Last month, I wrote a blog for the Acadia Centre for Baptist and Anabaptist Studies (ACBAS) website on research on Baptists in Canada published since the middle of the twentieth century. As I explain in my post, dated historiographical essays are one of my favourite sub-genres (same goes for articles that predict the future of a particular topic). They give us an opportunity to look at the field and, as I note, ask ourselves: “how’d we do?”
Here is a taste of that article:
Recently, I came across an academic article entitled, “Themes for Research in Canadian Baptist History” written by Gaylord P. Albaugh (then serving as Professor of Church History at McMaster Divinity College) and published in Foundations in 1963. I love reading dated historiographical surveys like this one with one question in mind: “how’d we do?”
When Albaugh wrote his survey, he noted that “Definitive research in Canadian Baptist history has yet to be undertaken,” and that, “neither general nor specialized studies indicate satisfactorily the role of Baptists in determining the course of Canadian religious thought and action.” . . . aside from several university theses, Albaugh was content writing that “the total output of worthy printed materials is at best meager.” . . .
So, almost sixty years after Albaugh published his assessment, how’re Canadian Baptist historians doing? In short: very, very well.
If you are interested in reading the rest of that article, visit the full post on the ACBAS website here.
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