The Hayden Controversy: A detailed examination of the first major internal altercation of the Baptist General Convention of Texas

The final two decades of the nineteenth century were some of the most influential years in Texas Baptist history. This period witnessed the advent of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) and a new generation of Baptist leaders such as B. H. Carroll, R. C. Buckner, J. B. Gambrell, J. B. Cranfill, and S. A. Hayden. Despite the many victories of the BGCT and its leaders, the period was also known for its internal conflicts. The most caustic of these altercations was known as the Hayden Controversy.; The Hayden Controversy has traditionally been categorized as an internal debate over the Landmark ecclesiology espoused by S. A. Hayden in contrast to the Board system maintained by many of the leaders of the BGCT. In addition, it has also been maintained that the Hayden Controversy began in 1894/5. This dissertation challenges these presuppositions. The thesis of this dissertation maintains that an overriding desire for Waco dominance played an early and important role; the rivalry between the two Baptist centers of Waco and Dallas was a key ingredient, and that a power struggle between Hayden and B. H. Carroll and their adherents for denominational prestige and precedence manifested in a struggle for a denominational voice were the tripartite genesis of the altercation. Prior to this dissertation, no work has traced the evolution of the Hayden Controversy from its roots to its culmination with the birth of the Baptist Missionary Association (BMA) in 1901. Depending predominantly upon primary sources, this dissertation proves its thesis by unraveling the complex matrix of this Baptist Controversy chronologically.; The Introduction defines the parameters of the study, provides a brief survey of the relevant research, and depicts the method of research. Chapter one locates its study in its historic context and isolates the roots of the controversy which became identified with S. A. Hayden. Chapter two reveals many of the unknown aspects of the controversy as it continued to grow through the 1880s and early 1890s. Chapter three documents the turbulent events of the regular sessions of the BGCT from 1895 until 1900 which resulted in the precedent-setting rulings by the state body. The chapter closes with the rationale for the birth of the BMA and the infamous exchange of gunfire between Hayden and Cranfill. The conclusion demonstrates the validity of the thesis derived from the research.