Southern Baptists in the Mountain West (1940-1989), A Fifty-Year History of Utah, Idaho, and Nevada Southern Baptists.

By E. W. Hunke Jr. Franklin, Tenn.: Providence House Publishers, 1998. 368 pp.

E. W. Hunke's work concerning Southern Baptists in the Intermountain West could best be described as a collection of stories, perhaps more so than the typical work of history. Hunke clearly describes the thesis in his introduction: "This history book pays tribute to the Home Mission Board [HMB] of the Southern Baptist Convention [SBC] and its leaders, to associational (general, western, pioneer) missionaries, and to the leaders of the state conventions who worked in missions and evangelism" (p. 17).

Hunke essentially divides his work by decades. The first chapter, "Momentous Beginnings Decades through the 1940s," sets the historical backdrop for the remaining chapters. In less than fifty pages, Hunke recounts the history of the Intermountain West from the late-eighteenth century through the 1940s. Central to this period is the westward expansion of the United States and the drive of Protestant missions spurred on by fear that Roman Catholics would establish a strong empire in the West if left unopposed. Hunke points to the second annual meeting of the SBC in 1846 in which this need for missionaries was discussed. He also notes the effect of war on the advance of Baptists in the West. The Civil War hampered missionary efforts by the SBC, and World War II saw Southern Baptists transplanted into the West as new military bases were established.

With each chapter, Hunke recounts the census numbers for Idaho, Nevada, and Utah for the decade under discussion. Hunke titles the decade of the 1950s as one of "Remarkable Advances." The HMB's promotion of the "Southern Baptist Program of Evangelism" during the 1950s caused growth in the Intermountain West. New churches and associations were being organized swiftly.

"The Decade of Significant Changes, the 1960s" is characterized by continued growth in churches and associations as well as the struggle to define and organize state conventions. Hunke highlights the work of men like S. F. Dowis and Willis J. Ray throughout this and earlier decades.

Hunke views the 1970s as years of determining "Important Directions." Church and mission work continued to expand through programs such as Wings for Christ in Nevada and Utah, which provided means for ministerial students to preach in remote churches. Hunke points out how rapid SBC growth in the West had been. In 1940-74, SBC work grew from "two small state conventions in New Mexico and Arizona to ten state conventions, 145 associations, 2,201 churches, 35,387 baptisms, and 681,139 members" (p. 227).

The 1980s were characterized by "Meaningful Developments," according to Hunke. Missions programs expanded and the link with the HMB flourished. Four appendices supplement Hunke's work by giving the reader chronological and alphabetical listings of organizational dates for churches, associations, and missionary work.

As Hunke states in his introduction, this work is a tribute to the HMB, SBC, and pioneers of the Intermountain West. His is not a work for the serious historian to which the lack of footnotes/endnotes and a bibliography can attest. Hunke simply wishes to relate the stories of individuals and churches, associations and conventions, to demonstrate how the SBC came to flourish in the Intermountain West.--Reviewed by Timothy M. McAlhaney, Ph.D. student, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas.