Educating Baptists: The Legacy of Basil Manly Jr

Abstract

The word ‘schism’ evokes strong feelings among Baptists worldwide.
From the split of southern Baptists in the United States from the
Triennial Convention in 1845 to the separation of the Cooperative
Baptist Fellowship from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in 1990
to the recent withdrawal of the SBC from the Baptist World Alliance in
2004, Baptists have experienced their share of division. As new Baptist
groups of the twenty-first century continue to define themselves, it is
helpful to examine the ways in which former Baptists survived and even
thrived after division. Basil Manly, Jr. (1825-1892) provides a lens
through which to view one such period in Baptist history, especially with
regard to how schism affected Baptist pedagogy. Manly proved a pioneer
in Baptist education in the southern United States and provides a helpful
case study for Baptists worldwide in reevaluating educational models.