Aaron Weaver has been named executive director of the Baptist History and Heritage Society, an 84-year-old group devoted to helping Baptists discover, conserve, assess and share their history. Weaver succeeds longtime Georgia pastor John Finley, who retired in June. BHHS…
19th century Baptist influence in Northeast India continues
The Christianity introduced to Northeast India by Baptist missionaries in the 19th century inspired advances in education, communication and ethnic cohesion but also left descendants coping with fundamentalism and patriarchy that persist today, experts on faith in the region said…
MLK’s civil rights work was an outgrowth of his Baptist tradition, author explains
Martin Luther King’s role as a Civil Rights leader was heavily influenced by the Baptist tradition that gave structure to his ministry and activism, Jeremiah Chester said during a webinar presented by Baptist History and Heritage Society. “We can’t separate…
Is the market adversarial to Christian faith? History says yes
Baptists and other Christians must resist economic trends that diminish the moral and spiritual influence of Christianity in an increasingly secular American society, historian Curtis Johnson warned during a webinar presented by the Baptist History and Heritage Society. “We live…
Knowing a church’s history on slavery can be a nudge toward redemption, historians say
Baptist Christians must dive fearlessly into the white supremacist and pro-slavery histories of their religion and congregations, Camille Loomis Rehnborg said during a webinar hosted by the Baptist History and Heritage Society. “We need not fear the discomfort we might…
Author explains the history of ‘Peace Be Still’ and its social influence
One of “the most beloved gospel songs of all time” achieved that status by offering Americans hope during some of the darkest moments of the 19th and 20th centuries, according to Robert Marovich, founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of…
Southern Baptist support for Israel has traveled a winding road, scholar explains
The staunch theological and political support for the state of Israel that the Southern Baptist Convention is known for today was preceded by decades of diverse opinions among Baptists about the Zionist movement that eventually birthed the Jewish nation in…
Scholar traces how Black churches became centers of political engagement
Black churches became centers of political engagement during the 19th century when Black Christians determined to achieve the full benefits of citizenship in U.S. society, scholar Nicole Myers Turner said during a Baptist History and Heritage Society webinar. Racial politics…
Meet the Baptist pastor who helped cultivate the Lost Cause narrative
A Baptist Civil War figure and the Lost Cause narrative he helped create are very much alive today in the growing wedge between Christians and how to teach history, Christopher Moore said during Baptist History and Heritage Society’s first “Making…