Note the specific wording of the preamble. See below . It is altogether appropriate for any organization, religious or secular, to require its employees to subscribe to the principles which govern that organization. Frankly, I would think that historic Southern Baptists would both expect and celebrate the integrity of the Southern Baptist agencies which require their employees to sign and abide by the current confession of faith. In the case of Southwestern, we are proud to say we have always been a confessional institution.
Doctrinal accountability is particularly important for educational institutions.
Southwestern has been a confessional school since its inception. The faculty of Southwestern has consistently signed the BFM, at least since the time of Dr. Robert E. Naylor, fifth president, and has thus agreed to teach according to and not contrary to their confession. However, this was not Southwestern's first signing of the Convention's Articles of Faith. Perhaps no other signing event has had as much historical significance as the one in 1926. The SBC was embroiled in controversy related to skepticism created by atheistic evolutionary teaching.