New Special Issue Celebrates 60 Years of Baptist History & Heritage Journal
March 17, 2026
ATLANTA, Ga. — The Baptist History & Heritage Society (BHHS) is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its journal, Baptist History & Heritage, with the release of a special commemorative double issue highlighting six decades of Baptist historical scholarship.
Since its launch in 1965, Baptist History & Heritage has helped Baptists “remember, examine, and share their story,” serving as a vital resource for scholars, ministers, congregations, and all who care about the Baptist past and its meaning for the present.
This anniversary issue marks the journal’s 60th year by republishing the late Dr. John David Broome’s article from Volume 1 alongside a curated selection of Norman W. Cox Award–winning articles that reflect the strength and breadth of Baptist historical scholarship across the decades.
“For sixty years, Baptist History & Heritage has helped Baptists remember, examine, and share their story—ensuring that our past remains a vibrant part of our present and future,” said BHHS Executive Director Aaron Weaver.
The journal began in 1965 as a publication of the Historical Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Historical Society, the organization now known as the Baptist History & Heritage Society. In its inaugural issue, first editor Davis C. Woolley wrote that the journal was dedicated to helping Baptists “understand themselves, to appreciate their past, and to discover historical perspective for the future.”
That mission remains central to the journal’s work today.
The 60th anniversary issue opens by returning to the beginning, republishing Broome’s 1965 article, “Hezekiah Smith of Haverhill, Massachusetts.” Broome, who died February 19, 2025, was a lifetime member of BHHS and served for nearly sixty years as a professor of history and religion at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky.
Weaver said Broome’s article reflects the journal’s longstanding commitment to careful historical research.
“From its very beginning, Baptist History & Heritage was committed not merely to repeating inherited narratives, but to testing them, refining them, and strengthening them through careful research,” he said.
The commemorative double issue also republishes a selection of articles that received the Norman W. Cox Award, presented annually for the best article published in the journal during the preceding calendar year. Together, these essays showcase the wide range of subjects, voices, and methods that have shaped Baptist historical study.
Articles included in the 60th anniversary commemorative double issue are:
◆ Hezekiah Smith of Haverhill, Massachusetts — Dr. John David Broome (1965)
◆ Varieties of Freedom in the Baptist Experience — Dr. Bill Leonard (1991)
◆ Albert Henry Newman — Dr. Glenn Jonas (2003)
◆ The Life and Times of Barbara Jordan: A Twentieth-Century Baptist and Political Pioneer — Rev. Bonnie Oliver-Brandon (2007)
◆ Arguing Regenerate Church Membership: Baptist Identity during Its First Decade, 1610–1620 — Dr. Bill Pitts (2010)
◆ Building a Publishing Empire: The Annie Armstrong Era of WMU, SBC — Dr. Carol Crawford Holcomb (2013)
◆ ‘With Their Own People’: Mexican-American, African-American, and Anglo Baptists in Texas, 1900–1965 — Dr. David J. Cameron (2016)
◆ Many Voices: The Complexity of Baptist Women’s History — Dr. Mandy McMichael (2019)
◆ Baptists and the Johnson Amendment — Dr. J. David Holcomb (2020)
◆ Rufus Burleson and the ‘Brazilian Girl’: The Story of Antônia Teixeira — Dr. Mikeal Parsons (2022)
Weaver also noted the many editors, scholars, and institutional partners who have sustained the journal across its six decades, as well as the members, donors, and church partners whose support continues to make its publication possible.
“As your Executive Director, I remain thankful for our institutional and congregational partners, and for our members and donors—all who believe that the Baptist story matters,” Weaver said. “Your membership and generosity make possible the publication of Baptist History & Heritage, our annual conference, and every resource and publication featured throughout this issue.”
The Society is encouraging individuals to become members or renew their membership to receive a copy of the 60th anniversary issue. BHHS also invites congregations to become church partners so that church libraries and leaders can receive Baptist History & Heritage and other Society resources.
“When you donate to, join or renew your BHHS membership—or invite a colleague, friend, or congregation to become part of our Society—you help share the Baptist story,” Weaver said. “Every gift, every membership, and every partnership strengthens the legacy of Baptist witness for generations to come.”
Become a member or renew today at thebhhs.org/membership.
To learn more about the Baptist History & Heritage Society, its journal, and its mission of helping Baptists discover, conserve, assess, and share their history, visit www.thebhhs.org.
Media Contact:
Baptist History & Heritage Society
Aaron Weaver
aweaver@thebhhs.org
thebhhs.org