In progress

Primary Resources

The Biblical Recorder (North Carolina)

The Biblical Recorder is the official journal of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention. Currently published biweekly, it has been in existence since 1833, when it was founded by Thomas Meredith, a Baptist pastor in New Bern, North Carolina.

The Biblical Recorder documents many themes and trends including:

• the preoccupations, ideals and controversies that characterized NC Baptist life over a century and a half, including the practice of slavery
• prominent attitudes and opinions expressed through editorial columns and letters to the editor
• the development of churches throughout NC
• the development of Baptist schools and colleges throughout the South
• examples of advertising and products that were available during the Civil War
• changes in attitudes and the political views of Baptists in NC and the United States over the decades
• the history of Baptist benevolence work
• the experiences of missionaries in China, Africa and Southeast Asia

Examples of topics for which researchers have used The Biblical Recorder as a primary source include:

• attitudes of Baptists during the Civil War
• how early churches dealt with members who had “fallen”
• how Baptist preachers were viewed by people in other regions of the US
• how women contributed to Baptist life during Reconstruction.

Published Resources and Statements from Baptist Institutions

• Baylor University. Resolution on Racial Healing and Justice (2020)
• Baylor Conversation Series. Slavery in Texas and Baptist Life
• Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, National Baptist Convention of America International, Inc., and the Progressive National Baptist Conventio. Angela Project Overview (2017)
• Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Ky). Report on Slavery and Racism in the History of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Wake Forest University. An Apology–The Slavery, Race, and Memory Project (2020)

Scholarly Presentations and Works

• Inabinet, Brandon Michael. When Pastors Go Public: Richard Furman’s Public Letter on Slavery (2011)
• Kickler, Troy. More Baptist than Black: A History of Black Baptists during Reconstruction (2014)
• Leonard, Bill J. Defending the Indefensible: Wake Forest, Baptists, and the Bible (2020)