Dr. Anthea Butler of the University of Pennsylvania presents “A ‘New’ History of Evangelicalism—Black Evangelicals and American Evangelicalism” Part of the Obsidian Society Paper Session at the 40th Anniversary Celebration and Dedication of the William E. Panell Center for African American Church Studies. The influence of William E. “Bill” Pannell in global evangelicalism is vast and deep, his legacy among generations of Fuller students legendary. An uncommonly gifted preacher, teacher, evangelist, and author, Dr. Pannell has served on Fuller’s faculty for 40 years and, in 1971, was the first African American to serve as a Fuller trustee. The Center’s mission is to promote Fuller Theological Seminary’s cultivation of theological, psychological, and missiological attentiveness to race, culture, and Christianity by helping all students reflect deeply on the cultural and intellectual impact of the African American church, the continuing challenges for Christians of color globally, and the powerful legacies of racial identification.