Baptist History and Heritage, 1965-2005.

This issue of Baptist History and Heritage marks the journal's fortieth anniversary.

Since August 1965, 143 issues, containing more than 1,000 articles, have been published. Writers, reflecting international perspectives, have included blacks, whites, Hispanics, Native Americans, Europeans, Asians, Australians, South Africans, and many others. Women have contributed numerous articles.

The journal has had five editors: Davis C. Woolley (1965-71), Lynn E. May, Jr. (1971-95), Slayden A. Yarbrough (1995-99), Merrill M. Hawkins, Jr. (1999-2003), and Pamela R. Durso (2003-present).

In 1965, the Historical Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Historical Society* jointly launched the journal. Davis C. Woolley, the second executive director of the commission and the first editor of the journal, wrote in the first issue that the journal was "dedicated to the pursuit of historical information that will enable Baptists to understand themselves, to appreciate their past, and to discover historical perspective for the future. If an occasional article helps Baptists to avoid mistakes of the past and enunciate more positively the cherished truths that have made and sustained them across the years, the journal will have served a worthwhile purpose."

The Historical Commission's co-publishing status ended in 1997 when the SBC terminated the agency. That year, the Southern Baptist Historical Society[R] became the sole publisher of the journal. In 1999-2003, the society published the journal in cooperation with the Center for Baptist Studies at Carson-Newman College. Since 2003, The Center for Baptist Studies at Mercer University has served as cosponsor of the publication.

BH&H has served valuable functions for the society. First, it has been the only publication of the society to be published for the entire 40-year period. Second, its title provided the words used in the society's new name, Baptist History and Heritage Society, adopted in 2001. Third, it has provided an outlet enabling Baptist scholars worldwide to publish important articles, therefore helping to keep the society connected with such Baptists. Fourth, it has been the journal in which many young Baptist scholars have had their first major articles published. (I know firsthand, since my first major article appeared in the October 1973 issue. I remember my excitement upon first seeing that article in print. Who knows? I might not have my job today if that article had not been published.) Fifth, it has offered a means of honoring scholars for excellent articles through annual presentations of the Norman W. Cox Award. That award has been presented to twenty persons, including five women, since 1975. Sixth, because the society has experienced so much transition during its 40 years, especially since the mid-1990s, the journal has functioned as a major integrating factor around which the society's work has flowed. In effect, it has helped the society keep its dream alive.

I am grateful to Pam Durso, editor, who coordinates the publication well; to Liz Gibson, graphic designer, who makes the journal look good; to The Center for Baptist Studies of Mercer University, which graciously serves as cosponsor; and to the publication's Editorial Board, consisting of representatives from many colleges and universities, for its valuable decisions and advice.

Written, edited, designed, and supported in freedom, the journal has a solid base on which to build its next forty years.

Charles W. Deweese

Executive Director-Treasurer

Baptist History and Heritage Society