Cracks in Our History
Word&Way Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on two memorials to an enslaved man on the campus of Samford University, and what this could teach us about telling the truth about the histories of our institutions and churches.
Excavation of Graves Begins at Site of Colonial Black Church
Archaeologists in Virginia began excavating three suspected graves at the original site of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches on Monday, commencing a monthslong effort to learn who was buried there and how they lived.
William Jewell has Two Groups Doing Slavery Research. Some Say That’s a Problem
Critics say the college’s Racial Reconciliation Commission’s report is flawed, making it an inadequate foundation for conversations about the school’s past and future.
The Plantation Lived on through Texas Baptist Evangelism
Before and during the Civil War, white Texas Baptist leadership tied their theology of the gospel and plans for evangelism directly to Southern plantation patriarchy and support of the Confederacy. Read full piece
Gavel Named for Enslaver Replaced with One Recalling Missionary at SBC Meeting
Traditionally, Southern Baptists open the two-day meeting with the banging of a gavel. In most years, the meetings have featured the Broadus gavel, named for John A. Broadus, a founding faculty member of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary who was also an enslaver.
If We’re Rescinding Southern Baptist History, Let’s Undo Our Link to the Confederacy
Some Southern Baptists want to rescind a 2019 resolution on critical race theory. Pastor Alan Cross says that if the SBC is going to start rescinding resolutions, they should instead start with the one supporting the Confederacy.
Naming & Un-Naming: Slavery, Schools & the Present Moment
Bill Leonard: By removing Wingate’s name from one building and retaining Wait’s name on another, the university is not ‘canceling culture’ but ‘owning’ a culture long ignored and in need of recognition, remedy and yes, repentance. Read full piece
William Jewell Creates Commission to Document School’s Slavery Ties
William Jewell College, a historic Baptist school in Liberty, Missouri, announced the creation of a “Racial Reconciliation Commission” Monday to document the school’s ties to slavery and explore future steps in response.
UMHB Acknowledges Shared History with Baylor
The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor acknowledged a commission report that revealed the founders of Baylor University were slaveholders is consistent with its understanding of the two university’s “shared history.” Read full piece
Baylor, Baptists, & Slavery: A Way Forward
To say that Baylor was founded by white supremacists and racists is to admit that they exist. Read full piece