The history of Southern Baptist History, 1938-1995

Baptist History and Heritage, Summer-Fall, 1999 by Carol Crawford Holcomb

Because of the dissolution of the Southern Baptist Historical Commission effective June 19, 1997, the Southern Baptist Historical Society was forced to reorganize under a new charter. In light of the recent restructuring, the history and mission of the society take on new significance as the organization redefines its vision for the twenty-first century. The story of the Southern Baptist Historical Society reveals the struggle of a determined minority to preserve the history of Southern Baptists and to educate the denomination concerning its past. (1)

From the founding of the society in 1938 until the present, its leaders and members have asked the question: How can we communicate the importance of Southern Baptist history? The first serious effort on the part of Southern Baptists to preserve their history occurred in the form of the Committee for the Preservation of Baptist History founded in 1921. This first committee labored for twelve years with few measurable results and disbanded in 1933 after the death of its chairman, Adoniram Judson Holt. But it was W. O. Carver, longtime professor of missions, at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, who urged the convention to revive its commitment to historical work. In 1936, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a resolution that established a second Committee for the Preservation of Baptist History (CPBH) and instructed the committee to create a

   program of action, whereby Baptist historical materials may be assembled
   and made available for research and whereby articles, books, and courses of
   study shall be issued, to the end that a just appreciation of the labors,
   the sacrifices, and the constructive leadership of our Baptist forefathers
   may be awakened among us, and the record of their achievements preserved to
   generations unborn. (2)

Thus, the committee embarked on the noble task of educating "generations unborn" with virtually no funding, no staff, and with very little interest from the denomination at large. As one Historical Commission pamphlet explained: the committee "not only had to discover Southern Baptist history, but had also to persuade Southern Baptists to care something about it." (3)

The task was not an easy one. A society pamphlet noted that "very few of our churches and very few of the members of these churches have realized the importance of the work they were doing and the history in the making of which they were sharing." (4) Baptists are slow to show concern for Baptist history for several reasons. First, Baptists have never been "a silent people. (5) Denominational controversies threatened Baptist harmony even in the 1930s. (6) The majority of Baptists simply did not, and do not, want to "resurrect old ghosts." (7) The stream of anti-intellectualism in Baptist life ran against the efforts of professional historians to gather and preserve Baptist history. This anti-intellectualism, when combined with the strong emphasis on missions and evangelism, produced an action-oriented denomination with little interest in scholarship or reflection. Much of the work of the committee and the society was to awaken the historical consciousness of Southern Baptists.

The committee attempted to promote interest in Baptist history by reminding Southern Baptists of the lessons of Christian history and explaining the power of history to shape the present and future. The committee stated in 1937 that "we have a ... holy tradition of loyalty, heroism, sacrifice and blessing in the course of Christian history; but we have not properly appreciated and interpreted that tradition and heritage." (8) The committee insisted that "large emphasis needs to be placed on our history. Its proper interpretation will serve to give us [a] sense of position and of direction; and will help us to appraise our resources and define our responsibilities under God." (9) Again in 1939, the committee asserted: "we are deeply convinced that Southern Baptists must become far more history-minded than we now are, and must arouse ourselves to an active interest in discovering, collecting, preserving and using the materials of our history, so glorious under God's grace, if we are to discern and meet the far more glorious destiny in service of the Gospel." (10)

Because the committee was dependent on year-to-year appointments from the executive committee, members soon began to dream about a more permanent organization. On May 13, 1938, the Committee for the Preservation of Baptist History encouraged the founding of the Southern Baptist Historical Society with W. O. Carver as president. The society was an independent organization comprised of individuals interested in Baptist history. Members of the CPBH served as the society's directors. At nearly the same time, the CPBH began working with the Sunday School Board to create a commission for "procuring the writing and publication of a history of Southern Baptists by 1945." (11) W. W. Barnes agreed to write the first comprehensive history of Southern Baptists in 1940, although due to the long illness and subsequent death of his wife, Barnes did not submit the book for publication until 1952. After revisions, it was published in 1954.