In 1979 when I began my work at the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, I discovered several large wooden packing crates, full of crumbling file folders. They were the papers of George White McDaniel, a prominent minister — pastor of First…
HERITAGE: A religious liberty champion
In 1872 Abram Poindexter, one of the giants among Baptists, a well-known evangelist and seasoned debater in public assemblies, died at the same time the Southern Baptist Convention was in its annual meeting. Richard Fuller, a powerful preacher of the…
HERITAGE: Down in Jamaica
The first day of the Baptist World Alliance’s gathering in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, offered a bus tour of nearby Baptist historical sites. About 15 intrepid travelers seized the opportunity and from 9 until 6 were escorted by two remarkable local…
HERITAGE: Good folks to know
It does not take long for the most active and involved, even high-profiled, denominational servant or church person to be largely forgotten. If illness or old age or unemployment sidetracks, the person is removed from the mainstream and quickly becomes…
HERITAGE: Father’s Day
Years ago at one of those pastors schools held at the University of Richmond, the late Stuart Grizzard, a renowned and beloved Virginia Baptist minister, said something which stuck. He reminded pastors that those who were parents needed to be…
HERITAGE: Class Reunion
They were together once again — teacher and pupil. It had been a long time. Bettie Woodson Weaver had been the fourth-grade teacher and Lauranett L. Lee was one of her very special students. In 1969 Chesterfield County’s public schools…
HERITAGE: Stories of reconciliation
My grandparents taught me that three topics should be avoided in conversation: race, religion and politics. When you remove those subjects, it does not leave very much for conversation, especially if you live in the American South. My grandparents’ admonition…
HERITAGE: ‘What am I to do?’
The weekend of May 3-5 marked the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Chancellorsville near Fredericksburg, Va. An ambitious reenactment was planned, with armies of men in blue and grey, the sounds of cannon fire and the excitement of make-believe…
HERITAGE: What’s in a name?
One of the disturbing stories out of the American slavery saga is the question of a person’s name. The idea of being labeled and identified with a personal name is a rudimentary part of the human experience. It is the…