For the Church | Episode 313: The Capitol Hill Baptist Story

Capitol Hill Baptist Church, located just blocks away from the center of American power, has a rich 150-year history. Its members have participated in significant world events, advocated for religious freedoms, and spoken out against the moral failings of the times. There’s no doubt this church has had a unique impact on evangelicalism from a significant location. But these lively characters and their unique experiences only tell part of this engaging narrative. On today’s episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson visits with Caleb Morell, author of A Light on the Hill, which tells the history and personal stories behind the influence Capitol Hill Baptist Church enjoys today.

Caleb Morell

Caleb Morell is a historian and researcher in residence at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC where he is writing a book on the church’s 150-year history: A Light on the Hill: The Story of Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Crossway, 2025). He is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service where he majored in International History and was awarded the Davids Medal for his thesis on the early-English Baptist’s theological arguments for religious toleration, and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Currently he is a doctoral student in historical theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City and an Associate of Newton House, Oxford. His political, theological, and historical writings have appeared at 9Marks, American Reformer, ERLC, First Things, The Gospel Coalition, Providence Magazine, and World Opinions, and been quoted by The Washington Post. He lives with his wife, Clare, and their two children on Capitol Hill.