Today the Fourth Baptist Church, an African American congregation, is established in Richmond, Virginia. It is one of hundreds of black Baptist churches formed in the immediate post-war months as freedmen depart white churches, and white supervision, to form their own autonomous congregations. A historical marker tells the church’s story: “Fourth Baptist Church is the…
Today the first Convention of Colored Citizens of the State of Arkansas is gathered in Little Rock. Many Baptists are among those present. The purpose of the convention is to exert the rights of freedmen and ensure that white Southerners respect their freedom. The road thus far has been brutal, and a future of true…
Today’s edition of the Virginia Baptist Religious Herald continues efforts to reconstruct the Old Confederacy as a righteous slave regime that was overwhelmed by the military might of an ungodly Northern people. Upset that Missouri is requiring all ministers to sign an oath of allegiance to the United States, Southern Baptists lament that the mandate…