November 6, 2000
___Storey's presentation was a condensed version of a full historical survey published in the current edition of Texas Baptist History, the historical society's journal. ___"In pursuit of social justice and righteousness, the commission has consistently striven for balance between evangelism and social activism," Storey said. ___The Texas Baptist CLC "has prodded, pricked and shamed Baptists to live by the ideals they proclaim, and for that it has often been controversial," Storey stated. "That is as it should be, for if the commission ceases to be controversial, it probably will have ceased its prophetic calling." ___The commission traces its roots to the turn-of-the-century prohibition crusade, the social involvement of J.M. Dawson, the "expanded social awareness brought on by the Great Depression" and increasing concern about racism, Storey observed. ___The name "Christian Life Commission" was selected rather than any name using the term "social" because of Texas Baptists' resistance to the "social gospel," he noted. ___From issues of race in the 1950s and 1960s forward, the commission used persuasion and education rather than marches and boycotts to accomplish its goals. ___"That the CLC still exists can be attributed to at least three factors--its fundamentally conservative strategy, the essentially educational nature of its mission and the quality of its professional staff, especially the directors," Storey said. "If the commission angered many Baptists by its stand on issues, it calmed many others by its method of operation. While calling attention to the need for change, the commission counseled moderation and gradualism." ___While the CLC has developed political clout in the state capitol, its primary influence has been educational, he added. ___"To survey the educational materials of the commission is to review the primary concerns of American society for the past half century," he stated. Subject matter has ranged from racial justice in the 1950s and 1960s, to AIDS in the 1990s, to ongoing concern about "charitable choice." ___Through it all, the commission has resisted the temptation to identify one or two issues as a litmus test for Christian faithfulness. ___"The commission has always opposed single-issue politics and warned against any political movement claiming to speak for God," Storey said. ___In the future, "as senior (staff) positions become open, there will be an opportunity for the commission yet again to set an example for Texas Baptists. ... Perhaps the next director of the CLC should be a woman, or an African-American, or a Hispanic," he said. That would "reinforce in a visible way the commission's prophetic posture." ___In the business portion of the meeting, the historical society elected a slate of officers for the next year. ___The society elected President Royce Measures of Pasadena, Vice President Carol Holcomb of Belton and Secretary-Treasurer Alan Lefever of Dallas. ___The organization elected to its executive committee Ron Ellison of Beaumont and Steve Stookey of Fort Worth. ___The society also presented church history writing awards. In the church history category, for a congregation with a membership over 1,000, Carr Suter Jr. received the award for "Church Life," a history of First Baptist Church of Garland. ___In the general Texas Baptist history category, Ken Camp and Orville Scott were honored for "Anyway, Anytime, Anywhere," a 30-year history of the Texas Baptist Men missions organization. ___ The Baptist Standard
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