by Doug Kutilek
It is uncommon in this world for an individual to make an unselfish, life-changing decision to his own immediate disadvantage. Yet that is precisely what did happen in May, 1888. John R. Sampey (1863-1946), a recent graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, had been assistant instructor in both OT and Hebrew, and NT and Greek courses. The work load had become such that a second teacher was needed. That new teacher-designate was graduating senior Archie Robertson (1863-1934) of North Carolina, who had been invited to join the faculty. Having seniority, Sampey was given the choice of either the Hebrew and OT or the Greek and NT responsibilities. Although his personal preference was for the Greek and NT, he frankly told Professor John Broadus, “Robertson knows more Greek than I do, while I know more Hebrew than he does; for I have taught him all that he knows. Much as I would like to be with you in Greek and NT, for the good of the seminary I ought to take the Hebrew and OT.” This selfless act placed Robertson on the path that led to his becoming perhaps the greatest American NT Greek scholar ever (for a profile of Robertson, see “Archibald Thomas Robertson”, by Rick Shrader, Baptist Bible Tribune 49:6, pp. 14-16, January 15, 1999). Sampey in OT and Robertson in NT served side-by-side at Southern Seminary for a remarkable 46 years (until Robertson’s death in 1934, with Sampey continuing another dozen years). They formed the core of the second generation of professors at the seminary and between them taught more than 7,000 students.
A native Alabaman born in the midst of the American Civil War, and of Huguenot and Methodist-turned-Baptist stock, John was well-versed in Scripture as a youth. He was converted to faith in Christ at age 13, and was appointed Sunday school superintendent at 15 (in charge of some 30 children). He experienced a definite call to the ministry at 15.
He entered Howard College at 16, studied, among other things, Latin and Greek, and graduated A. B. at 19. From there, it was on to Louisville. As a senior, he was asked to teach classes left uncovered by the sudden death of one of the professors. Thus began a teaching career at the seminary that spanned six full decades.
For nearly a quarter century, Professor Sampey, besides carrying a full teaching load, also pastored rural churches in Kentucky, often more than one at the same time, and some of them more than once. He viewed such practical ministry among common people essential to keeping proper balance and perspective. Throughout his long ministry (67 years), Sampey regularly engaged in evangelistic crusades — many dozens of them — in churches throughout the South and beyond. And he undertook three extended evangelistic mission trips to Brazil when in his 60s, and another of many months to China when in his 70s! There were hundreds of conversions reported in each of these foreign journeys.
At age 65, when most men are looking forward to retirement, if not already retired, Sampey succeeded the late E. Y. Mullins as president of the seminary, thereby becoming the fifth man to fill that office. The Sampey years, 1929-1942, were difficult. As the nation entered the Great Depression, the seminary was in debt almost a million dollars and the pledges in hand to cover it now worthless. Seminary enrollment also declined significantly due to the financial crisis. But by the time of Sampey’s resignation, the debt had been retired and enrollment had returned to and even exceeded pre-Depression levels.
And as if being professor, evangelist, occasional missionary, and seminary president were not enough, Sampey was chosen president of the Southern Baptist Convention three successive years, beginning in 1935.
Sampey was a prolific author, though most of his writing was for periodical literature, Sunday school curriculum, or for reference works (such as Hasting’s Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels). His published books include Memoirs of John R. Sampey (1947); Southern Baptist Seminary: the First Thirty Years (1890); The Heart of the Old Testament (1922); and Syllabus for Old Testament Study (1922), the latter of which is still worth consulting. He also served for almost half a century on the executive committee of the once-famous International Sunday School Lessons series.
Sampey was a committed inerrantist and theological conservative. During the battle between the liberals and the fundamentalists for the soul of the Northern Baptist Convention following World War I, Sampey spoke at a pro-fundamentals North American Pre-Convention Conference on “Jesus and the Old Testament,” (published in the volume Baptist Doctrines [1921]).
For details of Sampey’s life, besides the autobiography, see Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists (1958), vol. II, pp. 1182-3; and A History of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary by William A. Mueller (1959), especially pp. 211-216.