This history chronicles the development of women’s education within Southern Baptism, detailing the origins, growth, and eventual decline of the Carver School of Missions and Social Work. The book notes the controversy surrounding the Carver School’s leanings toward feminism and religious liberalism in the latter half of the 20th century. B&w historical photos are included. Annotation ©2020 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
In the pantheon of publications related to women&;s educational history, there is little research concerning women&;s education in the context of the Baptist church. In Doing the Word: Southern Baptists&; Carver School of Church Social Work and Its Predecessors, 1907&;1997, T. Laine Scales and Melody Maxwell provide a complete history of this unique institution. By exploring the dynamic evolution of women&;s education through the lens of the women&;s training program for missions and social work at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the authors show how the institution both expanded women&;s education and leadership and also came into tension with changes in the Southern Baptist Convention, ultimately resulting in its closing in 1997. A touchstone for women&;s studies and church history alike, Doing the Word reopens a lost chapter in the evolution of women&;s leadership during the twentieth century&;a tumultuous period in which the Carver School, under significant pressure to reverse course, sought to expand the roles of women in leading the church.
