The following blog is from CBF interim executive coordinator, Pat Anderson.

I first met Steve Tondera in late 1989 when he agreed to be a candidate for second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention along with Daniel Vestal, who was to be nominated for the presidency, and Carolyn Weatherford Crumpler who was to be nominated for the first vice presidency. This was the last gasp for Southern Baptists to stem the tide of the fundamentalist takeover of the SBC, and as a layman and popular Alabama Baptist, Steve was seen as a strong alternative to the big pastors who were leading the remake of the SBC.

Of course, Steve and Carolyn and Daniel were defeated at the 1990 Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans.

But, Steve had a good humor about the events. As a retired NASA administrator and large-scale cattle rancher, Steve’s positive self-image and professional aspirations did not hinge on the outcome of a denominational decision. He was bigger in the American Cattleman’s Association than in the SBC. He quickly became part of the movement which became the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and from 1990 on he served on the Coordinating Council, the CBF Foundation board and was regularly seen in CBF events and gatherings.

Steve and I became regular back benchers in the early days of CBF, actually being called to order by John Hewett at one council meeting for not paying proper attention. We shared meals, told jokes, and lamented the sad state of Baptist life, while all the time celebrating the new-found joy of being Baptists in the CBF.

Steve was easy to underestimate. His public persona was as a “good ol’ boy” from Alabama, but he really was a rocket scientist.  I always considered him to be perhaps the smartest person in the room, no matter what room he was in. I teased him about the troubles of the Hubbell space telescope, a sore subject for him. He marveled at the glorious aspects of outer space, the immensity of God’s creation, the smallness of our earthly concerns. He drew serious theological implications from his NASA experiences. He was a deep thinker, more so than one would automatically suspect.

He had a deep affection for preachers, and when one of his favorites succeeded in some ministerial role, he was exuberant. When one fell, he suffered mightily.

He took the Bible seriously, especially the parts that called for care of widows. He quickly took up the banner for women in ministry, albeit with his own special twist. He is the one who gave me the line which I have repeated numerous times. He said it during a break in a CBF Coordinating Council meeting when a prominent pastor in the SBC had been quoted yet again with a nonsensical objection to women preachers. Steve said, “Pat, some of these ol’ boys seriously think that when they die and go to the Pearly Gates, and Jesus asks them ‘what did you do for me while you were on earth?’ they will say, ‘well, Lord, I kept the women from preaching!’ They think Jesus will pat them on the back, smile, and say ‘well done! Come on in!’… yeah, that’s what they truly believe!”

I smile with every memory of Steve Tondera. I will miss him, and I look forward to seeing him in the hereafter and learning how he answered the Pearly Gates question himself. For sure, he was welcomed in and joined the happy throng.