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Uneasy in Babylon: Southern Baptist Convservative and American Culture (Religion & American Culture)

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Whenever someone asks me why I am happy to be (and stay) a Southern Baptist, I usually point out three reasons. The first reason is theological. I agree with the Baptist Faith and Message (2000).

The second reason is missional. I know of no better mission force in the world than the International Mission Board. What Southern Baptists have accomplished together for world missions is truly remarkable, and I offer hearty support to this effort.

The third reason is historical. Thirty years ago, the trajectory of the SBC was heading towards liberalism. Our journey mirrored that of many mainline denominations. By God's grace, we made a course-correction. I am thankful for the Conservative Resurgence and I hope we are seeing the beginnings of a Great Commission Resurgence.

For those interested in the controversy that took place in Southern Baptist life during the last decades of the last century, let me recommend Uneasy in Babylon: Southern Baptist Conservatives and American Culture (University of Alabama, 2002) by Barry Hankins. Hankins puts together a fascinating profile of Southern Baptist conservatives.

From the beginning, Hankins lays his cards on the table. He admits that he is more "moderate" than conservative, but he claims to be an outsider as he does his research. Though he leans to the moderate side, Hankins recognizes that there were major issues at stake in the Conservative Resurgence. He criticizes the moderates for downplaying the significance of conservative concerns. Hankins sees misinterpretation on both sides of the divide.

The best part of the book is Hankins' profile of Southern Baptist conservatives, men like Al Mohler, Paige Patterson, Timothy George and Richard Land. Moderates tend to lump all these men together. Hankins ably demonstrates that there are significant distinctions in their overall vision. He shows that these men may be united on many essential doctrines, but there are enough distinctions to keep them from being labeled together.

Uneasy in Babylon tells the story of the Conservative Resurgence topically. One chapter focuses on the transformation of Southern Seminary from a left-wing institution, to a progressive evangelical school, to a politically right-wing seminary. Another chapter documents the differences between Southern Baptists on race issues. A third chapter focuses on church/state relations, specifically the development of church state relations throughout Southern Baptist history and in the past thirty to forty years.

Hankins proves his ability as an historian by dealing with complexity within the conservative ranks. Yet, he still finds it helpful to synthesize some of the beliefs and practices that are common to most on the conservative side. His ability to find a balance between complexity and synthesis is what makes this book valuable.

Definitely worth buying/reading if you're interested in southern religious history and culture. This book is about the Southern Baptist Convention from 1979, when conservatives began taking it over, until c. 2000, when the book was written. The title alludes to Spain's _At Ease in Zion_, and hence points to the topic. The subtitle, "Southern Baptist Conservatives and American Culture," points to the overall interpretive framework: namely, that many Southerners reacted to the loss of political freedom after the civil war and the loss of traditional southern culture in the 20th century by becoming "culture warriors." Baptists often have stayed away (as a group, not as individuals) from political action in order to preserve the right of private worship: I won't meddle in your affairs if you don't meddle in mine. This changed in the late 70s, and Hankins wants to give an account of how, and to the extent that he can, why it did. That's putting the matter coarsely: Hankins does a much better job of making the case fairly.

Strengths: Hankins did personal interviews with a lot of the main characters in his story and did a fair amount of archival work. Overall the book is easy to read. It covers a variety of themes. Hankins generally succeeds in adopting a perspective that is relatively impartial, and tries to represent all sides fairly. So it's good at what it tries to do.

Weaknesses: The book is a little stilted in format. The final paragraph of each chapter is often fairly incoherent, because Hankins is trying to make a transition to the next chapter, even when this seems rather artificial. Each chapter has a conclusion, even when there's really nothing to conclude, etc. The sections within each chapter are a bit on the long side; I think Hankins was trying to ensure that each chapter was about the same length, so the density of information varies a little. Also, the book focuses on the intellectuals and activists, though it makes reference to the fact that often the masses of Southern Baptists had different views. It would have been nice to get more insight into the average worshipper, but that would have been another book, and a harder one to write.

More importantly, Hankins is a historian, and his background isn't as strong in philosophy or hermeneutics. This comes across when he tries to interpret the debates that he discusses. In fact, interpretation is the weakest part of the book: I'd have been happier if Hankins simply described what happened as best as he could. Occasionally Hankins editorializes on what happened or takes a position on a particular debate, and this really doesn't add anything to the narrative.

Structure: the first two chapters provide background and context, and the third talks about the conservative takeover of the SBC seminaries; these chapters are the best part of the book. Chapters 4-5 (about 60 pages) discuss the SBC view of church-state relations, and there really isn't two chapters' worth of material here. So the middle of the book really drags. I almost gave up at this point, but I'm glad I didn't. The final chapters on the abortion controversy, gender, and race are interesting and informative. Don't get me wrong: the church-state problem is vital, but Hankins just doesn't have two chapters worth of material here. The race issue is really key in a lot of ways, so it's a good place for the book to end.

_Uneasy in Babylon_ leaves the reader with more questions than answers, and that's the way it should be. It tackles a big topic, provides a good introduction to the external facts, and leaves room both for more scholarship and for the reader to continue thinking about the issues it addressed. If Hankins thinks he should, or can, interpret what happened, I think we can understand why: readers will want to do the same thing. So it's really a book that makes you think.