FIRST-PERSON: Inclusiveness in the SBC
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--When Norris Fulfer cast the tie-breaking vote -- after death threats -- to admit predominantly African American Community Baptist Church in Santa Rosa, Calif., into the Redwood Empire Southern Baptist Association, the courageous moderator had no idea he was unlocking a major door of progress for Southern Baptists. Since Washington Boyce led that church into the Southern Baptist Convention in 1951, the number of Black churches in the Convention has grown to approximately 4,000. When the annals of Southern Baptist history are completed, a significant chapter will be the story of the proliferation of African American churches in America's largest non-Catholic denomination during the second half of the 20th century.
FIRST-PERSON: 10 years of racial progress in the SBC
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--From an African American perspective in the past 10 years:
FIRST-PERSON: In search of America’s firstBlack Baptist congregation
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--While conducting research for one of my books on Black Southern Baptist church studies, a new piece of information emerged which challenged the historicity of a traditional axiom of Black church history. This experience motivated me to dig for the roots of the oldest Black Baptist church in America.
