The "apologizing" Hardballers

"Egg on the Face" of
Smyth & Helwys Publishing

I received the following from a Baptist Historian to whom I send my emails:

Hi Bob, you may be interested in knowing that Smyth & Helwys Publishing was founded by the "Moderates" (i.e. Liberals) of the SBC to counter the influence of Broadman & Holman after it passed into the hands of the SBC conservatives. The publishing company was named after John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, who quite a number of our Baptist historians mistakenly credit with forming the first (General) "Baptist" church in England in 1609. The problem is that neither Smyth nor Helwys practiced immersion and neither did their "Baptist" church until the 1640's - years after the deaths of both men.

Bob's comment:

If I'm the financier(s) ("Money Bags") behind Smyth & Helwys Publishing, I'm going to immediately skuttle the Wade Burleson book before its generates further embarrassment, and I'm going to fire those who are in charge of production and editorial; as the ultimate responsible party, I'm not at all pleased with the "egg on my face" as a result of the fiasco created by Wade Burleson's book, for it certainly detracts from my being competitive in influence with Broadman-Holman of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Aside from the fact that Wade Burleson's use of Bob Ross' book has been denounced in no uncertain terms as non-supportive of Wade's ideas about "Landmarkism" in relation to the SBC's International Mission Board's policy on baptism, Wade has smeared "egg on the face" of S&H by alleging on his blog that S&H has "apologized" to Wade for sending free digital copies to a few people.

Wade says on his blog, I confess to be a little perplexed as to why Smyth & Helwys sent to Peter a digital copy of my book without him having to pay for it.
. . . They apologized to me after the fact.
Sat Mar 14, 05:05:00 PM 2009

It is hard to conceive that an intelligent representative of a publishing company would be put into such a predicament as to apologize to a writer, especially a writer who actually should be apologizing to the publisher for the big mess he has made in a book for which the publisher is paying the expenses of publishing and marketing. But that was the predicament of P. K. Gammons, VP of S&H.

"Apologize" to Wade? . . . for sending a few free copies to prospective reviewers of the book?

Well, "Land O' Goshen!"

And on top of that, Wade later tells Bob Ross that S&H did not send a free copy of the book to Bob Ross since Wade wanted Bob to "pay for the privilege" of reviewing the book! "Will Wonders Never Cease!"

This story looks more and more like a 3-Stooges senario, with Wade Burleson, P. K. Gammons, and Smyth & Helwys Publishing Company being "Moe, Larry, and Curly."

Before this is over, we suspect Smyth & Helwys Publishing will need a crowbar to deal with the egg on its face!
_______________

POSTSCRIPT:

My Baptist Historian brother adds:

Bill Leonard (of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) edited a book called, Dictionary of Baptists in America (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994). On pages 251-252, in the article Smyth and Helwys Publishing Company,it reads:

"A publishing house organized by Southern Baptist moderates. The press, named for English Baptist founders John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, was founded in 1991 by Cecil Staton and Scott Nash, professors at Brewton-Parker College in Georgia; James Pitts, chaplain at Furman University; and Ronald D. Jackson. Its founding purpose was 'to offer supplemental and alternative materials for Baptists who have become increasingly concerned about the future direction of the [Southern Baptist] Convention Press and Broadman [Press].' The concern was to publish materials for churches disturbed by the fundamentalist control of the Southern Baptist Convention and provide a vehicle for Baptist authors whose works would probably not be published by SBC related presses. In 1991 Smyth and Helwys Publishing began production of formations, a graded Sunday school curriculum written primarily, but not exclusively, for use in Baptist churches. Also in 1991 the company headquarters moved to Macon, Georgia, with Staton as publisher. Bibliography: C. Staton, The History of Smyth and Helwys Publishing, in Walter B. Shurden, ed., of the The Struggle for the Soul of the SBC (1993)."

Concerning John Smyth ( d. 1612) and Thomas Helwys ( d.ca. 1615), H. Leon McBeth in his book, The Baptist Heritage (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1987), page 37, writes, "The method of Smyth's baptism was almost certainly by affusion or pouring; immersion did not become customary among General Baptists for another generation."

McBeth also tells us that Helwys later returned to Holland, "and joined the Mennonites." (page 39). These two non-immersing Separatists (one of whom turned Mennonite) were who the moderates chose to name their publishing company after! Broadman Press, on the other hand, as I'm sure you know, was named after John A. Broadus and Basil Manly, Jr. - two real (immersing) Baptists.
[End of quote].

It seems that Smyth & Helwys Publishing has been somewhat "off track" from the outset, with even its name being identified paradoxically with non-immersing "Baptists." So it should not surprise us that S&H has become associated with the phantasmagorical Wade Burleson.