Tag: Baptists

BGC contributions to Bethel, 1984-2005

Bethel, the BGC, and the Decline of Denominational Financial Support for Christian Higher Education

September 16, 2013

There are lots of factors contributing to the financial crises afflicting higher education in general and my employer in particular. However, since Bethel is a Christian college that has retained more than a nominal relationship with its founding denomination, I’ve sometimes wondered just how changes in Converge Worldwide (Baptist General Conference) have affected our situation. … More Bethel, the BGC, and the Decline of Denominational Financial Support for Christian Higher Education

The Baptist Pietist Clarion logo

The July 2013 Baptist Pietist Clarion

July 8, 2013

7/8/13 – Readers of this blog will likely enjoy The Baptist Pietist Clarion, an annual newsletter edited by occasion Pietist Schoolman contributor G.W. Carlson. Its newest issue is now available for download: in addition to several pieces on Martin Luther King, Jr., it includes Jonathan Larson’s eulogy for Virgil Olson, the Baptist historian paid tribute … More The July 2013 Baptist Pietist Clarion

Campbell, Brother to a Dragonfly

Will D. Campbell: A Radical Baptist Peacemaker (G.W. Carlson) – part 1

June 25, 2013

Our favorite guest eulogist, G.W. Carlson, is back to pay tribute to another member of his cloud of witnesses: the Baptist minister and civil rights activist Will Campbell, who died earlier this month. In the first of a two-part post, G.W. characterizes Campbell as a “radical Baptist” influenced by Anabaptists. On June 4 I received … More Will D. Campbell: A Radical Baptist Peacemaker (G.W. Carlson) – part 1

BGC world missions ad, 1956

Virgil Olson: A Faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ (G.W. Carlson) – part 2

June 14, 2013

GW Carlson’s tribute to the late Virgil Olson continues today. While the first part focused on Virgil’s understanding of the Baptist Pietist heritage and how it shaped the Baptist General Conference and Bethel College and Seminary, today GW turns to Virgil’s advocacy for missions and Christianity in the Global South. (Virgil headed the World Missions … More Virgil Olson: A Faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ (G.W. Carlson) – part 2

Virgil Olson (1916-2013)

Virgil Olson: A Faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ (G.W. Carlson) – part 1

June 13, 2013

As mentioned here last week, Virgil Olson, a longtime professor at what’s now Bethel University and the leading historian of what used to be the Baptist General Conference, died last Tuesday at age 96. His friend G.W. Carlson offered to share this two-part tribute with readers of this blog. (Previously, GW has contributed essays on … More Virgil Olson: A Faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ (G.W. Carlson) – part 1

Virgil Olson in 1956

RIP Virgil Olson

June 6, 2013

This isn’t really how I’d like to come back to blogging after some time off, but… I’m sad to pass on the news that Virgil Olson, an important figure in the history of Bethel University (seminary professor, 1951-1968; college dean, 1968-1974) and the leading historian of its sponsoring denomination, Converge Worldwide (Baptist General Conference), died … More RIP Virgil Olson