Perspectives in Baptist History and Identity.
Gourley, Bruce T.
This year's annual Baptist History and Heritage Society
conference hosted by Baylor University in Waco, Texas was held, for the
first time, in conjunction with the annual conference of the National
Association of Baptist Professors of Religion (NABPR), as well as in
partnership with the Association of Librarians and Archivists of Baptist
Institutions (ALABI). Collectively, the three partner organizations
brought together in one place at one time an impressive gathering of
Baptist scholars from throughout the United States and beyond to explore
"Perspectives in Baptist History and Identity."
By all accounts, the joint gathering was a great success.
Attendance was exceptional. One registration fee jointly encompassed the
three conferences and allowed all participants, some being members of
more than one of the three organizations, to partake of their choice of
more than fifty breakout sessions and other events. Joint plenary
sessions collectively featured scholars from BH&HS, NABPR, and ALABI
alike.
Conference highlights included addresses from BH&HS vice
president Doug Weaver and now-retired Southern Baptist Historical
Library and Archives executive director Bill Sumners. The breakout
session on "Researching and Writing Local Church Histories"
was overflowing to the point that not everyone who wanted to attend
could get into the room. We will likely do a follow-up session at next
year's annual conference in Augusta, Georgia, June 1-3.
The articles in this edition of the Journal are largely extended
works of papers presented at the Waco conference. Doug Weaver's
"Baptists and Spirit-led Experience" offers a fresh and
compelling perspective on an understudied dimension of Baptist history.
Bill Sumner's uniquely insightful "Lessons I Have Learned and
the Future of Baptist Archives" is drawn from his career as
Southern Baptists' foremost, forward-thinking archivist during an
era of unprecedented changes in denominational life.
Additional papers from the conference include Bill Pitts'
"Fifty Years of Baylor's Graduate Program in Religion,"
an analysis of the development of one of Baptists' most notable
university religion departments. Michael Kuykendall in "The Quest
for a Baptist Bible: The Rise and Demise of the American Bible Union,
1850-1883" examines a significant but unusual and little-known
chapter in the larger story of Baptists' historical commitment to
the Bible.
The final piece is Kenneth W. Russell's "'Cracks in
the Solid South': Southern Baptist Responses to the Presidential
Campaigns of Governor Alfred E. Smith and Senator John F. Kennedy."
Drawing from a larger pool of primary materials than previous studies
and incorporating recent scholarship, Russell re-examines the dynamics
of Southern Baptist opposition to the twentieth century's most
prominent Catholic presidential candidates.
As you read the diverse historical perspectives represented in this
journal edition, I hope you will be encouraged to join us in Augusta
next year when we explore the theme of "Biographies and Narratives:
Baptist Experiences and Convictions."
Bruce T. Gourley
Executive Director
