Early has article published in American Baptist Quarterly

By Gerard Flanagan, news writer/photographer/social media, Office of University Communications

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Dr. Joseph Early, professor of theology and director of Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) at Campbellsville University, has published an article in the American Baptist Quarterly.

Early’s article is titled “Fundamentalism and the Birth of the Northern Baptist Convention.”

Early said, “It concerns how the fear of modernism, the theory of evolution and biblical criticism led to militant fundamentalism in the Northern Baptist Convention and the American Baptist Convention. Differences on these aspects led to schism in the American Baptist Convention and birth of Fundamentalist denominations and associations.”

According to its website, the American Baptist Quarterly is “a publication that seeks to inquire in-depth into the nature of who we are as Baptists, especially those traditions that have come together in the member churches that are part of the fellowship of American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.”

Over the years, Early has written approximately 30 articles and eight books exploring a wide range of topics in the history of the Baptist Church and Christianity.

Among his published articles include “Tennessee Baptists and the Scopes Trial,” “The Schism of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, 1880,” “According to Luther: The Nature, Role, and Purpose of Women,” and “From Permissible to Intolerable: Southern Baptists and the Abortion Debate in the 1970s.”

Among Early’s published books include “The Building of a Church: The Centennial History of South Main Baptist Church, Houston, Texas,” “A Texas Baptist Power Struggle: The Hayden Controversy” and “The Life and Writings of Thomas Helwys: The First English Baptist.”

Early’s latest book, “You are Still Eve: The Subjugation of Women in the Judeo-Christian Tradition,” has an estimated release date of fall 2023.

Early has taught at Campbellsville University since August 2009. He serves as the Faculty Forum chair this year.

Early graduated from Cumberland College in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. He received a Master of Divinity degree from the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1997 and Ph.D. in church history from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2002.

He is the son of Dr. Joe Early Sr., formerly of Williamsburg, Ky., and now of Campbellsville, and the late Phyllis Early. He is married to Tiffany Early, who is pursuing her Doctor of Education at the University of South Carolina.

They have two dogs: Knox and Freddie.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 12,000 students offering over 100 programs of study including doctoral, masters, bachelors, associate and certification programs. The website for complete information is www.campbellsville.edu.