Northern missionaries, some Baptists, are operating the first school for former slaves on the Union-controlled South Carolina island of St. Helena. The school is part of the United States’ Port Royal experiment of educating and training freed slaves for autonomous living. Began on the Oak Plantation in June, the school quickly grows and this month…
This week an anonymous writer in Georgia Baptists’ Christian Index newspaper reminds Southern Baptists not to be overconfident of victory over the enemy. While pragmatic, his is not a popular public message. Nonetheless, many of his fellow Baptists of the South most likely share the same concerns, albeit quietly. It will not do for us…
Eighteen months into the war, Southern Baptist mission work is in the midst of a major transition. Foreign mission efforts have ground almost to a halt, due to lack of funding of and communication with the missionaries. Domestic missions, often focused on efforts to evangelize Indians, have severely declined due to the disruptions of war…