By BHHS Communications

MACON, GA – The Baptist History and Heritage Society (BHHS) was recently awarded a grant of $34,595 to promote public engagement with recent historical scholarship on Baptists in the United States. The grant is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): Sustaining Humanities through the American Rescue Plan in partnership with the American Historical Association (AHA).

The Making Baptist History Public History Project will be a part of the AHA’s Grants to Sustain and Advance the Work of Historical Organizations Program that provides money to support small history-related organizations adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. BHHS had to cancel its annual meeting in 2020 and was forced to move both its 2021 and 2022 gatherings online.

“We are grateful to the American Historical Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities for this grant which enables the Society to promote recent historical scholarship that intersects with Baptist History in collaboration with local religious congregations around the country,” said BHHS Executive Director John Finley.  

Beginning in April, the project will convene a year-long series of monthly webinars that highlight recent historical works that intersect and engage Baptist History. These virtual webinars will bring together professional historians, informed religious leaders, and local congregations to converse about history and its implications for the present. These online events will be free and open to the public.

“With so much anxiety in the country around historical curriculum in public schools, critical race theory, and the purpose of historical study, it’s important for organizations like the Baptist History and Heritage Society to lead public conversations about history,” said Project Director Andrew Gardner who currently serves as Louisville Postdoctoral Research fellow at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Gardner will work closely with Executive Director John Finley to carry out the project.

The first webinar will be held on April 28, 2022 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. EDT and will feature Dr. Christopher Moore’s work Apostle of the Lost Cause: J William Jones, Baptists, and the Development of Confederate Memory. The webinar will be virtually hosted by First Baptist Church Carrollton, Georgia and Rev. David Hughes. 

You can learn more about the work of the Baptist History and Heritage Society at www.thebhhs.org. Be sure to like and follow the work of the organization on Facebook to receive information about each upcoming webinar.  Congregations interested in virtually ‘hosting’ one of the project’s webinars should contact John Finley at john@thebhhs.org. 

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About the Baptist History and Heritage Society: Tracing its origins back to 1938, the Baptist History and Heritage Society is a non-profit, professional organization with members worldwide. We bridge the worlds of the academy and the congregation and communicate the story of Baptists through print and digital media publications, conferences, and seminars.

About the American Historical Association: Founded in 1884 and incorporated by Congress in 1889 for the promotion of historical studies, the American Historical Association provides leadership for the discipline and promotes the critical role of historical thinking in public life. The Association defends academic freedom, develops professional standards, supports innovative scholarship and teaching, and helps to sustain and enhance the work of historians. As the largest membership association of professional historians in the world (nearly 12,000 members), the AHA serves historians in a wide variety of professions and represents every historical era and geographical area.

About the National Endowment for the Humanities: Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at www.neh.gov.

Contact:
John Finley
Executive Director
Baptist History and Heritage Society 
john@thebhhs.org