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| Fisher Humphreys |
In a chapter titled "From Triadic Narrative to Narrating the Triune God: Towards a Baptist Appreciation of Trinitarian Catholicity" in my book Towards Baptist Catholicity, I illustrated the correlation of Baptist tendencies to neglect the doctrine of the Trinity and the lingering influences of a Baptist history of anti-Catholicism by quoting an anecdote related by Fisher Humphreys, now retired from serving as Professor of Divinity at Samford University's Beeson Divinity School (where I succeeded him in teaching theology prior to my relocation):
Many years ago when I was lecturing on the doctrine of the Trinity in one of my classes at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, a student told the class about an experience he had while serving as pastor of one of the small Baptist churches in south Louisiana. One Sunday he preached a sermon about the Trinity. Afterwards one of his deacons asked him privately and with great sincerity, "Preacher, why are you talking to us about that Roman Catholic stuff?" (Fisher Humphreys, review of Carl E. Braaten and Robert W. Jenson, eds., The Catholicity of the Reformation, Avery Dulles, The Catholicity of the Church, and George Weigel, Soul of the World: Notes on the Future of Public Catholicism, in Perspectives in Religious Studies 26, no. 1 [Spring 1999], p. 95).
This morning I read something that also referenced this review article and was reminded that Humphreys had written this later in the review:
Although I am a loyal and happy Baptist and plan to remain thus all my life, I have a deeper commitment to the universal Christian heritage, to that which is catholic, than I do even to our beloved Baptist distinctives (ibid.).
Since in the latter quote Humphreys communicated so eloquently and concisely what I've tried to write at length in a number of publications, I thought I'd pass the quote along to readers of Ecclesial Theology.
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