Seminary Hill Press releases The L. R. Scarborough Treasury

Seminary Hill Press, the publishing arm of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, released today The L. R. Scarborough Treasury, a collection of previously published and unpublished books, addresses, and other works on evangelism, ministry, and denominational cooperation written by the seminary’s second president. The book’s release comes in conjunction with Founder’s Day, an annual commemoration of the seminary’s establishment under the leadership of Scarborough’s predecessor, B.H. Carroll. On March 14, 1908, the charter for Southwestern Seminary was officially filed with the Texas secretary of state.

“With most of the content of this book dating back more than 100 years, we believe these writings of Scarborough are still quite timely in 2022,” Adam W. Greenway, the ninth president of Southwestern Seminary and editor of the volume, wrote in the preface. “Compiled here is an intellectual and Gospel legacy worthy of preservation, reception, and application in our day. Our prayer is that Southern Baptists and other Christians concerned about the advancement of the Gospel today will benefit from the labor of the great L. R. Scarborough to the end that there will be more recruits in the Gospel conquest of the world because of a greater commitment to be with Christ, after the lost.”

A prolific writer, the volume includes Scarborough’s most well-known books on evangelism, With Christ After the Lostand Recruits for World Conquests, as well as My Conception of Gospel Ministry, a broader work published toward the end of his presidency. Also included are addresses by Scarborough on evangelism, ministry, and theological education, as well as unpublished articles on denominational cooperation and his final report to the 1925 Southern Baptist Convention on the 75 Million Campaign, the missions funding effort led by Scarborough from 1919-1924 that would lay the foundation for what is now known as the Cooperative Program.

The L. R. Scarborough Treasury is the third volume in the Legacy Series of Seminary Hill Press publishing works of historic content related to the seminary. The first two volumes in the series were the 40^th anniversary edition of Baptists and the Bible by L. Russ Bush and Tom J. Nettles, which was published in 2020, and The B.H. Carroll Pulpit, a collection of 40 sermons and essays by the seminary’s founder and first president, which was published in 2021 and also edited by Greenway.

Scarborough, who served as Southwestern Seminary’s second president from 1915-1942, was the first occupant of the Chair of Evangelism, established by Carroll at the seminary’s founding in 1908 and the first academic chair of evangelism in the history of theological education. Now known as the L.R. Scarborough Chair of Evangelism (“Chair of Fire”), Scarborough helped fulfill the vision of Carroll in keeping the seminary focused on evangelism and missions. Scarborough was Carroll’s personally chosen successor upon his death in 1914, just six years after the seminary’s founding.

“The life and ministry of Scarborough will forever reside in the hallowed halls of Southern Baptist history and heritage,” Matt Queen, professor of evangelism and current occupant of the “Chair of Fire,” wrote in an afterword in the book. “His service and contribution as a Southern Baptist denominational statesman, the occupant of the world’s first endowed evangelism professorship, a prolific author, and a champion for cooperation, or ‘co-operancy’ as he coined it, is unparalleled.”

During his 27-year tenure as Southwestern Seminary’s president, Scarborough led the institution’s transfer of ownership from the Baptist General Convention of Texas to the Southern Baptist Convention, established what are now known as the School of Church Music and Worship and the Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries—both innovations in theological education, and kept the seminary going during the financial strain of the Great Depression when it was in danger of closing.

A champion for denominational cooperation, Scarborough was strongly committed to the Great Commission and believed Southern Baptists should work together toward its fulfillment. He was critical of those who were not fully committed to denominational cooperation and those who worked to undermine cooperation among Southern Baptists. These views are articulated in a series of previously unpublished articles by Scarborough drawn from the seminary’s archives. Among the previously unpublished articles is one proposing a doctrinal statement on cooperation, which he notes no Baptist confession of faith had yet addressed. In 1925, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted the Baptist Faith and Message, which included an article on cooperation. Scarborough was a member of the committee that proposed the confession of faith.

The L.R. Scarborough Treasury is available for $29.99 at SeminaryHillPress.com. Bulk discounts are available.

Below is the Table of Contents for The L. R. Scarborough Treasury:

1. The Primary Mission of the Churches of Jesus Christ
2. Recruits for World Conquests
3. The Primal Test of Theological Education
4. With Christ After the Lost
5. The Supreme Passion of the Gospel
6. Campaign By-Products
7. Is Cooperation a New Testament Doctrine?
8. Article 19 on Cooperation
9. The Heresy of Non-Co-Operation
10. The Peril of Lop-Sided Cooperation
11. Final Report of Conservative Commission of the 75 Million Campaign
12. My Conception of Gospel Ministry