50 Years Ago
November 1966
The 144th Alabama Baptist State Convention, meeting in Birmingham, had to deal with a “problem” that most Southern Baptist leaders would welcome — raising the annual budget goal because of greatly increased missions giving from the churches. The convention expected to approve a budget of about $5.8 million but instead passed a more than $6 million budget because of numbers showing that Alabama Baptists had surpassed their giving goal. It was an all-time record, and messengers from the 2,902 Baptist churches in the state reaffirmed the fact that 35 percent of all Cooperative Program gifts would be earmarked for Southern Baptist causes.
100 Years Ago
November 1916
The Alabama Baptist published a resolution passed by the Northern convention “to show that the Baptist protest against the aggressiveness of Catholicism in America is not merely confined to the South.” The resolution resolved that traditional doctrine of separation between Church and state be reaffirmed to guarantee religious liberty. The resolution reflected opposition to taxpayers maintaining parochial schools, which Baptists believed should remain private institutions. They also protested attempts in various sections to prevent freedom of speech by mob violence, to curtail freedom through mail and to stop the press from discussing the questions arising from these issues. Baptists were called upon to be moderate and kind while still displaying “firmness of speech” and “effectiveness of action.” The House of Representatives was petitioned in protest of a bill introduced by a New York delegate which gave the postmaster general power to exclude religiously offensive publications from the mail.
150 Years Ago
November 1866
April 16, 1865, was the last issue of the South Western Baptist in Tuskegee. Federal troops went through the town and placed the editor, Samuel Henderson, under $20,000 bond with orders to cease publication of the newspaper.
Although Henderson was given a reprieve for the debt and permitted to again publish, because the South’s mail system was almost suspended and its economy was so bad, Henderson decided not to continue at that time.
However, Henderson searched for an answer believing the need for a religious newspaper was so great during this lamentable time. According to the report of Jan. 6, 1866, opportunity came for he and J.J. Toon, editor of Georgia’s Christian Index to unite with offices in Atlanta. Therefore, the Christian Index and the South Western Baptist publication began.
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