Baptist World Alliance
Heritage and Identity Commission
Back to main
page
updated 100809
Officers: 2005-2010
Chair:
Karen O'Dell
Bullock Ph.D.
Fellow and Professor of Christian Heritage
B. H. Carroll Theological Institute, Arlington TX, USA
About
65 people from all parts of the world are named as members of
the Commission
(contact secretary for more information)
The Baptist Heritage and Identity
Commission is one of the BWA's six study commissions that meet
annually, each year in a different part of the world, in conjunction
with the meetings of the BWA's General Council. The venue for
the Centenary Congress meeting in July 2005 was Birmingham, UK.
At its first meeting, in Singapore
in 1986, members of the commission stated its purpose as:
to investigate and promote the meaning of Baptist heritage
and identity
According to the General Secretary
Emeritus of the BWA, Dr Denton Lotz, Commissions exist to bring
about exchange of ideas on topics relating to Christian experience
and mission and to encourage creative new solutions to problems
of Christian mission in today's world. The BWA seeks out the best
Baptist thinkers worldwide who are on the cutting ede of Baptist
life and thought to challenge the member churches and conventions/unions
to the enormous new responsibilities and opportunities for them
in the years ahead. They will not always agree with one another,
but the stimulation that commissions give to Baptist leaders is
often the beginning process for helping all hear and respond more
clearly to God's revelation in Christ. Study commissions provide
an outstanding opportunity for Baptists to listen and learn from
one another from various parts of the world.
Members have explored the Baptist
heritage in higher education, evangelism, justice and peace, spirituality
and worship, the role of women. Another series of studies has
focused on Baptist origins and the lives of some Baptist leaders.
In 1987, the Commission produced a statement defining Baptist
identity. The Heritage and Identity Commission contributed the
opening chapter, "Baptists: a Global Community of Faith"
to the book-length We Baptists (Providence House: Franklin,
Tennessee, 1999) a project of the Study and Research Division
of the BWA. Members of the Commission were deeply involved in
the centenary history of the BWA, Baptists Together in Christ
1905-2005, especially Dr RV Pierard as Editor, and Dr Eljee
Bentley as co-editor; a second co-editor was Dr G Borchert.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Commission
has published materials to help Baptists discover and preserve
their heritage:
International Directory of
Baptist Archives/Libraries (1990)
Manual for Developing Baptist Archives (1990) (click
here)
Bibliography of Selected Histories of
BWA Member Bodies in Countries other than the USA
The Commission
assisted fellow member Albert Wardin in producing
Baptists around the World (Broadman and Holman, 1995).
Selected
papers by members are included in three volumes of the Study and
Research Division of the BWA:
Faith, Life and Witness (1990)
Baptist Faith and Witness (1995)
Baptist Faith and Witness II (2000)
Baptist Faith and Witness (2005)
Contact secretary for more information
about these publications
This site
is being continuously developed -
keep coming back for more!
Go to top
of page
Contact Webmaster