Revival, Education, Apostacy
That's the pattern and it's been being repeated ever since the first century.
At first people are on fire for The Lord; then they build schools and colleges, then the professors decide they know more than God.
While their is historical evidence to back up your claim, I don't think it has to be that way. If caught early enough, the rot can be arrested before in infects the entire tree. The SBC did it.