Keith Bates

Chair and Professor of History

Keith Bates (Ph.D., Kansas State University, 2006) joined the Department of History in 2004. At Union, he teaches courses on the history of world civilizations, historiography, and history senior seminar. He also teaches upper-level courses in religious history, including the History of American Fundamentalism, American Christianity and Popular Culture, and History of Christianity. A passionate teacher, Dr. Bates was named Union University’s Faculty of the Year (2010-2011) in recognition of his work in the classroom.

Dr. Bates’s research interests include American Protestant fundamentalism, religion and politics in the United States, and the use of Christian imagery in American popular culture. In 2013, he published a chapter on "KJV-Onlyism" in KJV 400: Legacy and Impact. He is currently working on book projects about American civil religion and American fundamentalism.

Dr. Bates is married to his high school sweetheart, Lisa. They are the proud parents of Rachel and Colin.

Education

Ph.D, Kansas State University
M.A., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
B.A., Union University

Recent Books

Lest We Forget: Founders' Day Addresses from Union University - Bicentennial Edition

Edited by Ray Van Neste & Justin Wainscott
Union University Press (October 2023)
Buy at Amazon.com | Find in Union's Library
Union Contributors: Cody Curtis (Chapter 9: "A New Alma Mater for Union University"); Ray Van Neste (Editor); Justin Wainscott (Editor and Chapter 6: "John Jeter Hurt: 'Somewhat of a Moses in Leading Union'"); Keith Bates (Chapter 3: "In Mutual Service: R.G. Lee and the Church-Academy Relationship"); Dub Oliver (Chapter 8: "Bicentennial Commencement Address").

Mainstreaming Fundamentalism: John R. Rice and Fundamentalism's Public Reemergence

Keith Bates
Univ Tennessee Press (March 2021)
Book Website | Buy at Amazon.com | Find in Union's Library

More Books by Keith Bates

Recent Photos

10/16/23 - Keith Bates, chair of the Department of History, welcomes Alan Taylor, Thomas Jefferson memorial foundation professor of history at the University of Virginia, to the stage for his evening address in the 2023 Carls-Schwerdfeger History Lecture. - Lauren Steed

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Keith Bates, chair of the Department of History, welcomes Alan Taylor, Thomas Jefferson memorial foundation professor of history at the University of Virginia, to the stage for his evening address in the 2023 Carls-Schwerdfeger History Lecture. - Lauren Steed

2/17/22 - Keith Bates, professor of history, chats with students in the Logos. - Kristi McMurry Woody

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Keith Bates, professor of history, chats with students in the Logos. - Kristi McMurry Woody

2/17/22 - Keith Bates, professor of history, chats with students in the library. - Kristi McMurry Woody

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Keith Bates, professor of history, chats with students in the library. - Kristi McMurry Woody

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