The Convention at Oklahoma City
By Victor I. MastersPRACTICALLY every reader of The Home Field reads one or more of our denominational papers. Every one of the papers carries in its columns the report of the Southern Baptist Convention. Therefore, it is not necessary or desirable for The Home Field to undertake in its pages a detailed report of the great annual meeting of Southern Baptists at Oklahoma City, May 15-20.
For once we have a bit more of freedom than the papers in our approach to a Southern Baptist theme, and we shall make use of it by weaving a story of the conclave that makes no effort at completeness, that takes hold for the most part of the particular topic to which the magazine is dedicated, and that follows the fancy of the editor just as far as be feels that it is safe and as his depleted energies will allow on returning to his desk from the religious dissipation of the trip to the big plains.
A Milestone of Approved Material. OUR ANNUAL Southern Convention serves many significant purposes. One of them is that it is a milestone along the way of the history of the denominational body. It is our habit to construct these milestones of approved material, and the tendency to improvement in our workmanship is gratifying and constant. Fresh from the wholesome spiritual tonicity of the great gathering, the depleted physical condition of the Convention participant never gets such dominance of his spirit that he can not manfully cry aloud to all who will hear that this particular last meeting of the conventional body was the greatest of them all.
Let no brother accuse me of barrenness of expression because I now set forth my own statement that this was the greatest of all Conventions. By the blessing of God, we are expecting to attend another "best of them all’' next year and the year after, and as many years as in the providence of God we may foregather with the representatives of this great denominational body, with one of the general mission agencies of which we are permitted to render service and to send forth in this monthly magazine such chastened and semi-official utterances as seem to comport with the proper functions of such a publication.
Great Mission Apportionments. THE CONVENTION apportioned more money than ever before, and during the past twelve months its agencies have raised and expended more in their activities than ever before. The apportionments for the two Mission Boards for the opening of the fiscal year included a substantial advance upon those of the closing year, and in addition provision was made for special activities on the part of the two Boards which will bring the monetary total outlined at the Oklahoma Convention far above that of any preceding year.
The Foreign Mission Board was authorized to raise a million-dollar Judson Memorial Fund for educational work and an additional $250,000 fund for equipment The Home Mission Board was told to raise a million-dollar Church Building Loan Fund. Both agencies were instructed to employ means adequate to accomplish the purpose outlined. The Foreign Board's plan calls for the conduct of a three-year campaign under the direction of Dr. T. B. Ray of that Board, with a designated brother in each State to co-operate with him in the initiation of the proposed campaign. The Foreign Board program calls for the finish of this campaign work within three years. An assistant will be employed in the educational work of Dr. Ray.
The Home Mission Board campaign for the Church Building Loan Fund calls for the using of such existing agencies of the Board as may thus be used without injury to the present work, and the employment of such additional agencies as may be found necessary for the vigorous and speedy prosecution of this work. We expect to set forth from time to time many things about this campaign for the Church Building Loan Fund In the columns of The Home Field and in the denominational press. The
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Home Board has had the approval of the Convention for several years for this special campaign, but has not heretofore aggressively pushed it. From this time forth it is the purpose of the Board to give diligent heed to this additional work of vast importance, and to employ agencies adequate to the enlarged task.While I am speaking of the Home Mission Board in the Convention, I may as well call attention to some other matters pertaining to our own work, as set forth there. The report on Evangelism, which will be found elsewhere in this magazine, highly commends the work of our Evangelistic Department, calls for its enlargement, and particularly for a special college evangelist and another evangelist under the direction of this Department whose work shall be primarily to organize a campaign among the Negro Baptists in the various cities in which our evangelists conduct campaigns among the whites, with the purpose of having our city campaigns touch the blacks of our Southern cities at the same time the white people of the cities are being reached.
There Is no doubt that these two proposed additions to the Home Board Evangelistic activities will meet with wide and general commendation.
A Meeting That Promises Much. THE REPORT of the Home Board to the Convention Bet forth the desire of the Board to call together its Vice-Presidents from the various States In connection with the July meeting of the Board, and perhaps again in January, 1913, In connection with the initiation of the spring campaign for Home Mission collections. This idea was approved by the Convention and it is the purpose of our Board to have its Vice-Presidents come to Atlanta in connection with the meeting on first Tuesday In July. It is desired that the Vice-Presidents shall take large part and that there shall be much inspiring discussion of the principles and methods of Home Missions.
The Board is looking forward to this meeting with much cheer and pleasant anticipation. Much helpful discussion is anticipated in addition to the regular work of the July meeting, which consists in outlining and making appropriations for the work of the opening fiscal year. The participation of the Vice-Presidents in this important work and the inspiration and suggestions that can not but result from the participancy of the Vice-Presidents, will unquestionably of large worth to the great cause committed to our Board and tend to put it into closer contact and fellowship with the denomination in each State.
Group of Indian Converts Stirs the Convention. THERE IS SOMETHING remarkable in the effect on a Convention audience of the bringing before It In person of the more picturesque and needy classes among whom our mission activities are conducted. It affords food for the student in psychology; if so be this brother Is hunting for a new thing to think about.
Our meeting In Oklahoma City made it easy for the Home Board to have on hand a lot of Indians. In connection with the Home Mission program on Thursday night of the Convention, fifteen or twenty of these Indians were brought to the platform. They were both men and women and some, of them were dressed in their native costume while some wore citizens' clothes. None of them were painted and bedecked for spectacular effect on the audience. These included some Interesting personalities, chief among them being Old Chief White Eagle, who has attained his three score years and ten, and nine years more. White Eagle Is a great chief of the Pawnees and the old man stood out before the audience and told his story about how he came to walk in the Jesus road, while a young Indian in citizen's clothes interpreted it.
Several other Indians talked through the missionary or the interpreter and the missionaries themselves talked, and then; the Indians sang together one of our gospel songs, while the great audience joined in the chorus. All of this is simple enough, but the effect on that Convention concourse was magic. A great wave of feeling swept over the body and it refused to hear anything else until it heard those Indians who have found the Jesus road. It sat in breathless silence when Old White Eagle told in his Indian way through the interpreter about his conversion, and it literally swept Itself off its feet as it joined with great
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swelling volume of song in the chorus of a tune, the air of which the Indians carried on the platform, that is, those of the Indians who could sing at all.Let him who is gifted with the ability to crack nuts of this character tell us about the psychology of all this. Let him who wishes smile, and let him who prefers shed a tear. It is more convenient for the present writer not to find any fault with either of these classes, and he does not believe there is any occasion to find fault with either.
The real power of such a spectacle as was presented through the coming of the Indians on the platform at the Convention seems to be in the fact that the presence of these people gets down to the reality of the power of the gospel to do that thing that we are all the time talking about. It gives oracular evidence of the ability of the gospel to save unto the uttermost them who come unto God by Christ. It shows more effectively than cunning and eloquent words that the missionary job has in it, divine purpose and divine power.
The chairmen who reported on Home Missions on the Convention committees appointed by President E. C. Dargan were: Dr. J. B. Gambrell on Functions and Finances of the Home Board; Dr. H. L. Winburn on Mission Fields; Dr. J. F. Vines on Church Building; Dr. O. C. S. Wallace on Cities, and Foreigners; Dr. W. M. Vines on Mountain Schools, and Dr. Lee R. Scarborough on Evangelism. Dr. Winburn took the place of Dr. Lowrey of Mississippi, who was first asked to report on Mission Fields, and Dr. W. M. Vines took the place of Dr. Winfrey of Virginia, who was asked by President Dargan to report on Mountain Schools. Dr. Wallace took the place of Dr. Weaver of Tennessee, who was to have spoken on Cities and Foreigners. The absence of the brethren indicated was regretted, but their places were well filled, though the substitutes had Inadequate time to treat the subjects submitted to them In the way they themselves desired.
New Mexico and the North and South Committee. THE NEW MEXICO North and South committee brought in its report. This committee, was appointed to come to an understanding about general principles on comity between Baptists North and South. The troublesome point of their negotiation, however, was only reached when what is known as the New Mexico matter came up for consideration. We shall probably publish much of the report in the next number of The Home Field. It Is sufficient here to say that the Convention adopted the recommendation of this North and South committee, that the New Mexico Baptists should be affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. This report does not interfere with the Independence of the local churches or abridge their right to ally themselves as they may wish. It simply expresses the judgment of the North and South committee and, if adopted by the Northern Convention as It was adopted by the Southern Convention, will he the expression of the judgment of the two general Baptist bodies of America with regard to the subject in hand.
The Convention did not appoint as a permanent body this North and South comity committee. The committee did not report recommending such a permanent continuance, but it was thought that such a report would be made and the caution with which the Convention agreed to continue the committee till the New Mexico matter is settled, a caution which expressed itself in the asking of many questions on the floor of the Convention that it might clearly understand the intended functions of the continued committee -- all of this indicated very clearly that the Southern Baptists do not wish to have any permanent North and South comity committee, but are content to rely upon the Boards of the Southern Baptist Convention to do the work Southern Baptists wish, giving these Boards such instructions from time to time through the Convention as may be thought desirable.
Denominational Spirit Abounds. IT IS BEYOND the purpose of this story to indicate in its entirety the work of the Convention. Educational matters, particularly the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the Sunday School Board, Woman's Missionary Union, and the Young People's work and Temperance all called forth from the Convention expressions that were constructive and helpful and that shall be the norm
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of our denominational activities for the next year.It was refreshing to note in how many ways and how often the spirit of denominational loyalty and solidarity expressed itself at the great Oklahoma City meeting. Report after report, speech after speech, beautifully indicated how thoroughly aroused the denomination Is to the necessity of standing firmly for those distinctive principles that are the very foundation of the separate existence and mission of the Baptist denomination.
The report on denominational newspapers, which I have overlooked in the numeration above, sounded this note in a beautiful way. And indeed, there are no conservators of the spirit of denominationalism among Baptists that outrank in importance the denominational papers. Perhaps there is none that equals them, though the Home Board, State Boards, Sunday School Board, and our denominational educational institutions all are potent conservators of denominational loyalty and integrity.
I must mention, though in the barest way, the impetus given denominational loyalty by a part of the report of the Sunday School Board. This report cited a meeting of the officials of the Sunday School Boards of the various denominations, a meeting which has now been an annual occurrence for several years. This Interdenominational organization (it will be well always to discriminate between an interdenominational and an undenominational organization) has set itself squarely on record as positively in the fight to conserve denominational integrity and loyalty in the various denominational bodies that comprise this interdenominational organization.
Inter and Undenominationalism. THESE RESPONSIBLE agencies of the various denominations have beheld the demoralizing and weakening effects of the trimming and sentimentality that inhere In undenominational organizations from the very nature of their being, and they have at an hour when it was greatly needed put themselves straitly on record as favoring the spirit of denominationalism in the Sunday-schools.
Turning for a moment from the reportorial function to that of the editorial, the writer begs to point a finger at the parenthetical expression in the paragraph above and say that we shall be in less danger from the inroads of the weak sentimentalism into which undenominational propaganists [propogandists] tend to descent; if we shall clearly, in our meaning distinguish between interdenominational and undenominational. A truly interdenominational organization is made up of the responsible representatives of different denominations, while an undenominational organization is made up of a lot of men selected out of different denominations for the sake of policy, by a self-constituted organization, in the forming of which no denominational body has a responsible voice.
Big Plans and Good Fellowship. IT WAS A GREAT MEETING there on the plains in the Magic City in the results reported and the program outlined for the succeeding year. A total of about $3,500,000 was apportioned to be raised, some of it within the year and some within a period of years. But I am of the opinion that a feature of our conventional gatherings that is of almost equal importance with the formal work of the body, is in the fellowship and genial comradeship of the brethren and sisters who attend our Conventions.
It is a good time to venture the assertion that it will be a good long while before we shall have any division of our great Convention into two or more Conventions. The treasured associations and sympathies of generations, renewed, year by year, and handed down from the seniors to the juniors through all the years, will not be speedily or easily broken. We believe it is true that if we were compelled to divide our Convention into two bodies there are not a few brethren West who would choose rather to cast their lot with the brethren East than with the West, and not a few of the brethren East who would choose to cast their lot with the Western body, for the reason that the Eastern brethren get so much stimulating helpfulness from the Western brethren, and the Western brethren get so much from the Eastern brethren, each contributing its own bounty and peculiar gifts and talents to the strengthening of the whole spiritual body.
The Home Field editor has a very large respect for the Baptist editors of the
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denominational weeklies. This respect is personal and genuine and is coupled with sincere esteem and admiration. It is also a umns [?] on us as a worker with one of the denomination's general agencies. If this last-named consideration for our papers excites amusement, I shall still dare to acclaim it because it is coupled with something that has in it less of self-interest and more of unselfish devotion. Having thus hedged against possible editorial disapproval, I dare arise and remark that our editorial brethren may prophecy the division of the Southern Baptist Convention very often, if they still choose to do it to liven up things when news matters are dull, without that division ever transpiring.
Bouquets for the Home Field. IT WAS exceedingly refreshing to have brethren at the Convention say to The Home Field editor what a fine magazine The Home Field is. The brethren were not mild in their endorsement, they were enthusiastic. It did our heart good to hear them talk. We hope the magazine merits and we will bestir ourselves to continue to merit the approval of such a generous constituency. We are even possessed with grace enough at this instant not to turn this opportunity around and make out of it the basis of a lecture to brethren about not doing more to circulate this very excellent magazine.
We were also rejoiced at the hearty reception given our new book, The Home Mission Task. We sold out all we took to the Convention, and we were commended on many sides for bringing out the book and assured of its worth and fitness. Brethren not a few commended our expressed purpose to bring out still other books, and this will be done just as fast as the limited number of general workers of the Board can do their part toward bringing about this end.
========== [From Victor I. Masters, The Home Field, June 1912, pp. 12-16; via via Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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