GRAPEVINE, Texas (ABP) — With the takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention by fundamentalists, the devil won a clear and sweeping victory like never before in Southern Baptist history, pioneer Baptist journalist Wilmer C. Fields told Associated Baptist Press supporters June 30.
Fields, who retired in 1987 as vice president for public relations of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, addressed about 210 people gathered for an ABP banquet, held during the annual Cooperative Baptist Fellowship general assembly in Grapevine, Texas.
In his presentation, Fields, 83, expounded upon some things he has learned “on the way to Grapevine,” a lifetime that included 28 years as director of the SBC's Baptist Press.
“The Southern Baptist experience has been turned into a Greek tragedy,” Fields said. “This historic catastrophe is due to what some power-driven people have done — and keep on doing — in the name of their own private, misguided, handmade orthodoxy.”
He warned that “a shallow and unbiblical theology, and a poor awareness of Baptist history and Christian history, can end up trivializing the gospel and, unchecked, can turn the once great Southern Baptist Convention, and the very name 'Baptist,' into a monumental irrelevancy.”
But, Fields added, “Associated Baptist Press is one of the positive forces in the Baptist future.”
ABP was established by Baptist editors in 1990, in the wake of the firing of the editors of Baptist Press by the SBC's new leadership. ABP has established “The Wilmer C. Fields Endowment Fund” in hopes of raising $1 million to endow ABP's executive editor position. It is part of a larger “Dateline: Tomorrow” campaign seeking to raise $2 million.
Fields said “professional integrity and trustworthiness require you to be straightforward with your constituency.” “When the fundamentalist insurgents set out to capture the SBC, they did not like this kind of straightforward honesty in reporting,” he said.
However, “in the midst of all of this fratricidal strife, and in the face of rising costs and inadequate resources, Associated Baptist Press must continue to be a strong force among free and faithful Baptists,” Fields said.
While admitting that the “past has a deep hold on the mind and spirit of faithful Baptists,” Fields said “faith has a forward view.”
“We cannot afford to waste our time and energy fighting yesterday's battles, or chasing red herring, or following people on an ego trip,” Fields said.
Much of Fields' address had to do with life lessons learned. “When you have a choice,” he said, “walk on the sunny side of the road.” Life is a continuous surprise, he said, and is best approached with a positive attitude.
“We need zest for the journey as well as zeal for the destination,” he said.
“It took me too long to learn some lessons,” Fields said. Yet, success on the journey requires patient endurance and “stickability,” he said. Citing the Apostle Paul's advice to Titus, he said we may spend some time in difficult situations because that is where God needs us.
“You have to risk leaving familiar territory to travel very far,” Fields added. “Following God's will is a lifetime adventure.”
— This article includes information from Tony Cartledge. Photo available from ABP.