Doug Weaver, Ph.D.
Department Chair Barbara Jo Beard Driskell Professor of Historical Studies
Biography
Dr. Weaver has been at Baylor University since 2003 and is a tenured full professor in the Department of Religion. He is a member of the Department's Historical Studies area and his current research and teaching focus on Baptist history and Pentecostalism. In fall 2019, Baylor University Press will publish his Baptists and the Holy Spirit: The Contested History with the Holiness-Pentecostal-Charismatic Traditions. Dr. Weaver offered a survey of Baptist history as a search for the New Testament church, examined the work of 20th century Baptist leader, E. Y. Mullins, and the importance of freedom of conscience and ecclesiology in Baptist life. He recently co-authored a book with Aaron Weaver, Different and Distinctive But Nevertheless Baptist. A History of Northminster Baptist Church, Jackson, MS (Mercer University Press, 2018).
Dr. Weaver teaches at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. He offers graduate seminars, supervises doctoral students and gives attention to an introductory undergraduate Christian heritage course (editing a reader published by Baylor University Press). Dr. Weaver is part of the Department's administrative team with his service as Interim Department Chair.
Before coming to Baylor, Dr. Weaver taught and was educated at academic institutions in the Baptist tradition. He is a member of Calvary Baptist Church and has pastoral experience. Dr. Weaver and his wife, Pat, are native Virginians. The Weavers have two children (Aaron and Andrea, both Baylor graduates) and five grandchildren (Camden James, James Oliver, Maci Brooke, Miriam Grace, and Hannah Justice). Professor Weaver is a lifelong devoted fan of the New York Yankees. His office, in the Tidwell Bible Building, is known for its collection of New York Yankees and Christian history bobblehead figures.
Academic Experience
Baylor University
- Department of Religion, Waco, Texas (2003- Present)
- Professor of Religion
- Director of Undergraduate Studies
- Coordinator, Baptist Studies for Research
- Graduate Faculty in Historical Studies (Baptist History; Pentecostalism)
Other Academic Experience
Brewton-Parker College, Mt. Vernon, Georgia (1989-2003)
Chair and Professor of Christianity, Division of Religion and Philosophy
Bluefield College, Bluefield, Virginia (1986-1989)
Books
Editor and Co-Author with Aaron Weaver. Claypool. Mercer University Press, 2022
Baptists and the Holy Spirit: The Contested History with Holiness-Pentecostal-Charismatic Movements. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2019.
Co-Author with Aaron Weaver. Different and Distinctive But Nevertheless Baptist. A History of Northminster Baptist Church, Jackson, MS (Mercer University Press, 2018).
Exploring Christian Heritage: A Reader in History and Theology. C. Douglas Weaver, Rady Roldan-Figueroa, eds. Second expanded edition (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2017).
Mirrors and Microscopes: Historical Perceptions of Baptists. Papers from the International Conference on Baptist Studies VI. C. Douglas Weaver, ed. (Milton Keynes, UK: Paternoster Press, 2015).
Exploring Christian Heritage: A Reader in History and Theology. C. Douglas Weaver, Rady Roldan-Figueroa and Brandon Frick, eds. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2012.
Mullins, E. Y. The Axioms of Religion. C. Douglas Weaver, ed., Macon: Mercer University Press, 2010 (original publication: 1908). 224 pp. plus indexes. I annotated the text and wrote an introductory chapter that assessed Mullins' contribution to Baptist life.
Series: Early English Baptist Texts, 11 vols. Co-editor with Rady Roldan-Figueroa. Macon: Mercer University Press, forthcoming. These new editions of primary source full texts (e.g., the writings of John Smyth) will include critical introductions.
Beth Allison Barr, Bill J. Leonard, Mikeal C. Parsons, C. Douglas Weaver, Editors. The Acts of the Apostles: Four Centuries of Baptist Interpretation. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2009.
In Search of the New Testament Church: The Baptist Story. Macon: Mercer University Press, 2008. 278 pp. plus index.
Second to None: A History of Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia. Nashville: Baptist History and Heritage Society, 2004. 246 pp. plus appendices, index.
The Healer-Prophet, William Marrion Branham: A Study of the Prophetic in American Pentecostalism. Macon: Mercer University Press, 2000 (original, 1987). 180 pp. plus indexes.
Every Town Needs a Downtown Church: A History of First Baptist Church, Gainesville, Florida. Nashville: Baptist History and Heritage Society, 2000. 232 pp. plus index.
Editor and primary contributor. From Our Christian Heritage: Hundreds of Ways to Add Christian History to Teaching, Preaching, and Writing. Macon: Smyth & Helwys Publishing Co., 1997. 376 pp. plus indexes.
Editor and primary contributor. A Cloud of Witnesses: Sermon Illustrations and Devotionals from the Christian Heritage. Macon: Smyth & Helwys Publishing Co., 1993. 185 pp. plus indexes.
Selected Research Articles
“Baptists and the Interplay of Word/Spirit/Experience.” Perspectives in Religious Studies 45.3 (2018): 239-49.
“Baptists and Early Pentecostal Revivalism.” In William L. Pitts, Jr., ed. Baptists and Revivals: Papers from the Seventh International Conference on Baptist Studies (Macon: Mercer University Press, 2018).
“Restoring the New Testament Church? Baptist Self-Perception(s) in America from the Mid-Nineteenth to the Early Twentieth Century.” In “A Temple Not Made with Hands: Essays in Honor Naymond Keathley (Festschrift). Mikeal Parsons and Richard Walsh, eds. (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2018).
“How Baptists Understand Their Reformation Legacy: Representative Views From The Late 19th And Early 20th Centuries.” Baptist History and Heritage 52 (Fall 2017): 8-21.
“Baptists and Spirit-led Experience.” Baptist History and Heritage (Summer 2016): 4-22.
“E. Y. Mullins: Freedom of Conscience (1860-1928).” In Michael Williams, ed. Witnesses to the Baptist Heritage: Thirty-Five Baptists Every Christian Should Know (Macon: Mercer University Press, 2016). Pg. 128-135.
Editor, Festschrift of Bill J. Leonard, Perspectives in Religious Studies 42, 2 (Summer 2015). Including C. Douglas Weaver, “Editorial Introduction: For Bill J. Leonard, Teacher and Friend.” Pg. 109-114.
“McPhersonism? Aimee Semple McPherson and her Baptist Opponents (and Supporters),” Perspectives in Religious Studies 42, 2 (Summer 2015): 127-142.
“Restoring the New Testament Church? Baptist Self-Perception(s) in America from the Mid-Nineteenth to Early Twentieth Centuries.” In C. Douglas Weaver, ed., Mirrors and Microscopes: Historical Perceptions of Baptists. Papers from the International Conference on Baptist Studies VI (Milton Keynes, UK: Paternoster Press, 2015). Pp. 129-148.
“Response to Curtis Freeman’s Contesting Catholicity (Baylor University Press, 2014)” in Pacific Journal of Baptist Research.
Editor, Festschrift of Walter Shurden, Baptist History and Heritage 50, 1 (Spring 2015). Including C. Douglas Weaver, “A Tribute to Buddy Shurden,” pp. 4-9.
“Baptist Ecclesiology in Historical Perspective.” Perspectives in Religious Studies 41, 3 (Fall 2014): 277-296.
“Baptists, the Holy Spirit, and Corporate Worship,” American Baptist Quarterly 31 (Summer 2014): 179-198.
“Baptists and Holiness in the Nineteenth Century: A Story Rarely Told,” 49, 1, Wesleyan Theological Journal (Spring 2014): 156-174.
“Baptist Ecclesiology from John Clarke to E. Y. Mullins: The Personal, The Communal, and the Eschatological,” Perspectives in Religious Studies (Fall 2013): 219-234.
"Early English Baptists: Individual Conscience and Eschatological Ecclesiology." Perspectives in Religious Studies 38, 4 (Summer 2011): 141-158.
"Reuben Alley: The SBC Conflict and Academic Freedom," Baptist History and Heritage, 46, 2 (Summer 2011): 33-48.
"A Stink in Your Nostrils? A Sermon on the Baptist Distinctive of the Believers' Church," in Distinctly Baptist: Proclaiming Identity in a New Generation, Brian C. Brewer, ed. Valley Forge: Judson Press, 2011. See pp. 78-86.
"E. Y. Mullins: Soul Competency and Social Ministry." Perspectives in Religious Studies 36, 4 (Winter 2009): 445-460.
"The Risk of Majority Faith." Baptist History and Heritage 44, 3 (Summer/Fall 2009): 53-58.
"Baptists and the First Amendment: A Historical Overview." Baptist History and Heritage 43, 3 (Summer/Fall 2008), 8-26.
"The Baptist Ecclesiology of E. Y. Mullins: Individualism and the New Testament Church." Baptist History and Heritage 43, 1 (Winter 2008), 18-34.
Chapter entitled "Baptists and Denominational Identity and the Turn Toward Creedalism: 2000," in Mike Williams and Walter B. Shurden, eds. Turning Points in Baptist History. Macon: Mercer University Press, 2008. See pp. 288-301.
"I Don't Let Nobody Blow Smoke on My Blue Skies": A Study of the "SBC Controversy" in a Local Church." Baptist History and Heritage 42, 1 (Winter 2007): 94-107.
"Southern Baptists" in The Baptist River: Essays on Many Tributaries of a Diverse Tradition. Glenn Jonas, ed. Macon: Mercer University Press, 2006. See chapter three, pp. 45-67.
"Second Baptist Church, Atlanta: A Paradigm of Southern Baptist Identity in the Nineteenth Century," in Festschrift Walter B. Shurden: Distinctively Baptist, Essays on Baptist History. Marc A. Jolley, ed. Macon: Mercer University Press, 2005. See chapter seven, pp. 75-97.
"Youth For Calvin: Reformed Theology and Baptist Collegians." (co-author with former student, Nathan Finn). Baptist History and Heritage 39, 2 (Spring 2004): 40-55.
"The Spirituality of Martin Luther King, Jr." Perspectives in Religious Studies 31, 1 (Spring 2004): 55-70.
Professional Awards and Activities
President, National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, (2017-2018)
Vice-President, National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion (2016 - 2017)
President, Baptist History and Heritage Society, (2017 - 2019)
Regular Member, the Baptist World Alliance Commission on Baptist Heritage and Identity (2015 – Present) (Corresponding Member, 2011-2015)
Regular Member, the Baptist World Alliance Commission on Religious Liberty (2015 – Present)
Series Editor, The James N. Griffith Series in Baptist Studies, Mercer University Press, 2014 –
Editor. Festschrift Issue. Baptist History and Heritage Journal (2012 - )
"The Baptist Ecclesiology of E. Y. Mullins: Individualism and the New Testament Church." Recipient of the 2008-2009 Norman W. Cox Award for Best Article of the Year in the Baptist History and Heritage Journal of the Baptist History and Heritage Society.
"The Risk of Majority Faith." Winning Sermon, 2008-2009 Baptist Heritage Preaching Contest, Baptist History and Heritage Society.
Journal Editor. The Whitsitt Journal of the William H. Whitsitt Baptist Heritage Society (1998 - 2009).
Editorial Board. Perspectives in Religious Studies, journal of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion (2002-2006).
Member, American Academy of Religion
Member, American Society of Church History
Member, Baptist History and Heritage Society
Member, National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion
Faculty Member of the Year, Brewton-Parker College, selected by faculty/staff (2003)
Brewton-Parker College Teacher of the Year Award, given by the Student Government Association (1998); the Division of Religion and Philosophy was given the Division of the Year Award (2000)
The Jordan Teacher Excellence Award of Brewton-Parker College, selected by faculty/student committee (1994)
Courses Taught at Baylor
- REL 1350 Christian Heritage
- REL 3330 Introduction to Church History
- REL 4334 Radical Christianity
- REL 4335 Baptist Life and Thought
- REL 5337 Baptist History
- REL 5349 Radical Reformation
- REL 5373 Pentecostalism
- THEO 7396 Baptist Identity