Tennessee Baptist Historical Society

The Murfreesboro Post reports today

Dr. Kenneth C. Hubbard, a great preacher and Christian leader died Sunday, February 7, 2010 Dr. Hubbard succumbed to pneumonia and the debilitating disease of Alzheimer’s that was diagnosed in 2005 soon after his retirement from ministering 54 years pastoring churches in Tennessee and Texas.

In addition to his pastoral ministry, Dr. Hubbard exercised tremendous influence as a spiritual leader and true Christian statesman. He served as past President of the Tennessee Baptist Convention; past President of the Tennessee Baptist Pastor’s Conference; served on the Tennessee Baptist Convention Executive Board; past President of Belmont University Alumni Association; a Trustee of Belmont University and served as a Trustee for Tennessee Baptist Convention Adult Homes.

James Spinti sent along a copy of this brilliant collection of essays which I am more than a little happy to commend to your attention.  It is made up of 10 essays by as many contributors:

1- The Changing Pattern of Baptist Life in the Eighteenth Century – John Briggs.

2- Benjamin Keech: Tailor Turned Preacher - Austin Walker.

3- Stogdon, Foster, and Bulkeley: Variation on an Eighteenth Century Theme – Stephen Copson.

4- James Fanch: The Spiritual Counsel of an Eighteenth Century Baptist Pastor – Karen Smith.

5- Gilbert Boyce: General Baptist Messenger and Opponent of John Wesley – Clive Jarvis.

6- Benjamin Beddome: His Life and His Hymns – Michael Haykin.

7- David Turner and a Theology of the Church Universal – Paul Fiddes.

8- Andrew Fuller and The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation – PJ Morden.

9- Calen Evans and the Anti-Slavery Question – Roger Hayden.

10- Martha Gurney and William Fox: Baptist Printer and Radical Reformer, 1791-1794 – Timothy Whelan.

The volume includes an index and an introductory essay by the editor as well as brief bios of all the contributors.

Especially engaging is the essay by Jarvis.  I never knew that Wesley had such opponents.  Perhaps he deserved them.  And especially eye-opening is Smith’s essay on Rev. Fanch.  If you think you’ve served a cantankerous and miserly church, wait till you read of his adventures at Romsey (England).  It amazes me that he remained in the ministry at all.  His modern counterparts would give up without blinking.

You’ll learn much about Baptists in the 18th century from this little collection.  So, with Richard Picard, I say that this book ‘is a must read’.

James Spinti of Eisenbrauns was kind enough to send along a fascinating and delightful 2 volume history of Australian Baptists by Ken Manley titled From Woolloomooloo to ‘Eternity’: A History of Australian Baptists.

Volume 1 covers the period from 1831 to 1914 and volume 2 from 1914 to 2005.

Any history which commences with the tale of the Pastor baptizing new converts while a half naked drunk swims in the waters beneath and attempts to pull the Pastor under is must reading. And when the Pastor comes armed to the next baptism with a tree branch in hand to beat all such persons away, you know the fun has just begun. And it gets better from there.

These two volumes tell the story of Australia’s Baptists with vigor and in such a remarkable way that they are almost impossible to put down. Well written doesn’t describe these books. Magical comes close but then of course such a word doesn’t really fit a theological context. Fantastic, fun, witty, engaging, and all the usual descriptors too fall a bit short.

Manley has done 1) Australian Baptists a service by telling their amazing story; and 2) historians a favor by showing them how history can be written so as to be enrapturing.

I recommend these volumes to Church historians, interested Baptists, and general historians. You won’t regret reading them and you will find yourself actually laughing out loud at some of the antics those crazy Australians pull.

At the conclusion of the Annual Meeting on February 23rd, the officers of the society will hold a short meeting to plan future emphases.

The Baptist Standard has an interesting report on the possible future of Baptists based on current trends. It’s very much worth pondering.

Several of the essays from the 2009 issue of the Journal are available now on the Journal’s page.  Enjoy!

On January 12, 2010 the Center for Religion and Public Affairs at Wake Forest University released a statement titled Religious Expression in American Life: A Joint Statement of Current Law. A diverse working group of church-state experts drafted the statement, and the Center served as the convener and facilitator of the work. Read more about the statement here.

Unlike the modern church, which is often concerned above all with the number of members, the pioneer church was concerned first of all about a dedicated and pure membership.  -  Albert Wardin Jr.

Though many Baptists may not have heard of this particular theological / eccleisiological perspective, it’s been among us for a number of years now. In this essay, it is correctly assessed. And that essay is must reading for Baptists.

In Michigan

Over most of its long history, Kalamazoo College’s charter has required that some portion of its governing board be Baptists. But the mandated percentage has diminished over the decades and with legislation recently introduced in the state House, college officials are now seeking to end the edict altogether. The college’s spokesman said the change will allow the 29-member Board of Trustees to better mirror contemporary “K.” One retired academic who has researched church-related colleges said the move illustrates how many schools that sprang from denominational roots have gradually withdrawn from them over time. K-College was founded in 1833 by a Baptist preacher who said he hoped the school would “exert a most salutary influence upon the Baptist cause…,” according a 2008 book on K’s history by Marlene Crandell Francis.

And

When it was founded by Rev. Thomas W. Merrill, he expected K-College — initially named the Michigan and Huron Institute — to “…shed an enlightening, reforming and sanctifying influence upon the citizens of this Territory,” according to Francis’ book “A Fellowship in Learning: Kalamazoo College, 1833-2008.” Merrill worked to establish a school that was governed by Baptist adherents and imparted both traditional academics and theology. That religious mission is not a present part of campus culture and life at the liberal arts school today.

Is this a sign of continued secularization or something else? Whatever it is, it’s a trend that we’ve seen here in Tennessee in the case of Belmont University, which severed its ties with the TBC a few years back.

It seems that historically ‘Baptist’ schools are dying. I, for one, don’t think this is a particularly good thing.