Religion: Unbaptized Baptist

Four years ago Dr. Henry Noble Sherwood became president of small Georgetown College, a Baptist institution in Georgetown. Ky.* Kentucky Baptists soon discovered that Dr. Sherwood, although he claimed to be a Baptist and had been accepted as one by three Midwest Baptist churches, had been baptized (by immersion) in the Disciples of Christ Church.f Thereupon he was pelted with demands of “Be rebaptized or resign.” President Sherwood considered himself thoroughly baptized, flatly refused to be reimmersed. At that the Kentucky State Baptist Association, which partly supports Georgetown, voted to impound its grants until the college or Dr. Sherwood gave in. The Association did not realize what stern stuff it was up against.

When the Association held its annual meeting last week in Murray, Ky. the impounded funds had mounted to $47,000, but Dr. Sherwood still held out. The Georgetown trustees stuck by him; so did the students and faculty. The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, American Legion and Women’s Club were for him to the last signature. Just as solidly against him, the Baptist Association as usual voted its annual request that Dr. Sherwood resign or be rebaptized, further declared that Georgetown had in effect “severed” its Baptist connections.

*Not to be confused with Georgetown University (Jesuit) in Washington, D. C. †A creedless church, often called “Campbellite” after one of its founders. Many disciples believe that baptism is in itself a saving ordinance; all Baptists, that it is only symbolic, showing that the believer is already saved.