Welcome João Chaves

Our new regular contributor, Dr. João Chaves, releases his first post tomorrow. Having had a sneak peek of this forthcoming post, “The God of Evangélicos and the Brazilian Presidency: A Presentist Musing,” I can vouch that we will have much to glean from the historical insights Dr. Chaves brings to the Bench in future posts.

As an incoming regular contributor to our team, I thought I would take a moment to introduce you to Dr. Chaves today.

Dr. João Chaves is Assistant Professor of Evangelism and Mission at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Associate Director for Programming at the Hispanic Theological Initiative, housed at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of several peer-reviewed articles and four books, including Migrational Religion: Context and Creativity in the Latinx Diaspora (Baylor University Press, 2021) and The Global Mission of the Jim Crow South (Mercer University Press, 2022). He currently serves as chair of the Latinx Religions session of AAR-SW and co-editor of the Perspectives on Baptist Identities Series—published by Mercer University Press. His next book, co-authored with Mikeal Parsons, is tentatively titled Remember Antônia Teixeira: Missions, Memory, and Violence Across Borders (Eerdmans, forthcoming 2023).

While I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting João in person, I’ve appreciated his presence on social media and his cordiality and collegiality via email correspondence. In fact, he recently responded to a few interview questions I had for him. Here are those questions and his responses:

How did you get interested in historical studies? What’s your historian origin story?

I had a high school history teacher in Recife, Brazil that was fantastic. He had been an anti-dictatorship activist and taught history in an extremely engaged way. That teacher was certainly a central part of my original fascination with history.

How do you plan to use your monthly contribution? What will you want to share or write about?

In terms of specific topics, I am not completely sure yet. I do know that I am very interested in the intersections of World Christianity, the history of US-based missions, and geopolitics. So my posts will likely gravitate towards that dynamic.

What current research are you working on and how is it significant for the public?

I am currently researching the role played by philanthropists in supporting missionary work in Latin America. I think this is a significant topic because it reveals further the different ways in which US-based imperialisms established themselves around the world—especially in Latin America.

Regarding The Global Mission of the Jim Crow South (Mercer University Press, 2022)

Dr. João Chaves’ recent publication with Mercer University Press, The Global Mission of the Jim Crow South, is a significant contribution to the study of religious history in the United States. Many have recognized the import of Dr. Chaves’ research. You should check out these blurbs from a few of our senior colleagues in the field, one of which writes for the Anxious Bench currently (Philip Jenkins) and another is a recent past-contributor of the Anxious Bench (Kristin Kobes Du Mez).

Anyone interested in Christian missions will be familiar with the enormous power of US-based ventures from the late nineteenth century onward. What we often forget is the distinctly Southern origins of so many of those missionaries, and their racial and segregationist assumptions. In THE GLOBAL MISSION OF THE JIM CROW SOUTH, João Chaves makes a really valuable contribution not just to the history of missions but to US religious history more generally, and to the history of Protestant churches in Latin America. This is impressively innovative work. I hope this thoughtful and wide-ranging study reaches the largest possible readership.

— Philip Jenkins, distinguished professor of History, Baylor University

This exhaustively researched study of Southern Baptist missionary endeavors in Brazil illustrates both the long shadow cast by White supremacist Southern evangelicalism and the resistance to it by Brazilian converts. In presenting a complex story unfolding over more than a century of time, João Chaves illuminates in a way unlike any other book a story that is fundamental to the rise of Protestant evangelicalism in Brazil. I recommend it with enthusiasm.

— Paul Harvey, distinguished professor of History, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

Meticulously researched and sharply argued, The Global Mission of the Jim Crow South reveals how US Baptists exported a faith intertwined with White supremacy and racial violence, one that took root in Brazil and gave rise to a theopolitical project with enduring consequences. An essential work for those seeking to understand Brazilian history, the history of global Christianity, and the racial imagination of American evangelicals.

— Kristin Kobes Du Mez, professor of history, Calvin University, and New York Times bestselling author of Jesus and John Wayne