Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1999. / Includes prospectus. This is an electronic reproduction of TREN, #049-0300. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 233-260).

Thesis (D.Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2004. / Includes abstract. Includes prospectus. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 225-247).

Thesis (D. Ed. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-121).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2004. / "September 2004." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 225-247).

Thesis (M.A.P.S.)--Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries, 1986. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-79).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Baylor University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 327-344).

It is generally agreed that Baptists represent one of the largest bodies of "sectarian" opinion. The term "sectarianism" is used in a sociological rather than a polemical or derogatory sense. It serves to indicate the basic attitude of a socially exclusive or "sect-type" religious organization as differentiated from a "church-type", or socially inclusive and accommodative, religious body. Until recently it has been an accepted procedure to explain religious diversity in purely theological terms. Since the turn of the century an effort has been made to examine the social and economic factors in religious development. The "frontier thesis" has been evoked to explain sectarianism, and sociologists have tended to place all their conclusions within the framework of environmental determinism. Such an approach appears to involve a denial of the intrinsic validity and spiritual relevance of theological ideas. It is the contention of this thesis that religious diversity among Baptists in British Columbia is to be explained both in terms of environmental influences and in terms of ideas which were "imported" from the Old World and the United States. In the Christian tradition such ideas came mediately from Western Europe, which in turn had "imported" them from Palestine. Immediately, these ideas came from the Scriptures, which were regarded by sectarians as authoritative. While the author holds to the intrinsic validity of Biblical theological concepts, no attempt is made here to substantiate this view, this task being left to the Christian apologist. Within the scope of this thesis it shall suffice to demonstrate that Baptists in British Columbia were strongly influenced by the "imported1' ideas of Biblical theology and by the "imported" concepts of religious liberalism. The frontier environment was not the originator of these ideas, but gave an opportunity for the free interplay of these ideas. The net result of this interplay in British Columbia has been Baptist groups which bear a resemblance to Old World counterparts, and which, at the same time, bear the stamp of American influence and Canadian national characteristics. British Columbia Baptists are what they are because of economic, social, theological and spiritual factors. None of these factors can be completely segregated and viewed in splendid isolation. Baptist sectarianism is related not only to society but also to the ideas of the New Testament. In the British Columbia context, "the struggle to maintain sectarianism" was a struggle to maintain the sectarian interpretation of New Testament principles, in spite of the challenge of other theological ideas, in the milieu of the social and economic influences of frontier and modern society. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

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Race and Christianity are inseparably intertwined in the U.S., past and present. While there has been much scholarship at this intersection recently, this study focuses on less explored areas: the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)--the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, and the somewhat neglected period between 1970-2000. The objective: ascertain how Southern Baptist leadership attempted to address the "problem" of race during this period. Of special significance is the transition during these years from more moderate/conservative leadership to a Fundamentalist/Conservative regime. This study focuses in particular on the Race Relations Sunday (RRS) initiative promoted and observed annually by Southern Baptists beginning in 1965. I accessed archives of the RRS materials and used a grounded theory method approach to analyze the content of these documents. After hundreds of documents had been coded and analyzed, I found that: 1) the SBC saw individual-level sin as the primary cause of racism and racial inequality throughout the 30 years, but there was also some expression of institutionally embedded causes earlier on—a focus that became almost non-existent by the 1990s; 2) the way the SBC tried to diversify changed as the decades passed, from attempts to integrate churches or create multiracial churches to recruiting or creating majority non-white churches; 3) the pursuit of individual- and small group-level racial reconciliation was evident and pronounced throughout the thirty years; an alternate solution calling on white people to pay the price of giving up their unjust privileges and advantages was found somewhat in the earlier years, but nearly disappeared in the later years; 4) "Observing" Race Relations Sunday became less about concrete action, and changed into a more passive, positive public relations effort as time went on; 5) The goal or hoped-for outcome was "improved race relations" all along, with the colorblind approach coming to more prominence as the years passed; a parallel emphasis on establishing justice and equality was apparent in earlier years, but less so in later years. I take up the problem of defining "the race problem" for the SBC and our society in the concluding chapter. / Doctor of Philosophy / This study focuses on Southern Baptists--the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, and their attempts to address racial issues through observance of a "Race Relations Sunday" initiative. Of special significance is the transition during the years studied (1970-2000) from more moderate/conservative leadership to fundamentalist/ conservative leadership. The annual Race Relations Sunday materials were coded and analyzed. The findings included that the race-centered focus was primarily on individual-level sin throughout the 30 years, with whatever focus on society-wide issues fading over the years. Also, the SBC stopped focusing so much on integrating or creating multiracial churches and turned the focus to majority non-white churches joining the denomination.; individual racial reconciliation was a focus throughout; any expectation that whites pay a price to make things right nearly disappears in the later years. Race Relations Sunday became less about community action and more about passive, positive public relations. And an ill-defined hope to "improve race relations" became the almost sole focus as earlier concern for justice and equality faded. The problem of defining "the race problem" is taken up in the concluding chapter.

No description available.