Examines the conflict between modern-day Southern Baptists and “liberal” Southern Baptists over control of the Southern Baptist Convention

David Morgan captures the essence of the conflict between some modern-day Southern Baptists, who saw themselves as crusaders for truth, as they sought to redeem a new holy land--the Southern Baptist Convention-- from the control of other Southern Baptists they viewed as "liberals." To the so-called liberals, the crusaders were "fundamentalists" on a mission, not to reclaim the SBC in the name of theological truth but to gain control and redirect its activities according to their narrow political, social, and theological perspectives. The New Crusades provides a comprehensive history of the conflict, taking the reader through the bitter and divisive struggles of the late 1980s, that culminated in the 1991 emergence of a moderate faction within the SBC. The fundamentalists had won.
 

David T. Morgan is Professor of History at the University of Montevallo.

"A terrific reporting job, a near total-recall account of the ongoing Southern Baptist controversy with proper attention to its early foreshadowings. Invaluable for scholars, absorbing for those who have lived the conflict."

—Ellen Rosenberg, Western Connecticut State College

"This fine work offers new insights into the roots of the Southern Baptist Convention controversy. It is a valuable addition to a continuing field of study."

—Bill J. Leonard, Samford University