A captive church in the land of the free: E. Y. Mullins, Walter Rauschenbusch, George Truett, and the rise of Baptist democracy, 1900--1925

Baptists in America have traditionally identified themselves closely with the democratic ideals of the nation, often using politically charged rhetoric to describe their religious faith. Beneath their strident rhetoric about the separation of church and state, however, Baptists have frequently blurred the distinctions between their theology and the values of American democracy. In tracing the history of this moral overlap between Baptist theology and American democracy, the first quarter of the twentieth century merits particular scrutiny. Baptists during those years brimmed with confidence that, as the democratic ideals of the United States spread throughout the world, so would their Christian message of salvation in Jesus Christ. It was an ascendant age of what may be called "Baptist democracy," the moral identification of church with state.; During these same years, three prominent and influential Baptists---Walter Rauschenbusch (1861--1918), E. Y. Mullins (1860--1928), George Truett (1867--1944)---all made their most significant contributions to Baptist life in America. They also participated decisively in the rise of Baptist democracy. What had been a raw, yet passionate, democratic Baptist ethos in the early years of the American republic acquired theological polish and sophistication thanks to the teaching, preaching, and publishing efforts of these three leading Baptists. They made it plain: what America is to politics, Baptists are to religion---the triumph of democracy, God's chosen way for humanity.; Using the collective work of Rauschenbusch, Mullins, and Truett as a guide, this dissertation will explore the rise of Baptist democracy between 1900 and 1925, its theological implications, and the dangers that an overlap between Baptist theology and American democracy poses to the Baptist ability to offer a distinctive, faithful Christian witness to the world. The dissertation will also examine the ways in which the lingering assumptions of Baptist democracy continue to shape Baptist identity in the twenty-first century, particularly among self-described moderate Baptists in the South who still revere Rauschenbusch, Mullins, and Truett as exemplars of Baptist faith and practice.