditsag-
shipuniversity.Denominationalismitself
isingeneraldeclinenowadays,sothesafest
predictionisthatthecohesivenessofthe
BGCasafellowshipandcreatorofidentity
willprobablyfadeinthecourseofthenext
halfcentury.Powerfulsocializingtrendsare
alreadyblendingaonce-separateimmigrant
church(symbolizedbythelittlewhiteScan-
diachapelontheBethelUniversitycampus)
intotheculturalandreligiousmeltingpoto
theUnitedStates.WhatwilltheBGCkeep
alive?Willithaveanarrativewithwhich
youngerpeoplewillbeabletoidentify?Wha
willbeitsdistinctivelegacyandgifttoth
nextgeneration? Wedoknow,thankstotheworkofJame
andCaroleSpickelmier,andacadreof
knowledgeablecontributors,thattheBGC
experiencedresurgencefromthedoldrum
whenitclaimedaboldnewvisionbackin
theearly1940s. Surelythis isinstructive
forwithoutanenergizingvisionevenade-
nominationcanperish.Andjustascertainly
nochurchcanexpecttoourishinthes
challengingtimesunlessthereisadeepan
profoundrealitytoitswalkwithGod.AsMinnesotasownpop-theologianGarrison
Keilloronceinsightfullycommentedina
Books and Religioninterview:Ifyoucantgo
tochurchand,foratleastamoment,begiven
transcendence;ifyoucantgotochurchand
passbrieyfromthislifeintothenext;then
Icantseewhyanyoneshouldgo.Theresa
stillpoint,aconstant,acrossanynumbero
decadesofgrowthandchange.
Bethel President Carl Lundquist (1954-1982)
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
7/20~ 7 ~
continued on p. 8
Martin Luther King Invited to Address Bethel Convocation:ReapingtheLegacyofPresidentCarlLundquistsCorrespondencewithDr.MartinLutherKing,Jr.
Diana maGnusOn, prO-
fessOrOf HistOry BetH-
el uniVersity, Direc-
tOr Of arcHiVes, BGc
HistOry center an D
kent GerBer, DiGitalliBrary, BetHel uniVer-
sity liBraries |Martin
LutherKingWillAd-
dressConvowasthe
headlineof the Clarion
onNovember23,1960.
Thisarticlewaspartof
thepromotionforthe
launchofthedigitalcollectionofClarion
StudentNewspapersforBethelUniversityLi-
brarysHomecomingeventinOctober2010.
Thisexpandedabilitytouseanddisplayan
historicalartifactbecamethecenterpieceof
aconversationaboutBethelsreconciliation
roots,BethelsirenicapproachtoChristian
highereducation,andtheimportanceof
stewardingBethelsculturalheritage.
ExamplesofhistoricClarionfrontpages
wereusedtodemonstratethecontentsofthe
newcollectioninBethelUniversitysDigital
Library,includingtheMartinLutherKing,Jr.
headline.Incommunicationspromotingthe
Homecomingevent,thequestionwasasked,
Did you know that MartinLutherKing,
Jr.cametoBethel?Severalindividualsre-
spondedthattheydidnotthinkhecameand
onementionedthatDr.Kingwasassassinated
beforehecouldcome.Noonewascertainof
thedetailsoftheoralhistoryandtherewas
noextant documentationtobe foundthat
conrmedorrefutedtheClarionarticle.
AswesoughttouncoverwhyDr.Kingdid
notspeakatBethel,wediscoveredafascinat-
ingstorysurroundinghisinitialinvitationandrecoveredapieceofourpietisticheri-
tage.Afterconsultinganumberofreferences
andinstitutions,BethelUniversitylibrarians
receivedwordfromTheMartinLuther
KingJr.ResearchandEducationInstituteat
StanfordUniversitywhohadtwodocuments
datednearthetimeoftheClarionarticle.
Thetwodocumentswerecorrespondence
writtenbyPresidentLundquisttoMartin
LutherKing,Jr.onNovember8,1960and
aresponsefromDr.Kingsassistant,James
Wood,onDecember1,1960.Lundquistslet-
terwaswrittentoconrmDr.Kingssched-
uledappearanceandtoaskafteranyfurther
necessaryaccommodationsduringhisvisit.
Inthemorning,hewasscheduledtospeak
onthethemeoftheproblemofracialdis-
crimination,andintheevening,Lundquist
hadrequestedthatKingdeliveraspeechthat
hehadheardbeforecalledPaulsEpistleto
TwentiethCenturyChristians.Woodwrote
onbehalfofDr.Kingthathemustregretfully
cancelbecause hisleadership wasneeded
fortheemergencysituationssurrounding
thestudentsit-insinAtlantawhichwere
renewedafterathirty-daytruce.Uponthis
newevidence,supportedbyachronologyof
KingsactivitiesandNewYorkTimesarticles
aboutthesit-ins,wewereabletodetermine
conclusivelythatKingwasindeedscheduled
tospeakbutdidnotultimatelydeliverhi
convocationaddressesforthereasonsstated
PresiDent lunDquist DeFenDs ConVoCation inVitations
to kinganD weigle
Dr.Kinghasbeeninvitedbecauseheistodayoneoftheforemostleadersinpromoting
non-violentprogramsforracialequality.ThisisaconcernforeveryChristian.Asamat-
teroffact,themattersofsocialwelfareconstituteoneareawheretheologicaldifferences
amongChristiansarelesssignicantandwherewendthatmanyofuscanworktogether
towardacommonobjective.Thisdoesnotminimizeourdifferencesbutindicatesthat
therealsoexistssomeareasofagreement.InthecaseofDr.Weigle,hehasbeeninvited
becausenextyearwillmarkthe350thanniversaryofthetranslationoftheKingJames
VersionoftheBible.WhilehehasbeenidentiedwiththeRevisedStandardVersion,ofcourse,heisalsooneoftheacknowledgedscholarsofourdayinhisfamiliaritywiththe
KingJamesVersion.Hisbasictalkwillbeahistoricalapproachtothatversion.
Becausewedonotagreewiththesemeninallareasoftheirthoughtweoughtnotcut
offlisteningtotheminsuchimportanteldsofconcernfortheevangelicalchurchtoday
anymorethanwewouldtakeoutofourlibraryallofthebookswithwhoseauthorswe
disagreeorrefusetohandleinourbookstorematerialsnotalwayssympathetictoBethels
pointofview.Asamatteroffact,oneofthenestplacesfordedicatedChristianyoung
peopletocomeincontactwithmenandbooksliketheseisonacampuswherealertand
committedevangelicalteacherscanhelptobulwarktheirfaithwhileatthesametime
franklyfaceopposingpointsofview.
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
8/20~ 8 ~
inhisassistantsletter(Kingetal.,2005;Klan
andnegroesmarchinAtlanta,1960;Truce
onsit-insendsinAtlanta,1960).
searCHFortHe lunDquist/king
letters
Welaterlearnedthatthereweretenother
itemsofcorrespondencebetweenLundquistandKinglocatedintheholdingsofBoston
UniversitysHowardGotliebArchivalRe-
searchCenterspanningfrom1957to1960.
AfteracquiringthevelettersthatLundquist
wrote,welearnedthatLundquisthadrst
invitedKingtospeakthreeyearsearlierin
1957andthenagainin1959.Theseinvita-
tionsweredeclinedbutleadtothesched-
ulingoftheDecember1960engagement.
Wewerenotabletoacquiretheotherve
lettersauthoredbyDr.Kingbecauseofthe
difcultyinobtainingpermissionfromthe
KingEstatetoreleasetheBostonUniversity
copiestous.Negotiationsarestillunderway
fortheseitems.
tHe king inVitation leaDs
to signiFiCant Constituent
ControVersarY
Thelettersansweredthequestionsconcern-ingwhenKingwastocomeandwhyhe
cancelled,buttheydidnotdiscussanother
pieceoftheoralhistoryinvolvingthegeneral
atmosphereofcontroversysurroundingthe
invitationitself.Planningfortheconvoca-
tionwascarriedoutbytheCommencement
andConvocationCommittee,madeupof
membersofthecollegeandseminaryfaculty.
Theconvocationseriesforthewinterof
1960-1961includedtenmorningconvoca-
tions,foureveningconvocationsandthree
seminarylectureships.Publicityannouncing
thespeakerspromptedlettersofconcernto
BethelCollegeandSeminaryPresidentCar
Lundquistbyatleastadozenconstituents.
Onlyoneofthedozenorsolettersisextant.
Dr.G.ArcherWeniger,pastor,publishedhi
concernsinThe Blue Print,apublicationo
FoothillBoulevardBaptistchurch,Oakland
California.TheletterwasreprintedinSwordof the LordandNorth Star Baptist.Theinvi
tationstoKingandLutherA.Weigle,Dea
EmeritusoftheYaleUniversityDivinity
SchoolraisedseriousconcernsforWeniger.
Kingspresentationwastitled,Alookatthe
problemofracialdiscrimination.Weigles
wasbilledas,Ahistoricalpresentationofthe
signicanceoftheKingJamesVersionofthe
Bibleduringits350thanniversaryyear.Pas-
torWenigersprimaryconcernwithregard
tobothKingandWeiglewasnotthetopic
oftheirconvocation,rather,theirassociation
withcommunistfrontcauses.Accordingto
Weniger,theinvitationofKingandWeigl
wasevidenceofpenetrationofpacism,
socialism,modernism, andsubversion to
BethelCollege.Wenigercalledforprayerto
cancelthesetwospeakers.
AcopyofPresidentLundquistsresponse
toconcernedBethelconstituentsisamong
theminutesoftheconvocationcommittee
Lundquistsletterisaclearexpositiono
liberalartseducation,deliveredintheirenicspiritthatcametodenehispresidency
Theneedforthisletterdemonstratesthat
Lundquistmadeachoicethatwasnotacom-
fortableoneamongsomeofhisevangelica
peersthisearlyinthecivilrightsmovement
Whilethereareexamplesofevangelica
engagement,likeBillyGrahamsdesegrega
tionofhisChattanooga,Tennesseecrusad
in1953,therearemanymoreaccountso
evangelicals,likePastorWeniger,whower
eitherindifferentorhostiletothecivilrightsmovement(Gibreath,1998;Graham,1997
Moberg,1972).Kingsfirstinvitationto
speakatBethelcamesixyearsbeforemajo
eventsliketheMarchonWashingtonandthe
ecumenicalChicagoConferenceonRaceand
Religion;sevenyearsbeforeKingreceived
theNobelPeacePrizeandthepassingo
theCivilRightsActof1964;andeightyears
beforethepassingoftheVotingRightsActof
1965(Branch,1998).Lundquistdetermined
LundquistKing Correspondence, from p. 7
JoHn Perkins sPeakson wHat it meansto BetHe CHurCH
G. William carlsOn| JohnPerkinswasafrequentpreacheratBethelchapelsincethe
1970s.Heremainsadistinguishedspokespersonforcivilrightsissueswithintheevangeli-
calcommunity.BethelBusinessprofessorRobertWeavertookupJohnPerkinschallenge.
In1983WeaverusedoneofhissabbaticalsandtraveledtoJackson,Mississippi.Hefelt
calledtogobacktoMississippitousehisbusinessskillsforthedevelopmentofjobs
andbusinessesinpoorcommunities.
OneofPerkinsnotedspeechespreachedatBethelChapelwashiscallfortheChristian
churchtobeagentsofreconciliationandpromotersofjustice.
TorediscoverouridentityasGodspeople,wemustbeginwithJesuswhosawhimself
asGodsinstrumentofliberation.ThepowerofhisliberationlayinthefactthatJesus
wastheverypresenceofGodintheworld-Godintheesh.InJesusthewordandthe
personofGodcametogether
ThechurchistheverybodyofChrist,thereplace-
mentofJesusbodyonearthinthecommunity
wherebelieversliveIfheislivinginusindividually
andcorporately,thenthatfactshouldhavesome
meaning.
First,itmeansthat,likehim,werelocateourselves
intheareaofneed.Weidentifywith,weliveamong,
weactivelyseekoutthosewhoarepoor,inneed,oppressed
Second,ouridentitythroughJesuspresenceinthebodyofChristmeansthat,like
him,wereconcileourselveswithothersacrossracialandculturalbarriers
Third,ouridentitythroughthepresenceofChristmeans,that,likeJesus,weredis-
tributegoods,ourwealth,moreequitablythandothedistributionsystemsoftheworld.
Relocation,reconciliation,and redistribution.Thesearenotqualitiesthatone can
pretendtohaveorgeneratebyonesownpower.TheydependupontherealityofGods
presenceinourmidst.Theytestifytowhoweare:theBodyofJesusChrist.
(VoiceofCalvaryreprintedfromInternational Review on Missions,July1977)
continued on p. 9
John Perkins
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
9/20~ 9 ~
continued on p. 10
thatthisissuewasanimportantoneforthe
Christiancommunitybeforetheweightof
theseeventsbroughtKingandthecivilrights
movementtotheattentionofabroaderau-
dienceandhelpedgarnerwideracceptanceandsupportfromthegeneralpublic.
Bethelsengagementwiththis socialis-
sueisanotherexamplethatchallengesthe
criticismofPietismsaloofnesstosocial
problems.Pietist historyhas examples of
socialservicesspanningfromoneofits
founders,AugustFrancke,tomoremodern
examplesofKlingbergsChildrensHomein
theBaptistGeneralConference.(Carlson,
2002;Gehrz,2011).Althoughinvolvement
inraceissuesandcivilrightsarenotnumer-
ousintheearlyhistoryofthesemovements,
thereareexamplesofeffortsmadebyBethel
communitymembers.Individualprofessorsengaged thetopicwith theirwritings like
DavidO.MobergandMichaelO.Emerson
(Carlson,2002).TheBethelfacultyasa
groupsentacorporateletterofsupportand
nancialsupporttoaMississippicongrega-
tionwhowassubjectedtoracially-motivated
violenceanddiscrimination(Anotherkind
ofinvolvement,1964).Tothislistwecan
nowaddPresidentLundquistslettersinvit-
ingKingtospeakasanearlyevangelical
andpietistexampleofaleaderinChristian
highereducationattemptingtoengagethe
communitywiththeissueofrace.
wHat woulD BetHel HaVe HearD?
lunDquist requests kings leCture:
Pauls letterto ameriCan
CHristians
PresidentLundquistmentionsinthe
November8,1960letter toDr. Kingtha
hewouldliketohearaspeechthathehad
heardbefore;PaulsEpistletoTwentieth
CenturyChristians.Thespeechinvolves
LundquistKing Correspondence, from p. 8
G. William carlsOn,Professor of History
and Political Science, Bethel University
|Sincethe1980sBethelhasintention-
allymadeaseriesofeffortstoexpand
itscommitmenttothecreationofKingsbelovedcommunityontheSeminary
andUniversitycampuses.Theseincluded
thecreationoftheBethelAntiracismand
ReconciliationCommission(BARRC),the
appointmentofLeonRodriguesastheAs-
sociateDeanofDiversityandCommunity,
encouragementofmulticulturalcommit-
mentsatBethelSeminarythroughthe
leadershipofRalphHammondandMark
Harden,thedevelopmentoftheReconcili-
ationMajorthroughtheworkofCurtiss
DeYoungandexpansionofprogramming
intotheurbancommunitiesofSt.Paul
andMinneapolis.Trendsaredocumented
inthemagazineBethel Tapestry.
KarenMcKinney,associateprofessorof
biblicalstudiesandamajorcontributorto
theworkofBARRC,statedthatPresident
Dale Johnsons Mural Remember, Believe and ActExplores Bethels Commitment to Creating a Reconciled Community
Brushaberhasledusintoacommitmentto
becomeananti-racistinstitution.Withthe
reconciliationprogramwehaveachanceof
exploringissuesthatChristiancollegesdont
alwaysconfront.Rev.LaurelBunker,deanofcampusministriesandcampuspastorfor
BethelUniversitysCollegeofArtsandSci-
ences,commentedonwhysheacceptedthe
positionafteranactiveministryinSt.Paul.
SheacceptedtheBethelassignmentbecause
itisaplacewheretheWordisnotcompro-
mised.Bethelsayswewillwalkinloveand
incommunity,andwewillnotcompromise.
Wewillwrestlethroughthetoughissues,and
stay committedto spiritual formation and
transformation.
The BARRC committee commissioned
artprofessorDaleJohnsontocreateathree
piecemuraltoframeremembrancesand
healingafterseveralracialincidentson
campus.Althoughthecaseswereisolated,
graftiandsymbolsofhatewereusedto
targetstudentsofcolor.Bethelneededto
continueeffortstoexpressitsrepudiation
ofallsuchactsandresumeitsprogress
towardmulticulturalunity.
OnFebruary 16, 2005, onBethels
secondannualReconciliationDay,John-sons threelarge5' by8' panels, titled
Remember,Believe,Actwerehungin
theAcademicCenterlounge.Therst
panel,statedJohnson,recallsthepainof
theincidentsandallracialhatecrimes;the
secondshowstoolsofhealing,including
thecrossandprayer;andthethirdshows
damageunderrepairalongwithother
signsofhope.Athree-dimensionalpulley
appearsinsuspension:Isracismaweight
beingliftedordoesitcontinuetoburden?
Thechoiceisours.
Thiswas notthe rstpanel by Dale
Johnsonexpressingacommitmenttoa
multiculturalsociety.Healsohasalarge
urbanlifemuralinSt.PaulsFrogtown
community onthe LifetrackResources
Building.
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
10/20~ 10 ~
LundquistKing Correspondence, from p. 9
continued on p. 11
KingimaginingwhatPaulwouldwrite
toChristiansinAmericaifhewerealive
in1956andislooselybasedonthestyle
ofthebookofRomans(Kingetal.,1997,
414).TwolikelyvenueswhereLundquist
wouldhaveheardthisspeechwaseitherthe
GloriaDeiLutheranChurchforthe1957
annualmeetingoftheMinnesotaStatePas-
torsConference,towhichLundquistrefers
inhisrstinvitationtoDr.Kingin1957,
orthe1956NationalBaptistConvention
inDenver(Hulteen,2008;Kingetal.,1997;
Kingetal.,2000).Itispossibletoreadthe
speechthattheBethelcommunitymayhave
heard,hadKingactuallycome.PaulsLetter
toAmericanChristiansisavailableinprint
andonlinefromStanfordUniversitysMar-
tinLutherKing,Jr.PapersProject.Lundquist
mentionsthatDr.Kingwasinvitedbecause
ofhisChristian,non-violentapproachtocivilrightsandhereisapassageexcerptfrom
Kingsspeechregardingthattopic:
MayIsayjustawordtothoseofyou
whoarestrugglingagainstthisevil
[segregation].Alwaysbesurethatyou
strugglewithChristianmethodsand
Christianweapons.Neversuccumbto
thetemptationof becomingbitter.As
youpressfor justice,be sure tomove
withdignityanddiscipline,usingonly
theweaponoflove.Letnomanpullyou
solowastohatehim.Alwaysavoidvio-
lence.Ifyousuccumbtothetemptation
ofusingviolenceinyourstruggle,un-
borngenerationswillbetherecipients
ofalonganddesolatenightofbitter-
ness,andyourchieflegacytothefuture
willbeanendlessreignofmeaningless
chaos(Kingetal.,1997,418).
Bethelscommitmenttoengaginginthe
issueofracialreconciliationhascontinued
togrowfromthedaysofLundquist.Da-
vidO.Mobergchallengedtheevangelical
churchtodomoreofthiskindofthinking
andinuencedBethelasastudent,headof
theDepartmentofSociology,andauthor
ofseveralbooksandarticlesonthetopicof
Christiansandthebiblicalbasisforsocialaction.(Carlson,2002).Mobergslegacyis
carriedforwardinthepresentbythethird
ofveinaseriesofendowedlecturesinvolv-
ingChristianityandSociologycalledthe
ConferenceonSociologicalPerspectiveson
Reconciliation.TheprogramofReconcili-
ationStudiesgrewfromcoursestaughtby
anadjunctprofessor,CurtisDeYoung,to
anofcialprogramwhosenamewasadded
toanacademicdepartment,Anthropology
SociologyandReconciliationStudies,o
whichheisnowco-chair.Programslikethe
SouthAfricastudysemesterandtheSankofa
civilrightshistorytripencouragestudents
faculty,andstafftoengagewithcivilrights
issuesoutsideoftheclassroom.Insid
theclassroom,reconciliationisintegrated
acrossthecurriculumandallstaff,students,
andfacultyarerequiredtoattendatrain-
ingsessiononRacialReconciliationupon
hireoradmission.Onceontheperiphery
reconciliationhasbecomeoneofBethels
sevencorevalues.MembersoftheBethel
communityarereconcilers[who]humbly
andhonestlyengagewithourownbiasesand
preconceptions[includingtheissueofrace]
[inorderto]growclosertounderstandin
Christsinniteloveandselessmissionoredemption(BethelUniversity,2011).
PreserVing BaPtist general
ConFerenCe HistorY: tHe
imPortanCeoF intelleCtual
ProPertYanD Digital arCHiVes
Earlyin theprocessof investigating
whetherKingappearedandwhatthecondi-
artHur wHitaker: CHristian witnessin reVolutionarY timesG. William carlsOn| Inthe1960sand1970sPresidentLundquistsnotonlyinvitedDr.MartinLutherKingJr.tospeakin1960he
alsoencouragedBetheltohearthevoicesofanumberofleadersfromtheAfrican-Americancommunityalongwithleadersofthe
Christiancommunityfromaroundtheworld.TheseincludedCarlRowan,GardnerTaylor,TomSkinner,BillPannellandJohnPerkins.
OneofthevaluablespeakerswasArthurWhitakerwhowaspastorofPilgrimBaptistChurchinSt.Paulfrom1966-1970.Hewasa
WorldWarIIveteranwhohadfoughtforfreedominEuropeonlytoreturntoasegregatedAmerica.Whitakerisrememberedforhis
sermonChristianWitnessinRevolutionaryTimeswhichwasgivenatFoundersWeek,BethelCollege
&Seminary,1969.Hechallengedthecommunitytotakeanactiveleadershiproleinthecivilrightsmove-
mentandasChristians,helptocreateareconciledcommunity.
NowIamdistressedandtroubledwithinmyownheartbecauseitappearsattimesthattheChristian
churchdoesnotseemtohavethewilltochangetheconditionswhicharedeplorableinAmerica.Letus
thereforeasAmericansriseabovetheuglinessofracismandtheproblemsofraceandmovetothathighplaneofhumanrights.
No manshouldhaveto beapologeticforhisrace, particularlywhenhisbirthisAmerican.While
Americaisnearlybankruptinthearenasofcivilandhumanrights,Iwouldsubmittoyouthatwemust
becomesolventinthenationalandinternationalworldbankofhumanrelationsontheonehand,and
ontheotherhand,1969not1970mustbeayearofmajorsurgeryininhumanrelationsifthedecadeof
the1970sistobeatimeofhealing.
ToomuchinAmericaisbeingdestroyed.Oursmustbeatimeofhealingandatimeofbuildingonthepart
ofeveryAmerican.LetitbesaidofAmericathatinspiteofherdilemmashewasabletooutliveherracismandherbigotryandliveouther
destinyoftheAmericandreamthatfuturehistorianswillsayofusthatintheperiodofcrisiswewereabletoresolveourdifferencesand
solveourproblemsofraceandinhumanityandintheprocesstogetherweachievedthenesthourinhumanhistory,sohelpusGod.
Arthur Whitaker
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
11/20~ 11 ~
LundquistKing Correspondence, from p. 10
tionsweresurroundinghisappearancewe
lookedintoourowncollectionofdocu-
mentsintheHistoryCenter.Welearnedof
theexistenceofcorrespondence,spanning
from1957to1960,betweenLundquistand
KingfromStanfordUniversity,oneofthe
institutionsthatBethelLibrarycontacted
duringtheinvestigations.Althoughwehave
othermaterialsofLundquists,wewerenot
abletolocatethisparticularseriesinourown
archive.Althoughthiswasdisappointing,our
searchprocessledustomoredocumentsthat
providedcontextforthecontroversialnature
ofthisinvitation.WefoundtheConvocation
andCommencementCommitteeminutes
from1960-1961thatcontainedWenigerslet-
terandLundquistsresponse.Theseminutes
werefortuitouslydonatedonlyafewmonths
priortooursearchbythefamilyofprofessor
emeritus,Dr.RoyDalton.Withoutthestew-
ardshipoforganizationsandpeoplewhocare
abouttheirownhistory,theonlyinformation
wewouldhaveaboutthiseventwouldbe
anecdotalandincomplete.Thedistribution
ofMartinLutherKingspapersisanother
goodexampleoftheneedforgoodsteward-
shipfromorganizationsthatwishtocultivate
theeffortsofthosewhoattendedthem.King
graduatedfromMorehouseCollegeinAtlanta
andhadintendedtodonatehispapersthere
butinsteadsentthemtoBostonUniversity,whereheearnedhisDoctorateinTheology,
becausetheyactivelypursuedthemandhe
knewthattheyhadtheinfrastructureand
resourcestosupportandcareforhismaterials
properly(Branch,1998).
TheArchivesandtheDigitalLibraryare
activelypursuingthegoalofstewardingthe
BaptistGeneralConferencesandBethel
Universitysresourcesbystrengthening
ourabilitytocareforandshareourown
materials.Thispartnershipstrengthensthe
foundationofstoringandpreservingour
culturalheritageandhelpstondnewways
toengagethecommunityinlearningabout
thepastanditsinuenceonthepresentand
future.ExposingtheMartinLutherKing,Jr.
articleledtoacommunity-widediscussion
andawarenessofakeymomentinBethels
past.Wealsowanttoraiseawarenesstha
activestewardshipof ourculturalheritage
isnecessarybecauseitisnotalwaysclea
whatitemswillbeneededinthefuture.The
Bethelcommunitywasabletolearnmore
aboutitselfandsomememberswerevery
encouragedbywhattheyfoundout.
ThewebsiteofTheHistoryCenteris
www.bethel.edu/bgc-archives.Thedigital
libraryisfoundunderLinks.
ReerencesAnotherkindofinvolvement.(1964).FacultyJournal,6(2),12-14.
BethelUniversity.(2011).Values.Bethel University.Retrievedfromhttp://www.bethel.edu/about/values
Branch,T.(1998).Pillar of re: America in the King years, 1963-65. NewYork,NY:Simon&Schuster.
Carlson,G.W.(2002).Baptistpietistsshouldcelebratethecivilrightsmovement.Baptist Pietist Clarion,Vol.
1(No.1),9-10,11,12.Gehrz,C.(2011,Winter).Recoveringapietistunderstandingofchristianhighereducation:CarlH.Lundquist
andKarlA.Olsson.Christian Scholars Review40(2),139-154.
Gilbreath,E.(1998,March2).Catchingupwithadream:Evangelicalsandrace30yearsafterthedeathofMartinLutherKing,Jr. Christianity Today. 21-29
Graham,B.(1997).Just as I am: The autobiography of Billy Graham.[SanFrancisco,Calif.];[GrandRapids,Mich.]:HarperSanFrancisco;Zondervan.
Hulteen,Bob.(2008,December23).CivilrightsleaderpreachesatGloriaDeiLutheranChurch.Metro Lutheran.
King,M.L.,Carson,C.,Armstrong,T.,Carson,S.,Clay,A.,&Taylor,K.(2005).ThePapersofMartinLu-therKing,Jr.volumeV,thresholdofanewdecadeJanuary1959-December1960.Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress.
King,M.L.,Carson,C.,Burns,S.,Carson,S.,Holloran,P.,&Powell,D.L.H.(1997).ThePapersofMartinLutherKing,Jr.volumeIII,birthofanewageDecember1955-December1956.Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress.
King,M.L.,Carson,C.,Carson,S.,Clay,A.,Shadron,V.,&Taylor,K.(2000).ThePapersofMartinLutherKing,Jr.volumeIV,symbolofthemovementJanuary1957-December1958.Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress.
KlanandNegroesMarchinAtlanta.(1960,Nov27). New York Times(1923-CurrentFile),pp.1.
Moberg,D.O.(1972).The Great Reversal; Evangelism Versus Social Concern.Philadelphia:Lippincott.
Truceonsit-insendsinAtlanta.(1960,Nov26). New York Times(1923-CurrentFile),pp.10.
continued on p. 12
A Review o Greg Boyds bookPresent Perfectterri l. HansenGreg
Boyd Present Perfect
GrandRapids,Michi-
gan:Zondervan,2010
| Asapersonwho
readsafairamount
ofpopularChristian
material,Itendtohavefavoritetopicsand
favoriteauthors.Whenoneofmyfavorite
authorsandthinkerscomesoutwithabook
onatopicthatisnearanddeartome,Iget
particularlyexcitedsometimesoverly
excited,settingmyselfupfordisappoint-
ment.WhenGregBoydsnewestpublication,
Present Perfectwasputintomyhands,Iwas
leery.GregBoydisarevolutionarythinker
abreathoffreshairintheevangelicalworld.
Hestirsthingsupandoftenwithgreatpas-
sionandinterest.Hetypicallyaddressesour
ailingChristianculturebypointingoutnew
truththroughsoundbiblicalexegesis.
Present Perfectisanewbookonanancient
spiritualpractice:practicingthepresence
ofGod.Iwasnotinterestedinseeinganew
twistputonthispreciousanddearpractice
onethatisattheverycoreofpersonaldis-
cipleshipandspiritualformation.Itrequires
apurityofattitude-acertainmindset,and
anindividualizedexperience.Ididnotwant
toseeitbecomejustanothernewgimmick
losingitssacred,profound,andChrist
centeredroots.
Restassuredthiswasnottobethecase
with Present Perfect.Ratherthanputting
anewtwistonthepracticeofthepres-
enceofGod,Boydreturnsustoitsroots.
Boydartfullyincorporatestheworksofthe
mastersonthistopic,weavinginquotes
andthoughtsfromBrotherLawrence,Jean
PierredeCaussade,andFrankLaubach.H
approachesthepracticeofthepresenceo
Godasafellowpilgrimbeingschooledby
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
12/20~ 12 ~
Present Perfect, from p. 11
thesemasters,notaddingtoortrumping
theirteachinginanyway.Hespeaksfromhis
personalstruggleandtriumphinmastering
thissimple,yeteasilyforgottendiscipline.
Heinvitestransformationbylivingoutthe
transformingpowerofallowingthoughtsof
Jesustopermeatehisthoughtsandinform
hisordinarylifeexperiences.
are we ConsCiousoF goDs
PresenCe
Ofmostimportancewhenitcomestoper-
sonalformation,Boydalsoincorporatesthe
elementofgrace.Heteachesthatallwereally
haveisthepresentmomentthemoment
thatwendourselvesinatanygiventime.
IfinthatmomentweareconsciousofGods
presence,thenwehavesucceeded.Themo-
mentbeforeandthemomenttofollowdonot
matterbecauseallwereallyhaveisnow.BeingawareofChristspresencenow
isenoughtotransform
thatmomentcompletely.
Onc e heest abli shes
thisidea,Boydspends
theremainderofthebook
discussingitsrelativedif-
cultyinlightoftheover-
stretched,stressfulliveswe
alllead.Indescribingthe
manybenetsofpursuingthisdiscipline,headeptly
providesmotivationtopersist
inthispractice inorderthatwemightrise
aboveourbusyandpettylives,andthusarrive
atahigherplaneofspiritualexperience:the
awarenessofGodsoverwhelminglove.
WhatGreghasbeenabletodoistonor-
malizeaspiritualpracticethatmanymight
thinkisonlyfortheancientsandthespiritual
super-humans.Hedescribesourcommon
objectionsthisway:
Thesecularworldviewcausesustocom-
partmentalizeourlife,isolatingthespiritual
fromtherestofourexperience.Ourrelation-
shipwithGodisboxedintospecialprayerand
devotiontimesalongwithweekendchurch
services,allofwhichhavelittleimpactonus.
ButintheprocessofsegregatingGodfrom
ournormallife,weblockthelove,joy,peace,
andtransformingpowerofGod.
Ifwereevergoingtoexperiencethefullness
ofLifethattheNewTestamentpromisesus,
weregoingtohavetoteardownthewallsthat
compartmentalizethespiritualandnormal.
Weregoingtohavetoacceptanewdenition
ofnormal,andthismeansweneedto get
overourmistakenideathatthepracticeof
thepresenceofGodisonlyforthesuperholy.
ThecalltopracticethepresenceofGod
isnotahyperspiritualexercise.Onthe
contrary,itsthecoreofwhatitmeansto
surrenderourlifetoChrist.Thoughfew
realizeit,thispracticeiswovenintothevery
fabricoftheNewTestament,writtenforall
followersofJesus.(pp.29-30)
DeVeloPinga relationsHiPwitH
our Creator
Boydexplainsthatourverynatureincludes
adesire,acravingtofeellovedandtobehappy.
Weall haveauniversalneedto experience
worthand signicance. OnlyarelationshipwithourCreatorcansatisfythiscraving.
Godwantstosharehimselfwithus,and
haveusparticipateinhisdivinenature.
Helongsforusto,joininhiseternal
danceofperfect,ecstaticlove.We
comefullcircleasourinsatiablehun-
gerbringsustoliveinthepresentmo-
ment,whichistheonlystateinwhich
ourhungerforGodcanbesatised.
Thisrequirescompletesurrenderto
God,believingourownattemptstoacquireworthandsignicanceare
notonlyunsatisfying,butidolatrous.
Dyingtothisfalsewayoflivingisscary
anddifcultbut,Boydclaims,nothingcould
bemoreliberating.Whenweclingtothings
thatareperpetuallythreatenedandthatwe
knowwewilleventuallylose,itinevitably
createsinusworry,anger,jealousy,envy,
frustration,strife,violence,anddespair
Todietotheeshisthegreatestliberation
possible.Nowoneisinapositiontolivein
themomentandfeelfullyaliveWereon
ourwayhome(p.53).
Andthisroadhomeisoneoftruetransfor-
mation.Boydstatesthatweliveinaculture
thatistheproductofthescienticrevolution
whereinformationisofprimaryimportance.
Hesaysthatwhileknowledgemaygiveus
power,itdoesnotonitsownempowerusto
becomemoreChristlike.SubmittingtoGod
inthepresentmomenttransformsusinaway
thatnoamountofknowledgecanRelying
onverylittleknowledge,Godslovecompel
ustodothethingsJesusdidandliveoutthe
thingsJesustaught.Insteadofmerelylearning
abouttheKingdom,webegintosacriceou
time,energy,andmoneytofeedthehungry
housethehomeless,welcomeoutcasts,and
befriendprisoners...ashislifeispouredinto
us,itcanthelpbutbeexpressedthroughus.
(p.101)
aPPreCiating saCreD moments
BoydsuseofScriptureisbornethroughou
thepagesofthebook.Heincludespractica
exercisesattheconclusionofeachchapter
drawingfromhisownexperienceandpractic
ofbeinginthemomentwithGod.Quotation
fromthethreeauthorshedrawshisideas
fromaresprinkledthroughoutinstructing
thereaderthatthisisnotsomethingnew,but
aremindertogobacktowhatmatters.HeteasesusintoactualpracticeofGodspresenc
withlittlehandwrittennotesthatask,Areyou
awake,lestwebelulledintothinkingthat
havingthisinformationonpracticingGods
presenceisenough.
Pullingoutofmygaragethismorning,I
wasawareofthechatterofabird.Ibackedou
inordertodiscernifthesoundwasinsideo
out,concernedthatthebirdmaybetrapped
inmygarage.Onceoutofmygarageandinto
thesparklingbeautyofthecrispfallmorn-ing,Ifoundthesourceofthenoise.Perched
amongstthebrightornamentalapplesthe
onlylifestillclingingtothebarebranchesof
mylittleoweringcrab-satamalecardinal
Hiscrownwasilluminatedbythesunand
hisbrilliantredfeathersnearlyglowing.Sur
roundedbythefeastoffruithefoundhimself
in,Iwasunnoticedinmyappraisalandap
preciationofthissacredmoment.
Howmanymomentslikethisareweno
awakefor?Howmanyordinaryexperi-
encesareburstingwithGodspresenceand
overwhelming lovefor us, ndingus los
in indifference?Wemustpractice Gods
presencebecauseitdoesnotcomenaturally
tous.Wemustmakeitadisciplinedexercis
inourspiritualtnessroutine.Donotregre
thepastmomentslostorthefuturemoments
farbeyondourcontrol.Beawareinthepres
ent!Openyoureyestotheonlymomentwe
havethepresentperfect.
Areyouawake?
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
13/20~ 13 ~
continued on p. 14
Dr. Martin Luther King: A Pastor Who Altered thePolitical Landscape o America
anGela sHannOn |
assistant prOfessOr
Of enGlisHat BetHel
uniVersity, central
B a p t i s t c H u r c H ,
martin lutHerkinG
sunDay, January 2011
Beore I ormed you in the womb I knew
you, beore you were born I set you apart; I
appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
Jeremiah1:5,NIVtranslation
martin lutHer kinganDtHe CiVil
rigHts moVement: PraYer Power
MartinLuther King, Jr., (January15,
1929-April 4, 1968)was bornMichaelLu-therKing,Jr.toAlbertaChristineWilliams
KingandMichaelKing,Sr.Hewasoneof
alonglineofpreachersstartingwithhis
great-grandfather,WillisWilliams,whowas
aslave-erapreacher.Hismaternalgrand-
father,AdamDanielWilliams,ignitedthe
pulpitwithhissermons.Hisgrandfather
waspastorof thefamousEbenezerBaptist
ChurchinAtlantafrom1914to1931.His
fatherthenservedaspastorwhenWilliams
died,andKingbecameco-pastorfrom1960
tohisdeath.
Kingspokeglowinglyofhischildhood.He
saidhiswasafamilywherelovewascentral
andwherelovelyrelationshipswereever
present.WhenKingsfather,inuencedby
thegreatMartinLuther,decidedtochange
hisnamefromMichaeltoMartin,theteen-
agejuniorfollowed.
EveninKingslovinghomequestions
aroseregardingracism.Kingattendedseg-
regatedpublicschools.HememorizedBibleversesandwenttoSundayschoolyetwit-
nessedandexperienceddeepracialinjustice.
Racismbecame personaland painfulat
theageofsix,whenKingwasnotallowedto
playwithawhitefriend,becausethefriends
fatherdidnotwanthischildplayingwith
blacks.Still,Kingwasbeingtaughttobeliev
inapowerhigherthanman.
KinggraduatedwithaB.A.degreefrom
MorehouseCollege(1948),adistinguished
institutionforBlackmenalsoattendedb
hisfatherandgrandfather.Hecontinued
hisstudiesatCrozerTheologicalSeminary
andearnedhisB.D. in1951. Fromthere
KingwasawardedhisdoctoratefromBoston
Universityin1955.
Kingenteredthe adultworldequipped
withbothaheartforGodandtheeduca-
tionnecessarytobeagreatleader.However
Kingdidnotchoosehisplaceinhistory
historychosehim.Aftergraduateschool,
KingacceptedthepastorateatDexterAvenueBaptistChurchinMontgomery,AL.Healso
waselectedpresidentofMontgomeryIm
provementAssociation.Kingwasplacedin
Montgomeryatacriticaltime,andlessthan
ayearlater,theMontgomeryBusBoycot
wouldbegin.AddressingtheissueatHol
StreetBaptistChurch,Kingwasthrustinto
aleadershipposition.Becauseofhisstrong
Christianfoundation,Kingwasproperly
preparedtolead.
TheCivilRightsMovementwouldbring
Kingandthousandsofotherstotheirknees
notinsurrenderbutinprayer.In1956,dur
ingtheMontgomerybusboycott,Kinghad
receivedseveraldeaththreats.Hewentto
thekitchentable,andwithacupofcoffee,
prayedtoGodforhelp.Hisprofoundspiri
tualexperiencewasexpressedinhisbook
Stride Toward Freedom.
Iwasreadytogiveup.Withmycupo
coffeesittinguntouchedbeforeme,Itried
tothinkofawaytomoveoutofthepicture
withoutappearingacoward.Inthisstateo
exhaustion,whenmycouragehadallbut
gone,IdecidedtotakemyproblemtoGod.
Withmyheadinmyhands,Ibowedoverthe
kitchentableandprayedaloud.
Atthatmoment,Iexperiencedthepres
enceoftheDivineasIhadneverexperienced
before.ItseemedasthoughIcouldhearthe
quietassuranceofaninnervoicesaying
Standupforjustice,standupfortruth;and
IwasborninTulsa,Oklahoma.In1921,myfamilyschurch,Mt.ZionBaptistChurch,
wasburned.ItwasoneoftheworstexperiencesofracialviolenceinAmericanhistory.
FortyblockswerelootedandscoresofpeopleweredeadintheAfrican-American
sectionofthecity.Twenty-threeAfrican-Americanchurchesandoveronethousand
homeswereruined.TheeffortstorebuildthechurchandmaintainaChristianwitnessinTulsaistobehonored.Notuntilthe1980s,seventyveyearsafterthetragicevent,
didtheTulsacommunitytrytohealthewounds.Thispoemismyefforttoexpress
theneedforhealingandreconciliation.
mount Zion
(aFtertHe tulsa raCe riot, 1921)
Tobaccotuckedinhisleftcheek,
Hesays:theyburnedMountZion.
SisterWileysspirit-drivenvoice
Wasnttestifying,Here I am Lord.
DeaconMackwasntthumbingthrough
Hisred-inkBiblelookingforwords.
NochildrenintheirSundaybest
wereskippingpastthepews.
Ms.Williewasntbendingonarthritic
knees.Rosewasntplayinghopscotchinback.
Still,whentheyscorchedMountZion,
theysettheretothepeople.
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
14/20
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
15/20~ 15 ~
Virgil Olson: Pastor, Historian, Proessor,College Dean, Mission Leader and College PresidentJim spickelmier|VirgilOlsonwasborninto
thehomeofAdolfandEstherOlsonon
June17,1916.HisfatherAdolfwaspastorof
BethanyBaptistChurchinSt.AnthonyPark,
MNatthetime.Adolfwasalsoateacherof
SwedishandBibleatBethelAcademy(1915).In1919,heleftBethanytobecomeprofessor
ofchurchhistoryatBethelSeminary,andlater
professorofsystematictheology.Virgilsdad
wasalsosecretaryandarchivistoftheHistori-
calSocietyoftheBaptistGeneralConference
fromthoseearlyyearsuntilhisdeathin1955.
SoVirgilgrewupthoroughlyembeddedin
thefellowshipoftheBaptistGeneralConfer-
enceandinthecommunityofstudentsand
professorswhichwasBethelCollegeand
Seminary.VirgilattendedBethelAcademygraduatingin1934.HethenearnedhisAs-
sociatedegreefromBethelJuniorCollege.He
nishedhiscollegeworkatMacalesterand
returnedtoBethelSeminaryandgraduated
in1941.WhileastudentatBethelhebeganto
workwithhisfatherinthewritingofchurch
history.Seventy Five Years: A History of Bethel
Seminary(1946)wasjointlywrittenbyVirgil
andAdolfbutwasrootedinVirgilssenior
paperforhisseminarygraduation.
AdolfhadbegunworkonCentenary His-
tory,a100yearhistoryofBethelandthe
BaptistGeneralConferencein1931.Again
heenlistedhissontoworkwithhimand
Virgilwroteseveralofthechaptersofthe
bookthatwaspublishedin1952.Hewas
offtoagoodstartasthepremierhistorian
ofBethelandtheBGCforthesecondhalfof
thetwentiethcentury.Hecontinuedmaking
acontributionovertheyearsinnumerous
Standardarticles,monographsandSemi-
naryJournalarticles.Morerecently,hehas
beentheimpetusformanyofthestoriesinTrailmarkersandhasbeentheguidingstar
helpingtheFriendsoftheHistoryCenter
determinetheireventsanddirections.
Whileearninghis wingsasa historian,
Virgilwasapastor.GraduatingfromSemi-
naryin1941,hebecamepastorattheDalton
BaptistChurchjustnorthofMuskegon,MI.
Hewascalledfromtherein1945tobesenior
pastoratEmeraldAvenueBaptistChurchin
Chicagowhereheservedsixyears.
ThenextphaseofVirgilslifebroughthim
backtoBethel.Hehadbeensoughtafterby
Bethelforsometimebutresisted.Hesays
inamemoirIdidnotwanttogotoBethel
toteach. Ihada lowviewof the teaching
situationattheSeminaryinthatmyfathersacriciallytaughtwithlowpay,littleencour-
agementfromtheadministration,facultyand
students.IannouncedwhenIgraduatedin
1941thatIwouldgoanywheretheLordleads
meexcepttwoplaceswhichIwouldgowith
muchreluctance,namelytobeapastorin
ChicagoandtheothertoteachatBethelSemi-
nary.In1951,Bethel
nallyprevailedand
Virgilbeganan18
yearteachingcareeratBethelSeminary
t eac hi ng c hurc h
history.WhenVir-
gils uncle,Walfred
Danielsonwhowas
teachingmissionsat
theseminarydied,
Virgiltookoverhis
unclesresponsibili-
tiesforteachingmissions.Thatledtoaplace
ontheBoardofWorldMissionsoftheBaptist
GeneralConferenceandtwoyearsasitschair.
In1967,onasabbaticalleavefromBethel
Virgilandhiswife,Carol,visitedchurchand
missionleadersinAfricaandAsia.
In1968,Virgilmovedfromtheseminary
overtoBethelCollegetoserveasDean.It
wasatimeofturmoilwiththeCivilRights
revolutionandthegrowingproteststothe
VietNamwarstirringtensionsacrossthe
nationandespeciallyoncollegecampuses.
Inaddition,BethelCollegewasplanninga
relocationtoanentirelynewcampusinAr-denHillsandwasgoingthroughthedecadal
reviewforreaccreditationwiththeNorth
CentralAccreditationprocess.Itwasabusy
time,buteveninthemidstofthesepressures
Virgilsmissionconcerncontinuedandhe
tookanothersabbaticaltoteachatHaillie
SelassieUniversityinAddisAbaba,Ethiopia.
Hisstrongmissioninterestandinvolve-
mentledtheBGCWorldMissionBoardto
extendaninvitationtoVirgilin1974tobe-
cometheirleader.So,hefollowedinUncle
Walfredsfootstepsagain.(Walfredwasth
firstworldmissionsleaderfortheBGC.
Virgilledtheboardforsevenyearsduring
partofthetransitionfromAmericanmission
controltocontrolofthemissionthroughapartnershipbetweentheBGCmissionboard
andtheindigenouschurchesontheelds.H
retiredfromBGCWorldMissionsin1981.
Uponretirement,Virgilsteppedimmedi
atelyintotheroleofPresidentforWilliam
CareyInternationalUniversity,acollege
beingdevelopedbyRalphWinterandtheU
S.CenterforWorld
MissionsinPasa-
dena,Calif.which
wasdoingcuttingedgedevelopmen
ofdistancelearn-
ing.Inthisrole
Virgilwasableto
combinehistwo
passionsofeduca
tionandmissions
In1986,Virgi
retiredforasecond
time,onlytobeginanewpart-timecareer
inmissionsteachingatBethelSeminaryand
inteachingPerspectiveclassesaroundthe
country.Carol,hiswifeofnearly60years
diedin2002.Virgilwentonaloneuntilhe
married the wife ofan old partner from
hisdaysintheWorldMissionsOfce.Dal
Bjorkhaddiedin1984.VirgilandAlma
BjorkOlsonmarriedin2004.
Thoseof uswhoareinterestedin wha
GodhasdonethroughBethelandtheBaptis
GeneralConferencemarvelthatVirgilcar-
ries the answers tomostof our question
inhishead.HeisawalkingencyclopediaoConferencehistory.HeknewalltheDeansof
BethelSeminarybutEdgren.Hetaughtmos
oftheBGCpastorsoftheseconddecadeo
the20thCentury.HeservedatBethelandhe
servedintheChicagoofcesoftheBaptist
GeneralConference.Hecontinuestohelp
allofusrememberourcorefaithcommit-
mentsandtopraiseGodforthewayHehas
blessedBethelandtheministriesofthe
BaptistGeneralConference.
Gordon Johnson and Virgil Olson; Deans of Bethel Seminaryand Bethel College in 1972
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
16/20~ 16 ~
continued on p. 17
Virgil A. Olson: A Servant Leaderclarence Bass,Professor Emeritus System-
atic Theology, Bethel Theological Seminary
|IbecameacquaintedwithVirgilfty-six
yearsagowhenIcametoBetheltospeakat
FoundersWeekasacandidatefortheposition
ofprofessorofSystematicTheology.Ivividly
rememberhisinterestingettingacquainted
sinceIwastosucceedhisfatherwhohadheld
thatpositionforovertwentyyears.Iwasnot
Swedish,didnthaveaBaptistGeneralCon-
ferencebackground,andmydoctoralstudies
hadbeenconductedinasuspiciousEuropean
atmosphere.Iwasmorethanalittlesuspect.
Wespentmanyhoursofdiscussionand
prayerthatweek.Hisrstconcernwasto
assessmypersonalandtheologicalcom-
patibilitywithBetheland the BGC.I was
impressedwithhowintenselyhefeltthe
examiningprocessshouldexploreallaspectsofmycandidacy.Iwasequallyimpressed
that,oncesatised,heshowedthesamein-
tensedesiretoconvincemeoftheviability
ofministryatbothBethelandtheBGC.I
rememberVirgilsassurancethat,youcan
castalongshadowfromBethelSeminary.
Weendedtheweekwiththemutualprayer
that,shouldtheLordsolead,wecouldserve
togetherinafruitfulministryforChristand
HisKingdom.Fifty-sevenyearslaterIam
pleasedtowritethatthatprayerhasmore
thanbeenfullled.IpaytributetoVirgil.
1. As a Friend and Colleague.Notonly
havewebeencolleaguesonthefaculty,butwe
hadthepleasureofteamteachingcourses.We
sharedthesamephilosophy-tohelpstudents
notonlyunderstand theirtheology,butto
appreciatethehistoricalcontextinwhichit
wasshaped.Thesewererichtimesnotonly
forstudents,butforprofessorsaswell!
Welivedacrossthealleyfromeachother
andenjoyedtheprivilegeofbeingneighbors.
Severaleveningsaweekthetelephonewould
ringatabout9PM.Ifthecalloriginatedin
Virgilshometheone-wordconversationwouldbe,Coffee?Ifitwasplacedfrommy
homeitwas,Tea?Wedcrossthealleywith
ourwivesforanhouroffellowship,ending
thedaysharingfamilyproblemsandjoys.
2. As a Servant /Leader. Justthinkofthe
positionsofleadership(alwayswithaservant
spirit)thismanhasshared.Adistinguished
careerastheProfessorofHistoricalTheol-
ogyintheseminaryfollowed,characterized
bybotheffectiveteachingandextensive
writing. Later, elevated tothe position o
Provost/DeanofBethelCollege,hesetth
toneforbothcurriculardevelopmentand
facultyacquisition.
HerB skOGlunD,former Director of WorldMissions, Baptist General Conference|Igot
toknowVirgilin1946atabanquetatBeth-
elBaptistChurchinChicago.Iwas16years
oldandhelpedtosetupthetables.Virgil
wasthespeaker.Atthetimehewaspastor
oftheEmeraldAvenueBaptistChurch.
ThetextofhissermonwasLuke9:51,He
steadfastlysethisfacetogotoJerusalem.
(KJV)VirgilOlsonurgedourchurchto
followJesusexampleoftotalcommitment
toallphasesofthetaskGodhascalledus
toaccomplish.Istillrememberit.
From1951-54 Ihadtheprivilegeto
encounterDr.VirgilOlsonat
BethelSeminary.Hetaughtme
churchhistory,ecumenicalmove-
menthistoryandthehistoryof
preaching.Healwayshadtime
totalkwithstudents.Weknewhe
wouldwelcomeusintohisofce
toanswerquestionsrelatedtoour
Virgil Olson: Committed to Missions
studiesandfutureministryissues. In1956 Iwas appointed toJapanasa
Baptist General Conference missionary.
WhileatBethel,VirgilOlsonservedaterm
asamemberoftheWorldMissionBoard
andvisitedseveraleldsinthe1960s.Inan
articleentitled,PartnersintheGospel,Virgil
recognizedthatmissionariesnolongercome
totheseareasonlytoplantthegospelaspio-
neers,buttheyhavecometoworkaspartners
withthenationalchurchintheproclamation
ofthegospel.Thiswasespeciallytrueforthe
Japaneseassociationofchurches.
VirgilOlsonwasapartnerinministry.He
however,wasalsoa
missionsstrategist.
Hiscommitmentto
missionswasseen
in1974whenhe
cametoleadthe
Baptist General
ConferenceMis-
sionBoard.HeservedtheBoardforsevenyears.Hehad averycomprehensiveview
ofmissionhistory,theologyandstrategy.
HewasconcernedthattheBaptistGeneral
Conferencepastorswouldnurtureamis-
sionsdimensionintheirpreachingsched-
ule.Thepastor,Olsonbelieved,wasthekey
toacongregationsmotivationformissions.
TherewereanumberofissuesthatVirgil
helpedtoresolve.Theseincludetheestab-
lishmentofarelationshipwiththeNorth
AmericanBaptistsintheCameroons.Dur-
ingthedifculttimeoftheMaryStauffer
kidnapping,Virgilmadeavailableallofthe
resourcesoftheWorldMissionsBoardto
theauthoritiesinSt.Paul.
Hehasalwaysexempliedtheattitude
ofJesus.LikeJesushehassteadfastly
maintainedhiscommitmenttothewill
oftheFatherthatallpeoplesoftheearth
shouldhearandbelievetheGospel.Happy
Birthday,Virgil!
Clarence Bass and Virgil Olson
Jean and Herb Skoglund
As ifthis werenotenough, hewas then
electedtothepostofExecutiveSecretaryofthe
BGCBoardofWorldMissions,administering
amulti-milliondollarbudgetandthepersona
superintendenceofhundredsofmissionarie
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
17/20~ 17 ~
continued on p. 18
Tribute to My Father, from p. 1
tics.Wetalkedaboutsports,wetalkedabout
ourfamily,andbecausemydadtaughtchurch
history,wesometimeseventalkedabouttop-
icslikethesixteenth-centuryAnabaptists,or
CountZinzendorf.
Whenhetalkedaboutchurchhistory,it
wasclearitwasmorethanjustanacademic
andprofessional pursuitforhim.Formy
dad,knowingabouttheAnabaptistswasnt
importantonlybecauseithelpsonetoun-
derstandmodernMennonitesandHutter-
ites.TheAnabaptistsareimportantbecause
theyexemplifywhathappenswhenpeople
arewillingtocourageouslyfollowtheir
faithandtheirconsciencedespitepersecu-
tionfromboththestateandthedominant
churches.ManyAnabaptistsdiedasmartyrs
fortheirfaith.Inmydadseyestheyweremodelsofwhatitmightactuallylooklike
ifChristiansweremorewillingtomake
sacricesforGodsKingdom.
Duringthe17yearsthatmyfatherwasa
seminaryprofessor,heoftensupplemented
hisincomebyacceptinginterimpastoratesat
variousBaptistchurchesaroundtheTwinCit-
iesarea.Ialwaysthoughtitwasspecialwhen
hewould invitemealong.Itwouldbejust
thetwoofus.Ienjoyedsittingintherstor
secondpewofthechurchallbymyselfwhilemydadpreached.Iheardhimpreachalotof
differentsermons.Iheardenoughofthese
sermonstorealizethathehadsomefavorites
thathelikedtorepeatwhenhehadanew
audience.Hehadonewhereheemphasized
thatJesuswaswillingtogethishandsdirty
withtheworldandhewouldholduphis
handslikeclawsandyoucouldvisualizethe
muddrippingoffofJesushands.
The sermon Iwant to recall today was
basedonthebookofJohn,chapterone,verse
six,TherecameamansentfromGodwhose
namewasJohn.Iheardthissermonmany
times.Itisaperfectexampleofthepoint
Iwanttoemphasizetoday.Formyfather,
Churchhistoryismorethananinteresting
academicstudy,itprovidesexamplesofhow
toliveasaChristianintodaysworld.
Thesermonwascomposedofanumber
ofshortvignettesaboutpeoplenamedJohn
intheBibleandinchurchhistory.Eachof
them,indifferentways,werecalledbyGod
todoajob,andeachofthemwerefaith-
ful incarryingoutthat job,evenif itwas
sometimesatgreatpersonalrisk.Butmore
importantly,eachofthem,becausetheywere
faithfultoGodscalling,madeadifference
forGodsKingdom. ThesermonbeganwithJohntheBaptist
ofcourse,thepersondescribedinJohn1:6.
NexttherewasJohnChrsysostomfromthe
fourthcentury,someonethatalmostnone
ofhisBaptistlistenersknewanythingabout.
Idontrememberallthedetailseither,but
mydadsaidChrsysotom wasimportant
becausewhenGodcalledhimheresponded.
Wikipedia,thatgreat memoryjogger,says
Chrysostomwasknown,amongotherthings
forhispreachingandpublicspeaking.ThatishowhegotthenameChrysostomwhich
meansgolden-tongued.
NextthesermonturnedtoJohnHus,a
manwhowasburnedatthestakeforhisfaith
butwhoseideasinuencedtheProtestant
movementthatcame100yearslater.My
dadthendiscussedtheProtestantreformers
JohnCalvin,JohnWycliffe,andJohnKnox.
Ineachoftheseexamplesmydadwould
beginbysaying,Therewasamansentfrom
GodwhosenamewasJohn.Eachvignette
illustratedhowthesepeoplehadthecourage
tospeakupanddowhattheybelievedGod
wascallingthemtodo.Andeachmade
differenceforGodsKingdom.
Finally,mydadcametoJohnDanielson
hisjuniorhighSundayschoolteacher.John
Danielsonwasnota big historicalgure.I
thinkhewasatradesman,perhapsheworked
inamachineshop.Hemaybedidnteven
nishhighschool.Idontknow.Wikipedia
servinginaglobaloutreach.Histermwasdis-
tinguishednotonlybygrowth,bothinbudget
andnumberofmissionaries,butbypersonal
involvementwithnationalchurchleaders.
Timeforretirement,butnotforVirgil!Ina
post-retirementcareer,heassumedthepresi-
dencyoftheWilliamCareyInternational
University,agloballearningcommunitycommittedtodiscoveringandaddressing
therootsof humanproblemsaroundthe
world,withthechiefroleofdemonstrating
thecharacterofGod.
3. As the Soul-Force of the BGC/Converge.
Duringitslonghistory,theBaptistGeneral
Conferencehasproducedmanynationaland
internationalleaders.Standingatthetopof
thislistisVirgilOlson.
Hislifereectspreeminenceinbothleader-
shipabilitiesandpersonalpiety.Throughouttheyearshehasmodeledaquiet,unassuming
spirit;acompassionforthelessfortunate;
apassionfortruth;leadershipbyexample;
ferventchroniclerofBGChistory;anda
prayer-relateddependenceupontheSpirit
Hehasbeentheforemostarticulatorofthe
pietisticheritagewhichhehasinheritedand
forwhichhestandsasanexample.
Nowinthemiddleofhisninthdecade
heishonoredasoneoftheseniorstatesmen
oftheBGC/Convergeinparticular,andoEvangelicalismingeneral.AndI,withamul
titudeofothers,amhonoredtobeamong
hisfriends!
Virgil Olson, A Servant Leader, from p. 16
doesntsaymuchaboutJohnDanielson.
Thatbeing thecase,whydid myfatheincludeJohnDanielsoninhispantheonof
churchhistorynotables?Idoubtthejunio
highboysinmyfathersSundaySchoolclas
nick-namedhimJohnthegolden-tongued
The story my father toldwasthis. One
Sundayafterchurchdadwaschasingthe
otherboysaroundthechurchbuilding.Asmy
fatherroundedacornerinhotpursuitofan
otherlaughingboy,JohnDanielsongrabbed
myfatherbytheshouldersandlookedhimin
Dan and Virgil Olson
7/28/2019 The Baptist Pietist Clarion, May 2011
18/20~ 18 ~
Tribute to My Father, from p. 17
My Thoughts at Dr. Virgil Olsons94th Birthday PartyrOn saari, Pastor Central Baptist Church, St. Paul, Minnesota|WhenIwasincollege
andconsideringministry,IattendedaBethelsponsoredconferenceontheministry.I
wasopentoBethelandpastoralministry.Itisimportanttoremembertheclimateof
thosedays.TheVietnamwarwasrampingup.Studentprotestswerebeginningtotake
place.Mygenerationwasbeginningtoquestionourgovernmentandauthoritiesin
general.Thereactionoftheestablishmenttotheprotestwastocriticizemygenerationasradicalandunruly.
ThespeakeratthisconferencewasDr.VirgilOlson.Dr.Olsonwasanunknownto
me.WemetonthelakesideoftheArdenHillscampus.Theseminaryhadjustmoved
intothenewcampus.Thegrasswasnotin.Asbeautifulasthesettingwasevenwithout
perfectlandscaping,myfocuswasonwhatDr.Olsonhadtosay.Histext,letnoone
despiseouryouth.Itwasrefreshingword.Whileothersweredegradingtheyouth,he
wasafrmingthem.HeusedtheexampleofMartinLutheranddrewtheanalogyof
LuthersyouthfulnessandhissignicanceforKingdomministry.Myrstimpression
wentalongwaytosealmychoiceofBethelasaplacefortraining.
MysecondencounterwithDr.Olson
camein1980asIassumedthepastorate
ofSalemBaptistChurchofChicago.It
wasformerlyknownasEmeraldAvenue
BaptistChurchandVirgilOlsonwasthe
pastorfrom1945-1951.In1951heac-
ceptedachurchhistorypositionatBethel
Seminary.
IcreditthelateDr.HaroldChristianson
forcounselingmetoalwayshonormy
predecessors.It waseasyto honor Dr.
Olson.Hewaswelllovedandrememberedbythechurch.IinvitedVirgiltospeakwhen
theoccasionwarranted.WhenmywifeandIconsideredwhomwewouldliketoaskforthe
dedicationofourrstchildin1981,IaskedDr.Olsonifhewouldhonorusbydedicatingourson.Itwasapleasuretocallhim,pastor,asheledthechurchinprayerforourson.
AsIcametoCentralBaptistChurchIhavehadtheopportunitytorubshoulderswith
Dr.Olsonandappreciatehiswitandcreativity.Duringtheopentheismtheological
deb
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