Southwestern student receives ACL Research Award

Terry Christian, a Master of Arts in Theology student at Southwestern Seminary, became the distinguished recipient of the 2016 Research Award from the Association of Christian Libraries (ACL). Nominated by Craig Kubic, Southwestern’s dean of libraries, Christian was commended for her exemplary research skills and outstanding Christian character.

The ACL was established in 1957 with the mission of strengthening evangelical libraries through the professional development of librarians, scholarship and service in higher education. The association is currently one of the oldest and largest evangelical academic library organizations in the country. Its members serve in institutions of higher learning with the aim of glorifying Christ. The ACL offers an annual research award to show support for Christian scholars and student researchers.

“Ms. Christian has shown exemplary historical research skills in the study of 18th-century Baptists,” Kubic said during a reception held in honor of Christian’s award, April 18. “Terry has valuable academic instincts and a natural curiosity that has led to an as-yet unstudied area of Baptist history that we feel confident will prove beneficial to future research.”

Christian’s master’s thesis focuses on the writings of David Thomas, an 18th-century colonial Baptist church planter. “David Thomas is mentioned in many secondary sources, but no one has taken the time to analyze his primary sources,” Christian explained. “My thesis is to evaluate his impact in Baptist history and also to analyze his primary source documents.”

Together with a certificate of the award, Christian received a New King James study Bible for women, a gift from First Lady of Southwestern Dorothy Patterson. Christian expressed profound gratitude for the nomination from Southwestern libraries and the support she has received from faculty, librarians and her peers at the seminary.

“This was a very big surprise,” she said. “But it is very nice to be acknowledged, and I would like to say thank you for nominating me and letting me be a part of the ACL.”

After graduating from her current degree program next fall, Christian hopes to continue her studies through Southwestern’s Ph.D. program. “The people I meet at Southwestern are very genuine and very helpful,” she remarked. “This is the best school at which to study.”