Tag Archives: Twentieth-Century History

Communities work to preserve local Bahá’í history

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From the rural heartland to the populous coasts, American Bahá’í communities are building and maintaining archives, preserving the legacies of spiritual ancestors for present-day and future learning.

Iowa Bahá’í History Project

The Iowa Bahá’í History Project takes a unique approach: it encompasses materials from across the entire state, and it lives online. In 2022, a group of friends decided to create a repository of stories, interviews, newspaper articles and photographs to trace the growth of the Bahá’í Faith in Iowa.

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New Corinne True Center to Amplify Voices from Baha’i History

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Some people think of history as a collection of names and dates with little relevance to their own lives. In contrast, the Corinne True Center for Bahá’í History promotes the study of religious history and scripture as a lively method for understanding spiritual teachings that can transform society.

Founded in January 2024 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, the Center takes its name from Corinne Knight True (1861–1961).

A combination of images depicting a nineteenth-century woman, an architectural plan, and a letter.
Illustration courtesy of The American Bahá’í magazine (volume 55, number 5, page 36).
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Philadelphia Bahá’ís Restore Home ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Visited in 1912

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A rocking chair sits between a window and a fireplace.
A chair ‘Abdu’l-Bahá used in the Revell House’s front room. Photo courtesy of JoAnn Pangione Arcos.

On ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s extraordinary journey across North America in 1912, He visited Philadelphia from June 8 to 10. While there, He spoke at a hotel and two churches, as well as at a private Bahá’í residence, a house rented by Mary Jane Revell where she and her four daughters lived. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited every room in the modest rowhouse and, sitting on a rocking chair, addressed the fifty Bahá’ís crowded inside. He praised them as brilliant “pearls,” exhorting them to serve Bahá’u’lláh.

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Vibrant Marshallese Community Arises in Oklahoma

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Twenty-five people pose for a group portrait in a community center.
Bahá’ís in Enid, Oklahoma, pose for a portrait taken before the pandemic.

In the early 2000s Enid, Oklahoma, had no Baha’i activities. Today, many of its more than 50 Baha’is are involved alongside friends in children’s classes, junior youth groups, study circles and devotional gatherings. 

What’s changed? The story starts with two Baha’i couples who each discovered the Faith on their own, along with the extended family of one of the couples.

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An Introduction to the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha

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As the Baha’i world prepares to commemorate the centenary of Abdu’l-Baha’s ascension and anticipates the construction of His shrine and final resting place, the time is ripe to review His talks and writings (which you can find online here at the Baha’i Reference Library). One of His most important writings is the Will and Testament, in which He appoints a successor and provides instructions on the administration of the global Baha’i community. To aid in the study of this crucial document, this article discusses its significance, its historical context, and its main themes.

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The Advent of Divine Justice: An Introduction

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Photo of a book

Baha’u’llah proclaimed to humanity that “these great oppressions that have befallen the world are preparing it for the advent of the Most Great Justice.”1 His teachings lay out a blueprint for establishing a just world civilization founded on international cooperation, and the paramount task of His successors has been to give people around the world access to this blueprint.

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Spiritual Cosmopolitanism, Transnational Migration, and the Bahá’í Faith

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Cover art of Journal of Baha'i Studies volume 30 depicting an abstract landscape with Persian handwriting.

Journal of Bahá’í Studies, vol. 30, no. 1–2, 2020, pp. 19–44.

Abstract: Scholars have wrestled with the question of how people can be persuaded to extend feelings of kinship beyond their own ethnic or national groups. This article identifies spiritual cosmopolitanism, whose principles of universal love and harmony can be found in the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, as key to such borderless solidarity. Drawing on data gathered from interviews with Iranian refugees who have settled in the United States, the article demonstrates how cosmopolitan principles shape the worldviews of Bahá’ís. Through this case study, spiritual cosmopolitanism’s potential to enrich public arguments for the inclusion of Others such as immigrants becomes apparent.

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A Persian Preacher’s Westward Migration: Táhirih’s Transnational Rhetoric, 1817–2015

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Illustration of Táhirih’s travels with five key stops starred by Layli Maria Miron.
Map: Clipping of “Middle East in the 19th Century,” University of Chicago

Journal of Communication and Religion, vol. 42, no. 4, 2019, pp. 5–27.

Abstract: During her brief life in the early nineteenth century, the Persian poet and theologian Táhirih advocated for a spiritual revolution. Authorities executed her for heresy in 1852. After death, Táhirih attracted admirers around the world; Western writers—especially women—have interpreted her history to argue for gender equality, religious renewal, and global interdependence. This Middle Eastern preacher has established a posthumous pulpit in the United States, as members of the Bahá’í Faith there have authored a dozen books about her. After introducing Táhirih’s rhetorical rebellions, this essay demonstrates her transnational influence by analyzing her afterlives in U.S. Bahá’í discourse.

Full Text: You can download the article by clicking the link below.

A Persian Preacher’s Westward Migration: Táhirih’s Transnational Rhetoric, 1817–2015Download

Martha Root’s Speeches and Social Discourse: Cosmic Education for a Universal Age

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Martha Root with other women
Martha Root sitting front and center, with a group of women in Melbourne, Australia, c. 1924. (Image source)

A century ago, on July 22, 1919, Martha Root embarked on a 20-year journey to destinations in Europe, Australia, Asia, the Americas, and Africa. These travels were motivated by a desire to share Baha’u’llah’s teachings with diverse audiences through public speaking and writing. Before setting out, she had honed her rhetorical skills during her career as a journalist, performer, and teacher. You can learn more about Root’s purpose-driven life from this earlier Baha’i Blog article.

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A Tribute to William Sears, Hand of the Cause

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When setting out to write this article, I felt overwhelmed: William Sears accomplished so much in his 80 years. How to distill decades of service, achievements, and adventures into a short article? Here I’ve only captured the outlines of a man who seized every opportunity to serve—who once said, “I need only to remember one thing: nothing must come between me and my responsibilities to God and to my fellow man. Glory is not his who loves his country, his family, or himself alone. Glory is his who loves his kind. This, I believe, has helped me to look upon each dawn as a new adventure.”1

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