Is SBL an organization dedicated to the propagation of evangelical Christianity?

    In a recent post, Rebecca Lesses raises a provocative question:

[M]y experience of the SBL has been very positive. In the years that I have gone to the annual meetings I have seen Jews, Christians, people of other religions, and people without any religious belief or practice cooperating in the study of texts in a way that once would have been impossible. It was not necessary to be a Christian, or pretend to be one, in order to be an active participant in discussions at the SBL. Will this continue to be true?

    Rebecca’s post is excellent. Read the whole thing. It got me thinking: if only there were “a societas for the rest of us.”

    Here is an analogy. It is quite annoying to have to endure the Christmas season in a country like the United States if you are not a Christian. That “O come let us adore him” gets old when you hear it for the nth time. That oh-so-vaguely-Christian Saint Nick hogs the airwaves, clogs the media, and makes you feel like a Grinch if you aren’t happy and you know it and clap your hands.

    In the same way, SBL is an alienating place if you are “out” in a cultural sense rather than “in.” Maybe you don’t mind a liberal Prot ambience, because you are, without realizing it, a liberal Prot yourself. But this evangelical Prot ambience is too much.

    Oh, for a societas for the rest of us. Where people don’t take it for granted that you know about B. B. Warfield and have read the latest volume by N. T. Wright.

    Since 60% of the students at the high school I attended were Unitarians and/or Jewish, since I have always counted, among the people I would rather shoot the breeze with, atheists and agnostics, the more blatant the better, perhaps I understand where Rebecca is coming from.

    It is my second if not my first nature to imagine that it is rather angst-provoking to go to SBL and be surrounded by clean-cut Southern Baptist seminary students who might easily be semper fi Marines if they dropped about 20 lbs. As for Mormons, how dare they even show up given that their founder in an obvious fraud? As for Pentecostals, those people who handle snakes and roll in the pews, everyone knows that the only good Pentecostal is a recovering Pentecostal.

    Once upon a time, “at first,” “in the beginning,” as the prophet of light would have put it (Isa 1:26), SBL was a safe place for those in need of a Festivus for the rest of us. Where an "Airing of Grievances" would occur in which each person told everyone else all the ways they disappointed him or her over the past year. Where everyone understood that tinsel is distracting. Where "Feats of Strength" were performed, and easily explainable events treated as if they were miracles. For example: we know less than we would like about the historical Jesus. Another festivus miracle!

    Once upon a time, SBL was a society the majority of whose members were liberal Prots who knew how to make liberal Jews and liberal Catholics feel at home. All others, even if they were welcome in theory, were not so welcome in practice. Now, SBL is something else, a better, more representative, but far more contradictory thing. Can’t we all just get along?

Comments

[G. Kyle Essary]

Despite being in the States, I wasn't able to attend this year due to other "busy"ness. I'm glad that SBL allows Southern Baptists like me to join in the discussions, despite obviously being simpletons. Even though we are not among the privileged elite who know the true power of neutral, secular and emotion-free reason, at least those who do bear with us and allow us to sit under their shade! /sarcasm

[JohnFH]

Hi Kyle,

Sorry to have missed you in Atlanta. There was not an empty seat at the bloggers-and-friends lunch on Monday of this week. Lots of diversity at that table of 20. Not your grandmother's SBL, when the guild was dominated by liberal Protestants disguised as neutral scholars.

[Daniel O. McClellan]

As one of the Mormons who regularly attends (and presents at) SBL, I've only once felt the slightest bit marginalized or left out (and that was actually at a regional SBL in Denver). I think things are in good shape, as far as my community of faith is concerned. BYU had a booth in the book exhibit this year, and there are now two "Latter-day Saints and the Bible" sessions.

It was great to finally meet you, even if very briefly. I had a paper to present and so couldn't stay with the blogging group, but hopefully there will be less overlap next year in San Fransisco.

[JohnFH]

Hi Daniel,

It was great to make your acquaintance. I wish you well on your journey in academia, in your blogging, and beyond.

[Chris Taylor]

John,

Interesting analogy. So, I gather that you are not evangelical?

I must admit I am a little confused by this post. It's hard to tell how much is jest and how much has some sincerity.

I grew up in the Southern Baptist tradition and consider myself somewhat of an evangelical. Is this a bad thing? You make it seem as maybe it is, or maybe I'm reading a bit much into this.

So, having grown up in this tradition, I view scripture in a certain way first — as God's Word — and as literary/textual second. I hope that makes sense. And I view Christianity as the primary focus of my life, everything else is secondary.

This has the effect of coloring EVERYTHING about my life, often negatively.

I say all that to say, I don't know, and wouldn't know, any other way "to be".

As a Christian (who happens to be Southern Baptist) why can't you and I (as representative of liberal Prot and evangelical Prot) get past the labels? Why does it matter if I'm evangelical? Why does that even enter into the conversation?

For that matter, why does evangelicalism seem negative?

I'm not sure this comment is making any sense regarding what I'm trying to put into words but I hope it does.

I thought about emailing you directly, but thought it might make for a good discussion point here.

God Bless,
Chris

[JohnFH]

Hi Chris,

Actually, I am an evangelical, horrors of horrors a Calvinist on top of that.

But I am well aware of what it feels like to be a non-evangelical in an environment dominated by evangelicals and/or other prima facie "true believers" like Mormons. It can be alienating.

Another analogy. I am a Rotarian and the club I am part of is busting at the seams. Hundreds of members, a lot of young people. Someone always does devotions and leads in prayer. Almost without exception a Christian of some kind does the honors. The rule is to let everyone be themselves when they lead devotions, not to switch to the register of civil religion (if the distinction is unclear, let me know).

But how does that feel if you are an unbeliever, Jewish, Buddhist, all of the above as it were? It has to give rise to some squeamishness now and then. On the other hand, I do my own squirming when the devotions are New Age, which sometimes happens.

But I prefer that squeamishness to the alternative, the creation of a religion-free zone.

BTW, I think it's normal for people to have very different opinions on this.

[Chris Taylor]

Well, thanks for clarifying. I was obviously confused...

[Chris Taylor]

I just remembered what else I wanted to mention to gather some thoughts from you.

What if you're "out" regarding the culture of the community you live in? My wife and I are Christian and were raised conservative, evangelical Southern Baptists (I know, I know - I mentioned that already). Anyway, we (or at least, I) no longer seem to fit in anywhere. We're believers so we don't fit in with the non-believers, but we hold radical ideas about faith in comparison to the believers.

Frustrating!

Chris

[JohnFH]

I would want you in my congregation to act as leaven, Chris. Not "the leaven of the Pharisees," but the good kind.

I hope you find a congregation like that. You may never actually fit in, but it sounds as if you are not supposed to.

[Chris Taylor]

Well, you know, I appreciate that and all, but you're in like Wisconsin! ;)

[JohnFH]

But we have a fun professional football team to watch, and our college team is going to Pasadena. Not that you should care. Blessings, Chris.

[Frank]

Depending on what part of Disney World you're in, one can have all sorts of experiences. SBL's the same. Once after a session I approached a presenter to tell him how good I thought his part was. When we exchanged information, he was visibly dismayed to find out I was a preacher, and he asked me how I could believe all that stuff. A few minutes after that, I was on an elevator with a world-class Bible banger.

[JohnFH]

Hi Frank,

As they say in Disney, it's a small world after all. If a particular session makes your skin crawl, try another. With any luck you will find like-minded individuals.