Between worlds : John A. Broadus, the Southern Baptist Seminary, and the prospects of the new South / Eric C. Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Eric C., 1977- Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Baptists--United States--Biography.

Baptists.

Broadus, John Albert, 1827-1895.

Broadus, John Albert.

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary--History--19th century.

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xii, 284 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, [2026]

Summary:

"John A. Broadus (1827-1895) stands among the most influential American Baptists of the latter nineteenth century. By the end of his life, he was a nationally renowned preacher, seminary educator, New Testament scholar, and denominational leader. He founded the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which today is among the largest seminaries in the world. His 1871 homiletics manual transformed American preaching and remains the most widely used preaching textbook in history. Later, he delivered the prestigious Beecher Lectures on preaching at Yale University and received honorary degrees from Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and many others. Broadus's personal contacts included such diverse figures as John D. Rockefeller, Robert E. Lee, and William Rainey Harper. A prominent southerner before and after the Civil War, Broadus actively shaped his region during the transition from the Old South to the New. Eric Smith's "Between Worlds" is a chronological examination of Broadus's life from birth to death, drawing in part on the twenty-five boxes of his papers held at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Important themes include his views on slavery, race, politics, and secession; his place as a fundraiser and advocate for Southern Seminary during its years of rapid growth and move from Greenville, South Carolina to Louisville, Kentucky; his advocacy for a "progressive" New South even as he refused to consider reunification with northern Baptists; his leadership in the postwar Southern Baptist Convention and presidency of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; publication of his lectures on homiletics; and his views regarding the influence of German higher criticism on Biblical scholarship. Smith also examines Southern Baptists' changing memory of Broadus, a man they venerated for over a century before recently beginning to question the legitimacy of honoring a former enslaver and Confederate evangelist. In the summer of 2020, the Southern Baptist Convention retired its historic "Broadus gavel." Convention presidents had used the gavel, a gift from Broadus to the Convention, to conduct business at the denomination's annual meetings since 1871. Broadus's own Southern Seminary had already begun to reckon with his troubling legacy in 2018, featuring Broadus in a detailed report on slavery and racism in the institution's history. Smith's study-the first scholarly biography of Broadus-is timely and tells his story in all of its complexity"-- Provided by publisher.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-280) and index.

Other Format:

Online version Smith, Eric C., 1977- Between worlds

ISBN:

9780807185223

0807185221

OCLC:

1547895241

Publisher Number:

90103990012