updated 04/08
Annual Meeting - 2008 Prague Czech Republic July 25-30
Major new Bibliographic and Heritage Collection Management Study Published
A
new dissertation, titled The Australian Baptist Heritage Collection:
Management of a Geographically Distributed Special Collection
makes a valuable contribution to the study of Australian Baptist
history and heritage. The thesis is the result of the recent successful
completion of a Masters of Arts research project by Kerrie Burn.
Kerrie was formerly the librarian at Whitley College: the Baptist
Theological College of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. Her supervisor
was Dr Ken Manley.
The thesis is divided into two parts. Part 1 examines the history, development and current state of Baptist collections in Australia and the role of theological college libraries, historical societies and archives. It also outlines some recommendations for potential collaborative collection development projects that these Australian Baptist institutions may wish to consider. These recommendations arose out of both wider reading in collection management theory and practice and the results of a survey of librarians and archivists responsible for the care of Australian Baptist Heritage collections. The survey was administered to gauge the interest of key individuals and/or institutions in participating in co-operative collection development projects that could advance the purposes of Australian Baptist institutions as a whole. These potential projects include shared collection development policies and preservation strategies, formal sharing of duplicate resources and information about collections, and potentially using digital technology to improve access to collections and to ensure the preservation of nationally significant, and rarely held materials.
Part 2 includes a number of useful resources for Australian Baptists. The first is a bibliography of over 1300 works related to Australian Baptists - indexed by both subject and personal name of author. Australian Baptists: A Bibliography is a valuable resource for collection managers, researchers and historians. Other resources include a listing of all institutions with Australian Baptist collections, along with general information and contact details, a listing of theological college principals, faculty, librarians and archivists in each Australian state, and an updated listing of Baptist periodicals in Australian library and archive collections, which includes holdings information (also available at http://www.bwa-baptist-heritage.org/ng-ser.htm)
The research project used Australian Baptist library and archive collections as a case study with a view to reaching conclusions with implications for the management of similar collections (i.e. geographically distributed special collections). The wider Australian theological community, which includes many other denominational and religious collections, may also be able to participate in some of the proposed co-operative ventures. This research project thereby provides a model for possible emulation by other collections as well as making a contribution to collection management theory and practice.
Copies of the thesis are available
for purchase from the author. Please contact Kerrie Burn
on kerrieburn@gmail.com
for further information.
Historic Baptist Chapel Featured on Prime BBC Television Program
The
historic Monksthorpe Baptist Church built in 1701 featured in
the presitigious BBC TV program, Songs of Praise in Febraury 2005,
in its 'Unsung Heroes' series. (click
here) Revd. Bryan H Keyworth of Nottingham, from 'Friends
of Monksthorpe' was interviewed, describing some of the work involved
in restorting and maintaining the church, which is now under the
care of the National Trust. In the website devoted to the church
(click here) the
background of the church is described. It is located in Lincolnshire
between Spilsby and Burgh-le-Marsh in a remote and secluded spot,
specially chosen for its secrecy during times of persecution.
The website states: 'By the year 1651, the Baptist cause had reached Lincolnshire and small groups were meeting for worship. As it was not safe for them to do so, they met in secrecy. A group formed and met at the "Preaching Tree" in the croft of Monksthorpe. They worshipped in the open air while watch was kept from the nearby trees to give warning of the approach of the King's soldiers. People walked to worship at Monksthorpe from distances of many miles. There was not a resident congregation at Monksthorpe which had been chosen for its seclusion. This was at a time when it was not safe to be other than a member of the established church. Therefore the congregation at Monksthorpe was always intended to be a non-residential one! But - In 1781 there are records to show that Monksthorpe had a membership of eighty-one. Since that time numbers have fluctuated, its very seclusion being a hindrance to numerical prosperity.'
'When the building was erected in 1701 at a time when acceptance of Dissent was in the air due to the Toleration Act, there was a suspicion that persecution might return. Therefore the chapel building was erected in the form of a farmyard barn with a thatched roof; and an escape hatch above the pulpit so that the preacher might make a hurried exit on a horse tethered outside should that be necessary! The thatched roof was replaced with tiles in 1847, when the vestries were also added.'
The
chapel features an open-air baptistry! After regular services
came to an end in the late 1970s, the building lay unused and
the foundations were seriously affected by tree roots. But 'Friends
of Monksthorpe' have since repaired the building so occasioinal
services could again be held. The National Trust took over ownership
and restored the chapel to its mid-19th century state.
Services are held regularly, and as the website states: 'Although it is in an isolated position we have good congregations attending. More than a hundred at the harvest service is quite usual!'
Funds and assistance are needed for the continuing maintenance of the chapel. Enquiries can be directed to Revd. Bryan Keyworth bh.keyworth@ntlworld.com
First Comprehensive History of Australian Baptists Now Available: 'Magisterial and lively' work by premier scholar
Dr Ken Manley's 2-volume history
of Baptists in Australia, a new publication from Paternoster,
has been described by a leading Australian church historian, Dr
Ian Breward, as 'magisterial and lively.' He applauds it because
it 'sets new standards for the writing of denominational history.
Careful attention is given to the variety of ways in which Baptist
identity has been embodied. Achievements and failures are dealt
with clearly and empathetically. This is a history which demands
to be read within and beyond Australia.'
The work, From Woolloomooloo to 'Eternity': A History of Australian Baptists covers 1831-1914 in Volume 1, 'Growing an Australian Church', and 1914-2005 in the second volume, 'A National Church in a Global Community.' This pioneering study, in Paternoster's 'Studies in Baptist History and Thought' series, describes the quest of Baptists in the different colonies (later states) to develop their identity as Australians and Baptists. The first comprehensive history of Baptists in Australia with a national focus, the Baptist story is traced from their beginnings in 1831 with the first baptisms in Woolloomooloo Bay (Sydney) in 1832 down to modern times when 'Eternity', in memory of an unusual witness by an evangelistic convert featured during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
The first volume shows how a strong sense of becoming an Australian Church shaped much of their development from the various types of British Baptists who began the movement in the new nation. What it meant to be an Australian Baptist is described using denominational newspapers, church records and personal memoirs. The second volume traces the continuing growth of a national church with a deep awareness of global responsibilities expressed through cross-cultural mission. How Baptists reacted to the crises of the two world wars, the depression and the dramatic changes in Australia since the 1960s makes a fascinating study of a small denomination, within the larger Christian life of the nation. The reinvention of rriuch Baptist life across the last decades is depicted and the challenge and opportunities for the new millennium are explored.
John H.Y Briggs, Senior Research Fellow in Ecclesiastical History and Director of the Centre for Baptist History and Heritage, Regent's Park College, University of Oxford said, 'Ken Manley tells a good story which is well supported by intensive research. The narrative and analysis both benefit from the skills of a mature scholar who always contexts the particular within the wider context and develops the theological significance of the history he is exploring. Whilst, in part, the story reflects the development of Baptist life in Britain, Manley makes clear from the very beginning the distinctively Australian elements of antipodean Baptist life as they developed within the several different colonies.'
Richard V. Pierard, Stephen Phillips Professor of History,
Gordon College, Wenham, MA, said, 'This is an extraordinary treatment
of an important Baptist community, one that is informative, insightful,
balanced and, above all, inspiring. Ken Manley, the Nestor of
Baptist historical scholarship in a nation blessed with many fine
historians, has given us an eminently readable account of the
Australian Baptists and their place in the larger Christian community.
It is "must reading" for all those interested in Baptist
history.'
Ken R. Manley Distinguished
Professor of Church History at Whitley College, the University
of Melbourne, retired as Principal of the College in 2000. He
was a Vice-President of the Baptist World Alliance (2000-2005).
His other books include Redeeming Love Proclaim': John Rippon
and the Baptists (SBHT vol 12, 2004), In the Heart of Sydney:
A History of Central Baptist Church 1836-1986 (Sydney, 1987),
and (with M. Petras), The First Australian Baptists (Sydney,
1981).
Book examines rise of Baptists, others in Latin America
By Gregory Tomlin, Baptist Press, Dec 28, 2005 http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22360
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--A new book by missiologist Justice Anderson traces the history of Baptists in Latin America and their role in a global shift in Christianity.
“An Evangelical Saga: Baptists and their Precursors in Latin America” analyzes the explosive growth of the denomination in the region, but also examines the waning of Roman Catholicism and the rise of Pentecostalism. Growth among Baptists and other groups has led to what Anderson sees as a significant paradigm shift with Christianity’s “center of gravity” moving rapidly away from North America. A retired missionary and former professor of missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, Anderson sees the roots of a genuine Latin-American Reformation.
In the foreword to the book, James Leo Garrett Jr., distinguished professor of theology emeritus at Southwestern Seminary, called Anderson’s book an “informative venture in reading” for those “whose interests have not spilled over the parapets of Old Christendom.” Keith Eitel, dean of the Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern and a former missionary to Africa, said Anderson’s new book is full of historical detail. “It is a must-read for those interested in Latin American history in general, but especially for specialists in Baptist missionary history,” Eitel said. Eitel cited the book's account of missionary Luther Rice landing in Brazil as he returned to the United States from India. “Rice scouted out the possibilities of a viable mission station being set up there. That, of course, would be one of the earliest Protestant missionary contacts with Latin Americans,” Eitel said.
Anderson previously published a three-volume
history of Baptists in Spanish. He served as a missionary-professor
at the International Baptist Seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
for 17 years, serving as vice president of the Argentine Baptist
Convention in 1962 and 1965. After returning from Argentina and
while teaching at Southwestern Seminary, Anderson taught courses
in homiletics, church history and missions in Colombia, Peru,
Spain, Russia, Ukraine and Nigeria.
"An Evangelical Saga: Baptists and their Precursors in Latin
America" can be purchased online at www.LifeWayStores.com
Copyright (c) 2001 Southern Baptist
Convention, Baptist Press
901 Commerce Street, Nashville, TN 37203, Tel: 615.244.2355 Fax:
615.782.8736 email: bpress@sbc.net
A new history of the
The Baptist World Alliance, edited by Richard V. Pierard of the
Baptist Heritage and Identity Commission, was launched at BWA's
Centenary Congress held in Birmingham, UK, July 27-31. The 350
page book, with several pages of illustrations and tables, is
titled "Baptists Together in Christ 1905-2005".
It contains 10 authoritative chapters written by an international
team, and is highly readable and fully documented. The Foreword
is by Billy Graham and the BWA General Secretary, Dr Denton Lotz
contributes an Afterword with a vision for the future and current
challenges. Co-edited by Dr EJ Bentley (whose vision and energy
contributed significantly to the success of the project) and Dr
GL Borchert, the panel of authors include HO Russell, JHY Briggs,
RS Wilson, E Geldbach, JL Garrett, Ian Randall, AW Wardin and
KR Manley, amongst others.
This Centenary history has been endorsed by a wide range of people from Jimmy Carter, Billy Kim and Knud Wumppelmann to Rick Warren, Keith Clements, David Coffey and Osadolor Imasogie.
Baptists Together in Christ is a scholarly history of the BWA covering 1905 to 2005, the voluntary association national Baptist unions and conventions around the world, embracing over 100 million people. The book was launched at the Centenary Congress held in Birmingham, UK in July 2005.
It consists of ten chapters telling the story in chronological sequence from the pre-history prior to 1905 up to 2005. The authors are drawn from North America, UK, Europe and Australia, with overall editing by well-known Baptist historian, Richard V. Pierard and two associate editors, Dr Gerald Borchert, and especially Dr Eljee Bentley whose energy and drive was a crucial factor in bringin the project to frution. The Foreword is by Billy Graham (a featured speaker at most of the recent BWA world congresses) and the Afterword by the current General Secretary, Dr Denton Lotz. The fully indexed and documented text is supported by a large number of photographs of Baptist life around the world, several lists of BWA officials, staff and conferences, and an annotated bibliography. An additional feature is a series of boxes and photographs providing cameos of presidents and other leading figures in the movement such as John Clifford, G.W. Truett and Nilson Fanini.
Although the Baptist movement is now approaching its 400th anniversary, and for much of that time the "fellowship of kindred minds" even on a global basis has been positive, as this book shows, global organisation has come rather late. Even now, with more well over 200 unions or conventions in membership, and others joining all the time, as a voluntary movement, the BWA still does not embrace all Baptists - the most notable group now not in membership is the large Southern Baptist Convention which withdrew in the 100th year over ideological differences.
As a denomination made up of independent churches and unions, and without a central hierarchy, the issue of interest to scholars and church people is whether such a global organisation was proper, necessary, or important, and even granted a positive answer, whether it could in fact be achieved.
The saga unfolded in these pages shows how the able and dedicated leadership of some outstanding people such as Clifford, Shakespeare, Prestridge and many others, built on the groundswell of the grass roots support, and was able to overcome all kinds of obstacles. It managed to deal with the effects of two world wars and other decisive conflicts in which substantial numbers of Baptists were on both sides of the lines of hostilities. In due course, there emerged an organisation that is neither exclusively church or para-church, but one that effectively harnesses it members around the world for evangelism, mission, theological education, and ministry with youth, women and men. Its greatest achievements over a substantial period of its life have undoubtedly been in the area of advocacy for justice and religious freedom and latterly, aid and relief. Holistic mission of this kind is appropriately flagged by Lotz (along with evangelism and nurture) as key ministries for the future.
For much of its history, the truly global character of the BWA was dream, dominated as it was by European and North American interests. But as time progressed, it has become more internationalised in its personnel and interests, and more regionalised in its programs. Perhaps more importantly it has become a voice for many in diverse parts of the world who desperately need it, especially in relation to the vision and comprehensive range of values it has embodied and expressed.
Much of the narrative of a book like this necessarily involves details of organisation and programs, yet the authors have also succeeded in presenting the dynamic which has driven the movement and the varied personalities that have led it. In particular the content of speeches, papers and reports have been effectively summarised, so that interested readers are able to interact with the substance of global Baptist thinking, which gives a feel for the developments that have been documented.
There are plenty of issues facing Baptists around the world
and as a global body, many of which are listed in Lotz's thoughtful
Afterword, including social justice, the nature of church and
ministry, and ways of effective evangelism. This volume indicates
that the BWA is likely to make a significant contribution on these
topics, as it has in the past. But perhaps the more substantial
question revolves around the role of a global church body in a
post-denominational age.