This year marks the 175th anniversary of Baptist periodicals published for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC). Thomas Meredith (1795-1850) was one of the patriarchs of North Carolina Baptists. He pastored two churches in eastern North Carolina, helped establish the state convention in 1830, and co-founded Wake Forest College (now University) in 1834. Meredith College in Raleigh is named in his honor.

In 1833 Meredith began publishing the Baptist Interpreter, which a year later was succeeded by the Biblical Recorder. The latter periodical remains the official denominational paper for the BSCNC to the present day. Along with Georgia’ Christian Index and Virginia’s Religious Herald, the Biblical Recorder has played a key role in shaping the identity and priorities of Southern Baptists on the Eastern Seaboard for the better part of two centuries.

In honor of this important anniversary, the BSCNC asked me to write two short, popular articles about Thomas Meredith and his tenure as editor of the Biblical Recorder. Both of those articles are now available at the state convention’s website (click here and here). I hope you will read the articles and learn about the man, his ministry, and the history of Baptists in North Carolina.