6/1/1985 - Amazon Web Services

Criswell Saw Seminary
hcesident Should Resign By Jim Jones
AWAKE WKRCJJND STORY
Baptist Press
10/10/84
DALLAS (Ell?)-W.A. Criswell, pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas, says a Southern
Ba@ist sdmry pesident should resign if he wants to mntinue criticizing the denomination's
f udammtalist faction.
Cxiswell said he believes Ray L; Eionwt , president of Southern Baptist- Theolqical
Seminary in Lbuisville, Ky., shouldn't criticize the people wlm py his salary.
"I haw only one objection to it (the criticism)," Criswell said. "He depends upon (the
denomination) to p~y his salary."
"If he is going to castigate us, I think he should resign, get him amther job, and he can
say anything about us he wants to," Criswell said.
"But don't depend upon LW far his salary."
Criswell made the amnmt in a wide-ranging interview prim to his 40th anniversary as
pasta of the Dallas a&, celebrated Oct. 7.
Meyt3utt rankled many fut-damentalists in his conmcation address last month at the
Louisville seminary because he criticized what he called an "independent fundmentalist
political party" in the denomination.
One of the mjar leaders uf the inerrancy movement is Paige Patterson, Criswell's
associate pastor and the president of the Criswell Center far Biblical Studies in Dallas.
Honeycutt said in a telephone interview his remarks have been misinterpeted as
criticizing the existence of "furdamentalism" itself in the ddnation.
He said he only attacked the fundamentalist political faction, whi& he believes is trying
to slibvert the traditional Baptist diversity of theological beliefs. "I apeciate Dr.
Criswell, and he is a part of the diversity of our oonvention," Honqcwtt said.
Wneycutt said the 125-~ar-old seminary, the oldest in the denomination, has had a
tradition of presidents wkao addressed denomination issues, and he felt it is his responsibility
to mmmt about what he sees as an attempt by a fundammtalist political rmchine to dkminate
the aonmtion. "I ' m oonoerned about f reedan," Honeycutt said. "There is roan for
fundamentalists in the convention. I'm fan: being inclusive, not aclusive."
Honeycutt disagrees with the position that a person paid by the Southern Baptist Corntion
should not spak out on issues. "That simply dercuts the whole prophetic emesis of
the Old Testment and the witness ab the Ner~ Testament &ut bearing witness , " he said.
Ebneycutt said the me of his statement about "holy war" has bm over mphasized and that
he was simply using a biblical analogy."
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(Jones is religion editor of the Fat Worth Star-Telegram. )