INDEPENDENCE—Leon McBeth, who wrote the definitive history of Texas Baptists and taught church history to a generation of seminary students, received the 2008 Texas Baptist Elder Statesman Award.
|
Leon McBeth, retired distinguished professor of church history at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, accepts the 2008 Texas Baptist Elder Statesman Award from Bill Pitts, president of Independence Association and professor at Baylor University. (BGCT Photo)
|
Independence Association—formed to emphasize the importance of Christian higher education and Baptist heritage—presents the award for distinguished Christian service each year in conjunction with the Baptist General Convention of Texas Baptist Distinctives Council.
McBeth, a native Texan, graduated from Plainview High School and earned his undergraduate degree at Wayland Baptist University. He went on to earn his master’s and doctorate degrees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he taught 43 years.
In addition to numerous articles for scholarly journals and Baptist state papers, McBeth also has written nine books, including The Baptist Heritage and Texas Baptists: A Sesquicentennial History.
He was chair of the BGCT Baptist History Committee and was a member of the BGCT Baptist Distinctives Commmittee. He served as a trustee of Wayland Baptist University eight years and as a trustee of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Historical Commission seven years, including three years as chair.
He received the first George W. Truett Religious Freedom Award from the Texas Baptist Heritage Center and has been honored as a distinguished alumnus both of Wayland and Southwestern Seminary.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.