My Mom and Dad had dropped away from church when I was growing up. They struggled with their relationship and almost divorced several times. They finally came to it my freshman year in college.
My Mama Rogers had shared Christ with me as a kid and I ended up making a Profession of Faith in the church of a Pastor who was a dear friend of the family, in Mississippi, while visiting one summer. I had accepted Christ earlier in the year, but hadn’t made it public, because I didn’t know what to do. Remember, we weren’t attending church.
When we got back to town, the Pastor, Bro. Mac – short for Athens McNeal, had called the First Baptist Church of our town, Bellaire, TX. They came by and visited with us and invited us to church. I went and joined the Youth Group, and my parents came along also. It was good to be in church.
I grew spiritually, and soaked up what they were giving. My love for God was far outweighed by any sense I had. I started reading the Bible every night on the side of my bed, just like Papa Rogers. I didn’t know any better, so I started in Genesis just kept going. I still remember some of the more obscure Old Testament stories better than other parts of Scripture because of that time.
At that time, a nice man used to come and preach at my church. He was a Judge, and that impressed me. He would preach and then would read articles out of newspapers and said that people were saying bad things about us. After the services, I would always go speak to him. He was very kind and generous to me. He introduced me to his son, Paul, Jr. Paul had an accident that had impaired some of his mental functions, but he was such a nice kid and I felt a lot of compassion for him. I had a sense that his father loved him very much.
It turns out that FBC, Bellaire had sent Judge Paul Pressler to the SBC in 1979. The thing that was controversial about that – the thing that the Judge was talking about in those press clippings – was that he was a messenger from FBC as an HONORARY member. Being 12, I didn’t quite “get it.” My uncle David, a Pastor, explained that some at the convention contested that the Judge should not be seated, since he was not a member of the church that sent him. They alleged that since his home church, FBC, Houston, didn’t send him, he shouldn’t be there.
It was all politics to me, and I didn’t quite get it. I had no idea why the SBC in 1979, why Judge Pressler’s presence there, why the fuss – why?
Of course, now I know. The Judge helped start a revolution in the SBC – was the brains behind it, and 1979 was ground zero.
Next: Houston Baptist University and the takeover, Southwestern Seminary and Dr. Dilday, Silence and Memphis.
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Kevin Bussey
on May 9th, 2006
@ 3:49 pm:
I’m curious to hear how your days at SWBTS were since we were there at the same time. Those were dark days.
Anonymous
on May 9th, 2006
@ 5:25 pm:
This is great. I grew up at First Baptist Church, Euless, Texas, and I too have these strange childhood memories of the resurgence. When I read Baptist Reformation and the Ammerman book I could remember the times when I would see the movers and shakers at our church, but had no idea what was going on.
I remember asking my mother how Jimmy Draper and Ronald Reagan could be the president at the same time.