Baptists across the theological spectrum and those from both within and without the Southern Baptist Convention have regularly named Edgar Young Mullins (1860-1928) as one of the most influential Baptists of the twentieth century. In addition to his published sermons and theological texts, Mullins was a transformational President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention during years of controversy. In essence, Mullins’s leadership and writing directly affected a generation of Southern Baptist church life and thought.
To E.Y. Mullins, the relationship between science and religion was a public square issue. Mullins, however, had a very specific understanding of how these two spheres of knowledge relate and how both churches and the state should approach and enforce religious and scientific knowledge. This paper will attempt to outline and explain the philosophical and theological foundation for Mullins’ attempt to balance the obligations of religion and science through his understating of Christian experience and soul competency. Then, Mullins’ method will be displayed in his application of these epistemological principles during the contentious evolution debates of the early twentieth century.