The history of Carson-Newman University, the development of rural Appalachia in the nineteenth century, and the rise of the Baptist faith in the South are all inextricably linked. The 120-acre university known today for its high-value liberal arts education and Christian-focused student life, originally founded as Mossy Creek Missionary Baptist Seminary in 1851, is situated in Jefferson County, Tennessee, amidst the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Baptist leaders sought to develop the rechristened Mossy Creek Baptist College to cater to the growing population of East Tennessee. In 1880, the college was renamed again for James Harvey Carson who left his estate to the institution that would become Carson College. Newman College, a separate facility for women’s education operating alongside the all-male Carson, would merge with the latter in 1889 creating, under a new moniker, one of the first coeducational institutions in the South: Carson-Newman. In this expertly told history, Melody Marion and Amanda Ford trace the school’s humble beginnings through two dozen presidents; the turmoil of the American Civil War, Reconstruction, and two world wars; and the contemporary scandals that have plagued the Southern Baptist Convention. Carson-Newman’s history is filled with important players, both courageous and corrupt. Many such players fought tirelessly to grow the campus and maintain a level of excellence at Carson-Newman, but the university’s history is dotted with conflict concerning women’s rights, civil rights, presidents whose questionable actions created firestorms of protest and led to their exits, and modern questions related to its Baptist affiliation. Additionally, Carson-Newman University owes much to its Appalachian heritage, and in an excellent final chapter the authors unpack Carson-Newman’s regional identity past and present. Education in Appalachia historically has fallen behind national standards, but from its start as a seminary through its gender-segregated college days to the integrated orange-and-blue Eagles we know today, the university, with its presidents and academic body has been an agent of demonstrable gain for its students and the region. Today, as new chapters in Carson-Newman’s history are being opened, this text will serve as a record of tradition, world-class education, and lifelong learning within a Christian setting.

Inspiring and hopeful, Audacious Voices is a collection of twelve stories from alumnae/alumni of WILL*, a feminist model for education. Each author featured in this book is working, in their own distinct way, to make their communities more equitable—and their stories illustrate how different elements of the WILL* program influence and inspire them to act with such intentionality. Author-activist Courtney Martin writes in The New Better Off that the times we live in may break our hearts, but they don’t have to break our spirit; it’s that spirit that these stories capture, alongside the power of a feminist educational program that engenders such spirit. Emphasizing hope, empathy, resiliency, and solutions by showcasing the transformative power of inclusive leadership, advocacy, and mentorship, Audacious Voices reminds us that real change is possible, even in the current political climate.

"Melody Marion and Amanda Ford trace the formation of this Jefferson City, Tennessee, institution from its founding as Mossy Creek Missionary Baptist Seminary in 1850 to the one-hundred-and-twenty acre university campus that is Carson-Newman today. Along the way, Marion and Ford discuss the school's Baptist foundations, its coeducational merger in the late nineteenth century, a string of presidents both exceptional and misguided, and its expansion from college to university in the twenty-first century"--

Many people today think of Satan as a little red demon with a pointy tail and a pitchfork—but this vision of the devil developed over many centuries and would be foreign to the writers of the Old Testament, where this figure makes his first appearances. The earliest texts that mention the Satan—it is always “the Satan” in the Old Testament—portray him as an agent of Yahweh, serving as an executioner of evildoers. But over the course of time, the Satan came to be regarded more as God’s enemy than God’s agent and was blamed for a host of problems. Biblical scholar Ryan E. Stokes explains the development of the Satan tradition in the Hebrew scriptures and the writings of early Judaism, describing the interpretive and creative processes that transformed an agent of Yahweh into the archenemy of good. He explores how the idea of a heavenly Satan figure factored into the problem of evil and received the blame for all that is wrong in the world.

This pictorial history of Carson-Newman College illustrates the people, places, and events that have shaped this institution's legacy. Carson-Newman College, a private, Christian liberal arts college, is located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of Knoxville. In the early 1840s, a number of Baptist leaders desired to offer better-prepared ministers to area congregations. Afforded the use of a local Baptist church building, Mossy Creek Missionary Baptist Seminary opened to students in the fall of 1851. In 1880, the school was named Carson College and for several years existed alongside Newman College, a separate facility for the education of women. In 1889, the two colleges united as one of the first coeducational Baptist institutions. As Carson-Newman College celebrates 160 years of rich history steeped in the ideals of truth, beauty, and goodness, it continues to prepare students academically and spiritually to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Explore "My Own Backyard" ... then discover yours. In this autobiographical collection, Danny Nicholson explores the landscape of his own backyard through stories about his father, poems about his children, and songs about family, faith and friends. In essence, his book reveals that his story is not his own. It transcends the boundaries of geographical locations, suggesting that life is not so much about where we are but who we are. "Geographical boundaries separate backyards, but the memories we make in them create a sameness and familiarity that renders the distance between them non-existent," writes the author. "Backyards are set apart by their location, but they are made of the same stuff -- or, even better, we are made of the same stuff." Nicholson's stories, poems, and songs of laughter and tears, darkness and light, faith and love, "inextricably link us to each other as human beings, and give us a divine reason to hope for a better tomorrow." "We are one story or song away from finding all things in common with every human being," he says. An adopted son as well as a husband, father, singer-songwriter, fundraising leader, and speaker, Nicholson is president of Connie Maxwell Children's Home in Greenwood, S.C. He is married to his college sweetheart, Debra, and they have two grown sons who are accomplished musicians.

"We can say that Jeff Daniel Marion is a great Appalachian poet, but only in the sense that we can call Wordsworth a great poet of the Lake District or describe Dickinson and Frost as great New England poets. Like them, he writes about the specific landscape and people he loves and knows best, but also like them, he writes for all. This splendid compendium of appreciations and analyses is an essential companion to a body of work that speaks to readers both in and far beyond the southern highlands." -- Provided by publisher.