Exiled: Voices of the Southern Baptist Convention Holy War
"These personal narratives of distinguished Baptists illustrate the adverse consequences of exclusive fundamentalism, and the need for unity among traditional Baptists."  —Jimmy Carter

It has been one of the major news stories in religion and culture of the past twenty-five years. From 1979 to 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) was rocked by assaults on its leadership by fundamentalists, who used questionable tactics to gain top positions and then used their power to purge Baptist seminary presidents and professors, church pastors, lay leaders, and women from positions of responsibility. America's largest Christian, non-Catholic denomination is firmly locked in a “holy war” to secure its churches and membership for a never-ending struggle against a liberal culture.

Exiled: Voices of the Southern Baptist Convention Holy War is a compilation of first-person narratives by conservative and moderate ministers and lay leaders who were stripped of their positions and essentially became pariahs in the churches to which they had devoted their lives.

While other books have described the takeover in historical, political, and theological terms, Exiled is different. Individual people tell their personal stories, revealing the struggle and heartache that resulted from being vilified, dispossessed, and exiled. Kell includes a variety of perspectives-from lay preachers and church members to prominent former SBC leaders such as James Dunn and Carolyn Crumpler.

The emotion captured on the pages-sadness, shock, disbelief, resignation, and anger-will make Exiled moving even to readers who know little about the Southern Baptist movement. Exiled will also be of particular interest to historians, sociologists, philosophers of religion, and rhetorical historians.
1111576127
Exiled: Voices of the Southern Baptist Convention Holy War
"These personal narratives of distinguished Baptists illustrate the adverse consequences of exclusive fundamentalism, and the need for unity among traditional Baptists."  —Jimmy Carter

It has been one of the major news stories in religion and culture of the past twenty-five years. From 1979 to 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) was rocked by assaults on its leadership by fundamentalists, who used questionable tactics to gain top positions and then used their power to purge Baptist seminary presidents and professors, church pastors, lay leaders, and women from positions of responsibility. America's largest Christian, non-Catholic denomination is firmly locked in a “holy war” to secure its churches and membership for a never-ending struggle against a liberal culture.

Exiled: Voices of the Southern Baptist Convention Holy War is a compilation of first-person narratives by conservative and moderate ministers and lay leaders who were stripped of their positions and essentially became pariahs in the churches to which they had devoted their lives.

While other books have described the takeover in historical, political, and theological terms, Exiled is different. Individual people tell their personal stories, revealing the struggle and heartache that resulted from being vilified, dispossessed, and exiled. Kell includes a variety of perspectives-from lay preachers and church members to prominent former SBC leaders such as James Dunn and Carolyn Crumpler.

The emotion captured on the pages-sadness, shock, disbelief, resignation, and anger-will make Exiled moving even to readers who know little about the Southern Baptist movement. Exiled will also be of particular interest to historians, sociologists, philosophers of religion, and rhetorical historians.
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Exiled: Voices of the Southern Baptist Convention Holy War

Exiled: Voices of the Southern Baptist Convention Holy War

Exiled: Voices of the Southern Baptist Convention Holy War

Exiled: Voices of the Southern Baptist Convention Holy War

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Overview

"These personal narratives of distinguished Baptists illustrate the adverse consequences of exclusive fundamentalism, and the need for unity among traditional Baptists."  —Jimmy Carter

It has been one of the major news stories in religion and culture of the past twenty-five years. From 1979 to 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) was rocked by assaults on its leadership by fundamentalists, who used questionable tactics to gain top positions and then used their power to purge Baptist seminary presidents and professors, church pastors, lay leaders, and women from positions of responsibility. America's largest Christian, non-Catholic denomination is firmly locked in a “holy war” to secure its churches and membership for a never-ending struggle against a liberal culture.

Exiled: Voices of the Southern Baptist Convention Holy War is a compilation of first-person narratives by conservative and moderate ministers and lay leaders who were stripped of their positions and essentially became pariahs in the churches to which they had devoted their lives.

While other books have described the takeover in historical, political, and theological terms, Exiled is different. Individual people tell their personal stories, revealing the struggle and heartache that resulted from being vilified, dispossessed, and exiled. Kell includes a variety of perspectives-from lay preachers and church members to prominent former SBC leaders such as James Dunn and Carolyn Crumpler.

The emotion captured on the pages-sadness, shock, disbelief, resignation, and anger-will make Exiled moving even to readers who know little about the Southern Baptist movement. Exiled will also be of particular interest to historians, sociologists, philosophers of religion, and rhetorical historians.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9798895272602
Publisher: University of Tennessee Press
Publication date: 10/25/2026
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 248

About the Author

Carl L. Kell is professor of communication at Western Kentucky University. He is the author, with Raymond Camp, of In the Name of the Father: The Rhetoric of the New Southern Baptist Convention and, with Paul R. Corts, of Fundamentals of Effective Group Communication, and of Let's Talk Business.

Table of Contents


Foreword   Carolyn Crumpler     xi
Foreword: Exiled, Indeed   James Dunns     xxv
Peface     xxxiii
Acknowledgments     xli
Introduction   Samuel S. Hill     1
Southern Baptist Woman in Exile   Eleanor B. Williamson     13
My Story: A Personal Adventure in Unholy Righteousness   Joe Yelton     17
A Trustee Who Could No Longer Trust   George Steincross     21
From Baptist to Baptist   Frank Kendall     25
No More Knockin'   Rachel Smith Childress     29
Getting My Head on Straight   Cecil E. Sherman     31
Still a Baptist Woman   Gladys S. Lewis     39
My Departure from the Sunday School Board   Alan G. Jolly     51
Strangers in My House   S. L. Harris     55
Yesterday's Dreams, Today's Realities   Lavonn D. Brown     59
One Layman's Reluctant Journey Toward Higher Ground   Wayne C. Bartee     63
Exiled from the SBC   June Brown     67
Freedom Has Never Been so Precious   Michael K. Olmsted     71
A Lot Like Dying   Gregory L. Hancock     77
The Texas Two-Step   Rick McClatchy     81
A Liberal Baptist's Story of Exile from the SBC   C. Fred Werhan     87
Exiled: South Carolina-Style   E. C. Watson     93
A Separate Peace   Ronald D. Sisk     99
Exodus from the Southern Baptist Convention   Michael R. Duncan     103
Finding a Voice in Exile   Paul D. Simmons     107
The Hijacking of the Southern Baptist Convention   W. H. Crouch     121
Inside the Gatlinburg Gang   Edwin F. Perry     123
The Skirmish of First Baptist Church Jamestown, North Carolina   Pascal L. Hovis     127
I Am in Exile. I Am Home: Exile of Innocence   Tracy Dunn-Noland     133
"Exile of Innocence"   Dawn Darwin Weaks   Tracy Dunn-Noland     135
Withdrawal and Exclusion: Doing the Right Thing   J. R. Huddlestun     139
Phoenix Rising   Reba Cobb     143
Poses   Mark Fleming     145
Early Retirement   Joe E. Trull     147
Appendix: Comparison of 1925, 1963, and 2000 Baptist Faith and Message     153
Bibliography     181
Contributors      185
Index     191
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