 Dr. Paul Dixon and Dr. James T. Jeremiah circa 1980 |
For 50 years Dr. James T. Jeremiah and Dr. Paul Dixon have had an emphasis at Cedarville University on working with a number of Baptist and conservative evangelical groups. Some of the University's more prominent relationships include the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC) and the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship Association (FBFA). Dixon, who began holding evangelistic meetings in Southern Baptist churches years before he became Cedarville's president, often says, "God is not honored by a narrow view of the Kingdom." He lived out that perspective as he sought to create and solidify relationships with conservative elements of many groups, including the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
"This relationship is something that Dr. Jeremiah and I discussed from the time I first became president," Dixon said. "Dr. Jeremiah instinctively knew that many Southern Baptists were as conservative in their theology as we were. He started reaching out to them almost as soon as he became president in 1953. And, I've had the privilege of continuing to pursue those Southern Baptists who embrace our doctrinal positions."
One of the most remarkable events in church history has been the resurgence of the conservative movement within the Southern Baptist Convention. Southern Baptists who held to historical, orthodox Christian doctrine, most notably biblical inerrancy, have struggled to regain and maintain control of the denomination over liberals and modernists, who reject biblical authority. Dr. Paige Patterson, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., and one of the leading figures of the resurgence, calls it "the Renaissance among Baptists."
"The conservative resurgence," wrote R. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., "is one of the most critical turning points in American religious history."
Adrian Rogers, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., and former SBC president, proclaims the resurgence "an epic event," and another former SBC president, Jerry Vines, pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., calls it "the miraculous turnaround in the Southern Baptist Convention."
At the annual meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, in November 2002, a resolution was approved to recommend Cedarville University to Ohio convention churches and to "all Southern Baptists as an accredited, quality, four-year university that embraces Southern Baptists."
Evangelical and Southern Baptist leaders from across the country quickly hailed the relationship. Dr. David Jeremiah, pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif., and son of the late Dr. James T. Jeremiah, said, "My father was a leader in the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, but he knew there were many fellow believers among the Southern Baptists, and he longed to embrace them and to have them embrace Cedarville. I am excited about what this relationship will mean for both the institution I love for its steadfast testimony and the convention I admire for its ability to reshape itself."
Patterson, who served as SBC president from 1998-2000, voiced similar sentiment over the announcement. "I am impressed by the quality of Cedarville University's graduates as well as their faculty and programs," he said. "I believe Cedarville is one of the finest Christian universities in the nation. Because of its required Bible minor, Cedarville is a model of what every Christian liberal arts institution ought to be." Patterson has spoken on Cedarville's campus on many occasions. Dixon has pursued Patterson as a Cedarville trustee for a number of years. Due to his responsibilities at Southeastern and his presidency of the SBC, Patterson has only recently been able to accept this opportunity.
"This is an important moment in the cause of Christ," said Dr. Joseph Stowell, president of Moody Bible Institute and a Cedarville alumnus. "As a leading figure in the GARBC, my dad reached out to a young Southern Baptist when he was a student at Princeton University in New Jersey. That young man, by the name of Paul Pressler, went on to become one of the leaders of the conservative movement in the SBC and now serves as the first vice president of the convention. I know that my dad is as appreciative of this relationship as I am."
Mohler stated, "I believe that [Cedarville is] one of the premier institutions defining Christian education in this generation. I am going to go beyond that and say I believe that the Lord is doing in this place something unique, to demonstrate that there can be academic excellence that is culturally relevant and yet deeply rooted in the life of the church and upon the faith once for all delivered to the saints." Mohler is also a veteran speaker on Cedarville's campus. His most recent visit was as speaker at the University's annual Charter Day observance on Jan. 26, 2003.
Dr. Morris Chapman, chief executive officer of the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., said, "Thanks to Ohio Baptists, Southern Baptists will now learn more about the high standard of Christian values that characterize the Cedarville campus."
"They will discover," he added, "an institution and faculty committed to providing a quality education based upon conservative biblical principles historically rooted in biblical inerrancy. They will rejoice to learn that this institution is teaching the Truth to future leaders of our nation."
Dixon was equally delighted. "This announcement by the Ohio Southern Baptists should be met with great anticipation for the future. We have the unusual opportunity to keep our independent identity while working with the SBC and other conservative evangelical groups," he explained. "In most cases, undergraduate institutions are owned and operated by the state conventions. In our case, we remain a self-governing institution with an independent board."
"We are most excited about how this relationship came about," Dixon explained. "Leaders of the movement that returned the SBC to doctrinal orthodoxy ? an event unique in church history ? recognized Cedarville as a place where their young people could receive an 'education consistent with biblical truth.'
"I wonder how many people understand just what has happened in the SBC over the past two decades in terms of doctrinal issues," Dixon said. "It really is epic, miraculous, and critical. It is a true watershed event. This relationship is an affirmation of where Cedarville University has stood over the years. Our commitment to the inerrant Word of God is clear and unequivocal. That steadfastness is what attracted the attention of the SBC. And now, many thousands of Southern Baptist young people who are seeking an institution where they can receive a quality education in a thoroughly Christian environment will find it at Cedarville."