Academic Historian

Edward J. Robinson, a native of Jacksonville, Texas, serves as pulpit minister for the North Tenneha Church of Christ in Tyler, Texas.  He earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in Bible and Religious Education from Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas.  He has three masters degrees: Masters of Arts in Religious Education (1991) and a Masters of Divinity (1993) from Harding School of Theology in Memphis, Tennessee.  He earned a Masters of Arts in Classical Greek (1998) from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.  His Ph.D. degree is American History and African American History from Mississippi State University (2003) in Starkville, Mississippi.

Ed Robinson has authored seven academic books, including: Hard-Fighting Soldiers: A History of African American Churches of Christ (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2019).  He currently serves as Associate Professor of History and Religion at Texas College in Tyler, Texas.  He has served congregations in Mississippi, Illinois, and Texas.

Interdenominational Theological Center (1958- )

The Interdenominational Theological Center  (ITC) is a Christian, ecumenical, graduate professional school of theology located on the Atlanta University campus in Atlanta, Georgia. The ITC began in 1958 when four schools of theology united to form the Center: Morehouse School of Religion, Gammon Theological Seminary, … Read MoreInterdenominational Theological Center (1958- )

Huston-Tillotson University (1881- )

The collaboration of diligent black people and concerned white philanthropists from the North was the impetus behind the formation of what is now Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. Chartered in 1877 and opened in 1881 under the name of Tillotson Collegiate and Normal Institute by … Read MoreHuston-Tillotson University (1881- )

Southwestern Christian College (1948- )

Southwestern Christian College, a junior college with a four year Bible degree program, was largely the brainchild of George P. Bowser (1874-1950), an influential African American preacher in Churches of Christ. A former Methodist minister, Bowser received biblical and ministerial training at Walden College in … Read MoreSouthwestern Christian College (1948- )

Jarvis Christian College (1912- )

Founded in 1912 near Hawkins, Texas, the Jarvis Christian Institute (renamed Jarvis Christian College in 1927), owed its existence to both the philanthropy of white Disciples of Christ and to the initiative of African American Disciples of Christ. On the one hand, J. J. Jarvis … Read MoreJarvis Christian College (1912- )

Samuel Robert Cassius (1853-1931)

Samuel Robert Cassius was an ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life.  A former enslaved African American from Virginia, Cassius was the product of a bi-racial union, a house-slave, Jane, and probably his physician and politician owner, James W. F. Macrae, a relative of General Robert E. … Read MoreSamuel Robert Cassius (1853-1931)