1.1 introduction to "hidden work: baptist women in texas 1880-192  (Page 6/10)

By 1920 Texas had clearly made the transition into an urban‑industrial economy. Oil had been discovered; industry and population followed in its wake. Among Baptists, the forces of consolidation that had tentatively gathered were firmly entrenched. Strong leaders had emerged and had led the church in successful evangelistic efforts and building (churches, schools, hospitals) campaigns. No part of the organizational effort was more successful than that of women. The total contribution of Texas Baptist women to mission causes through Woman's Missionary Union, their auxiliary to the state and national convention, grew from $35.45 in 1880 to $708,123.99 in 1920. Women were seated as equal "messengers" Although "delegate" and "delegation" are sometimes used by Baptists to refer to the participants in associational meetings (regional, state, or national), "messenger" is the preferred designation, clarifying the fact that the associational body has no authority over the local church and that the local church's authority cannot be delegated to any individual or group. at the Southern Baptist Convention in 1918. Finally, the passage of the suffrage amendment in 1920 verified new status for females nationwide. Although the closing date of this research is somewhat arbitrary, change of sufficient magnitude in the general culture, the church, and its members is present in the 40-year span to measure its effects. By 1920 the main lines of the development of the Baptist women's movement had been set out and the changes that occurred were the working out of directions already set or were changes of magnitude and scale, rather than of essential nature. The story of the personalities and incidents that interrupted the state denominational scene in the 1920s would complicate this narrative, yet not illuminate the issue of women's rights. Primary among these disrupters was J. Frank Norris, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Fort Worth and prominent figure in the national "Fundamentalist" movement of the 1920s, a conservative social and religious reaction to evolution and modern biblical criticism. Norris wielded political clout in Texas and ultimately organized a Baptist fellowship in competition with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Southern Baptist Convention. There are numerous studies of the Fundamentalists. Two recommendations include one of the original works and a recent.summary: Ernest R. Sandeen, The Roots of Fundamentalism (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970) and George M. Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture (New York: Oxford University Press, 1980).

The central theme of change in Baptist women's role was power—the assumption of personal power and the exercise of institutional power. Between 1880 and 1920, Texas Baptist women increased their self-esteem and the range of their influence and activities—therefore, their power—but rather than claim they were participating in a general cultural shift exemplified by the expansion of individual rights, they justified these changes in terms of their biblical faith. For them, the Bible was the bedrock of belief; not only did they subscribe to its message, but they read it as a literal document, its every word true in a legalistic sense.