Glenn Jonas, the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, received the W. O. Carver Distinguished Service Award in Raleigh this year.
The W. O. Carver Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to preserve Baptist history through writing, teaching, service, archival and library development and other historical work.
Currently a professor of religion, Jonas served as chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy for 16 years before taking on the role of associate dean in 2015. He is a long-time member of the Baptist History and Heritage Society, having served as president from 2003-2005, vice president from 2001-2003 and book review editor from 1997-2003, as well as acting as an editorial board member and conference speaker. Jonas’ previous Baptist History and Heritage awards include the Carolyn Blevins Meritorious Service Award (2013) and the Norman W. Cox Award (2003).
“My basic philosophy for my life’s work is to have one foot in the academic world and one foot in the local congregation,” said Jonas. “I like the challenge of both worlds. This is a national award given by the Baptist History and Heritage Society for scholarly work in the field of Baptist history and I was truly honored to receive it.”
Much of Jonas’ work focuses on local congregational history and denominational history, particularly of the Baptist church. His most recent book, Religious Traditions of North Carolina: Histories, Tenets, and Leaders, was published by McFarland Press last year and was written in collaboration with James Clark and former Law School Dean Willis Whichard, as well as fellow Campbell faculty members Lydia Hoyle, James Martin and George Braswell. Before that, he published a bicentennial history of First Presbyterian Church in Raleigh (2016), and a bicentennial history of First Baptist Church of Raleigh (2012).
Jonas co-authored A Journey of Faith: Introduction to Christianity (2002) and edited The Baptist River: Essays on Many Tributaries of a Diverse Tradition (2006). He is the also the author of A Critical Evaluation of Albert Henry Newman, Church Historian (1992) and has contributed articles to a variety of journals and periodicals.
Born in Gastonia, North Carolina, and raised in Rockwell, North Carolina, Jonas received his Bachelor of Arts from Mars Hill College, his Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in church history from Baylor University. He taught at Baylor and Temple Junior College before joining the Campbell faculty in 1994.
Jonas has served as interim pastor of 14 Baptist congregations in eastern North Carolina, most recently at Angier Baptist Church in Angier.