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This collection of essays by E.Y. Mullins, containing some of the most important documents in the Baptist theological heritage, is a valuable learning tool for young Baptists and a useful reference for those mature in the faith. ... Read more

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A must-read classic for Baptists and other Evangelicals
I bought this book because it was one of 12 volumes in a series.I've found it to be not only the best of the series, but one of the best books I've ever read.Dr. Mullins interprets the Christian faith via the beliefthat every soul is competant to relate to God without mediation throughother humans or human institutions.From this conviction he draws sixtruths (axioms) of the faith. The axioms deal with one's relationship withGod, other Christians, and society. The language is written on a commonlevel (for 1908), but is rich and carefully expressed.In addition to the12 chapters of the title there is an excellant selection of additionalshort writings by Dr. Mullins.This book has helped me to gain a newperspective of my beliefs and has strengthened my faith. My onlycomplaint is that it lacks chapters 13-17, which I found in an original1908 copy. ... Read more

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No American denomination identified itself more closely with the nation's democratic ideal than the Baptists. Most antebellum southern Baptist churches allowed women and slaves to vote on membership matters and preferred populists preachers who addressed their appeals to the common person. Paradoxically no denomination could wield religious authority as zealously as the Baptists. Between 1785 and 1860 they ritually excommunicated forty to fifty thousand church members in Georgia alone. Wills demonstrates how a denomination of freedom-loving individualists came to embrace an exclusivist spirituality--a spirituality that continues to shape Southern Baptist churchesin contemporary conflicts between moderates who urge tolerance and conservatives who require belief in scriptural inerrancy. Wills's analysis advances our understanding of the interaction between democracy and religious authority, and will appeal to scholars of American religion, culture, and history, as well as to Baptist observers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Essential reading for Southern Baptists
I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church hearing that Southern Baptists oppose all use of creeds, don't pratice church discipline, and don't believe in a Calvinistic view of God's sovereignty.A lot of people try toargue that as well as being like this today, Southern Baptists were alwayslike that.Gregory Wills totally undermines these understandings ofSouthern Baptist history.Unlike modern SBC historians who take anunderstanding of Baptist life that has existed only since 1900 and assumethings have always been that way, Wills does exhaustive research into theway local churches in Georgia actually believed and behaved in the 19thcentury.Wills proves that most SBC churches in Georgia held toCalvinistic beliefs, regularly practiced church disciplined, and favoredthe disciplinary use of creeds.This book is essential reading for anySouthern Baptists interested in the reformation of our denomination.

A Churches that Disciplines its Members is Healthy!
Democratic Religion is an interesting discussion on the topic of Church discipline and the authority that Church governments exerted over memberships in the 19th century.Gregory A. Wills, the author, wrote thebook from a point of interest discovered when writing a short article onthe subject of a nineteenth century preacher. Wills' study expanded into abook on the story of nineteenth century church polity focusing on thepeculiarities of Georgia churches. Nevertheless, the book is also acommentary by way of implication of the status of the church today. Readerswill not be able to help but examine their own churches in the light ofsome of the positive aspects of 19th century religious life and find theirown experience a little lacking.Lacking primarily in the advantages of astrong religious authority over church members and a measure of realaccountability added to that authority. The first three chaptersdeal generally with a form of uniquely American church government.Theauthor was influenced by the book The Democratization of Christianity, byNathan Hatch.Hatch evidently suggested that American preachers developeda cultural contextual style of preaching and church government, casting thegospel in a "new, populist, individualist form."However, Willsis not trapped by the motif of Hatch and clearly communicates that southernBaptists were not entirely democratic in the administration of churchpolity. Meaning that Baptists tended to also hold to the traditions of thereformation by asserting tremendous authority over church memberships bythe adherence to and practice of strict disciplinary procedures. These disciplinary procedures where in the form of "trials" or"dealings" and each church had its own way of dealing with whatWills calls "the texture of discipline" (23).Nevertheless,"trials" were informal events which strove to hear and answercharges, render verdicts, and (hopefully) restore the accused tofellowship.The authority of these proceeding rested in theirjurisdiction, over the membership only, and in their ability to eitherforgive or excommunicate members.The ultimate outcome of theseproceedings tended to be restoration and renewal of the church in terms ofreal revival. In the forth and fifth chapter the authors tuns hisattention to, first, the role of women in church polity, and then the roleof black slaves.Women seem to have had some degree of freedom toparticipate in the democratic process of discipline but less ability toparticipate in matters of church government-the same double standard wasapplied to slaves as well.Southern whites considered slaves to haveenhanced spirituality in matters of basic morals yet unable to rule becauseof their low intelligence. The sixth chapter briefly describes thestruggle oftheir system of ecclesiastical authority to "ensure purebelief as well as pure deportment" (84).The seventh chapterdescribes the southern Baptist practice of adhering strictly to creeds,associational authority over local churches, and the issues of Calvinism. Ironically, and in contrast to anti-creed sentiments of the post-modernera, 19th century Baptists seemed to use creeds very prolifically. Finally, chapter eight tells the story of declining church disciplinepractices which would cease, for all practical purposes, by 1920. ... Read more

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Baptist Historical Theology at its Best
Baptist Theology by James Garrett is one of the most comprehensive studies of Baptist historical theology ever written. Dr. Garrett puts half a century of academic theological experience to use by meticulously documenting the development of Baptist theology through the four centuries following their emergence in England and Continental Europe to the present day. He also addresses many misconceptions about Baptist origins. For instance the common misconception that Baptists came directly from the Anabaptist movement. He also documents and challenges Landmarkism's erroneous view of Baptist history. This is an essential work for anyone desiring to understand Baptist theology and its development through the centuries. Most Baptists assume that we materialized out of nothing in the 1950s. This lack of hindsight has in recent decades led Baptists to embrace bad theology and practices and to shun things historically maintained by Baptists. Dr. Garrett's book is a welcomed resource for those seeking to correct these trends.

This is a heavy volume with 726 pages. However, for all those pages, there are only 13 chapters. They are as follows:

Ch. 1 - The Roots of Baptist Beliefs
Ch. 2 - English General Baptists
Ch. 3 - English Particular Baptists
Ch. 4 - Early American Baptists
Ch. 5 - Awakening and Missionary Baptists
Ch. 6 - Baptist Landmarkism
Ch. 7 - Baptists in Controversy
Ch. 8 - Biblical Theologians
Ch. 9 - Twentieth Century Southern Baptists
Ch. 10 - Recovering Evangelicalism and Reassessing the Baptist Heritage
Ch. 11 - Incursions into Baptist Theology
Ch. 12 - Missions, Ecumenism, and Globalization
Ch. 13 - New Voices in Baptist Theology
... Read more

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Explores various African religions as part of a cultural system, relevant to national identity in the island of Trinidad. ... Read more

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Baptists are a study in contrasts. From Little Dove Old Regular Baptist Church, up a hollow in the Appalachian Mountains, with its 25-member congregation, to the 18,000-strong Saddleback Valley Church in Orange County, California, where hymns appear on wide-screen projectors; from Jerry Falwell, Jesse Helms, and Tim LaHaye to Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson, Bill Clinton, and Maya Angelou, Baptist churches and their members have encompassed a range of theological interpretations and held a variety of social and political viewpoints. At first glance, Baptist theology seems classically Protestant in its emphasis on the Trinity, the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the authority of Scripture, salvation by faith alone, and baptism by immersion. Yet the interpretation and implementation of these beliefs have made Baptists one of the most fragmented denominations in the United States. Not surprisingly, they are often characterized as a people who "multiply by dividing."

Baptists in America introduces readers to this fascinating and diverse denomination, offering a historical and sociological portrait of a group numbering some thirty million members. Bill J. Leonard traces the history of Baptists, beginning with their origins in seventeenth-century Holland and England. He examines the development of Baptist beliefs and practices, offering an overview of the various denominations and fellowships within Baptism. Leonard also considers the disputes surrounding the question of biblical authority, the ordinances (baptism and the Lord's Supper), congregational forms of church governance, and religious liberty.

The social and political divisions among Baptists are often as dramatic, if not more so, than the theological divides. Leonard examines the role of Baptists in the Fundamentalist and Social Gospel movements of the early twentieth century. The Civil Rights movement began in African American Baptist churches. More recently, Baptists have been key figures in the growth of the Religious Right, criticizing the depravity of American popular culture, supporting school prayer, and championing other conservative social causes. Leonard also explores the social and religious issues currently dividing Baptists, including race, the ordination of women, the separation of church and state, and sexuality. In the final chapter Leonard discusses the future of Baptist identity in America.

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Winner, 1992 Distinguished Book Award, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion"With unbending fairness, Ammerman provides a historical and sociological context to unfold the historical events and issues that have dramatically changed the shape of Southern Baptists. A benchmark study of a religious body in conflict, this work is a leading authority on the present status of Southern Baptists."--Religious Studies Review"Nancy Ammerman knows . . . of the value and worth of the lives of people who operate in intact biblical-literal cultures. . . . She takes their conflicts seriously and tells us, without hitting us over the head, that we will have them all wrong--to our peril--if we do not listen. . . . Her narrative style is brisk, purposeful, and unadorned."--Martin E. Marty, University of Chicago"If only this sociological evaluation of Southern Baptist life could sell five million copies---Rutgers would be astonished, Ammerman would be basking at Club Med in Phuket, and I would be ecstatic. . . . Every movement conservative in the Southern Baptist fellowship should purchase two copies of this book."--Paige Patterson, President, Southeastern Theological Seminary, in Christianity Today"Ammerman explores the hurts and aspirations of both sides so evenhandedly that it may be difficult for all but the most die-hard partisans to guess which side is going to get the better seats in heaven."--The Christian Century"Analyzes fully the processes of the Fundamentalist takeover and their struggles as they begin to govern. Probably the best study available."--Choice"A splendid account of a decade of controversy. This readable volume surely ranks as the indispensable contemporary sociohistorical introduction to Southern Baptists."-- The Journal of ReligionNancy Tatom Ammerman is an associate professor of the sociology of religion at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University and the author of Bible Believers: Fundamentalists in the Modern World, and Congregation and Community: Sacred Spaces in Changing Urban Regions, both from Rutgers University Press. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Key study of the SBC takeover
Nancy Tatom Ammerman, a major sociologist of religion, wife of a Baptist minister, and herself a Baptist who was once part of the SBC but is no longer, conducted this fine sociological study of the SBC.It is very rare that sociologists or historians get to see a church schism while it is taking place, but Ammerman and her research assistants were able to do just that in the mid-'80s.Ammerman gives us insider insights and uses her outsider researchers and sociological tools (including a scientific survey) to achieve balanced objectivity.Her last chapter, as she admits, is somewhat less objective because she is emotionally invested in the survival of what was then called the Southern Baptist Alliance.Now called the Alliance of Baptists, it is one of several small splinters from the ever-more-fundamentalist Southern Baptist behemoth.Anyone wanting to understand how Southern Baptists, who in 1976 were typified by someone like Jimmy Carter, could become the far-right religious/political powerhouse of today should read this book.

Underscores the Modernistic Rotting of Christian Churches
This book is valuable in that it goes far beyond the conflict within the Baptist Church itself. It goes to the struggle over the very soul of Christianity. As emphasized throughout this book, nothing causes the decline of Christian churches faster than the undermining of the Word of God by theological liberalism. Witness the virtual disappearance of significant Christian practice and influence in western Europe. In this book, Criswell is perceptably cited (p. 81) in pointing out that the onset of theological liberalism, as exemplified by the so-called higher critical approach to the Bible, quickly led to a precipitous decline in church attendance, conversions, prayer meetings, missionary activity, etc. Worse yet, theological liberalism, or modernism, is often disguised with euphemisms such as "theological moderates". But Criswell (p. 84) is quoted as saying, "A skunk by any other name still stinks". Very well put! ... Read more

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Coinciding with the four-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the Baptist movement, this book explores and assesses the cultural sources of Baptist beliefs and practices.Although the movement has been embraced, enriched, and revised by numerous cultural heritages, the Baptist movement has focused on a small group of Anglo exiles in Amersterdam in constructing its history and identity.Robert E. Johnson seeks to recapture the varied cultural and theological sources of Baptist tradition and to give voice to the diverse global elements of the movement that have previously been excluded or marginalized. With an international communion of over 110 million persons in more than 225,000 congregations, Baptists constitute the world's largest aggregate of evangelical Protestants.This work offers insight into the diversity, breadth, and complexity of the cultural influences that continue to shape Baptist identity today. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Good Overview
I learned a lot from reading this book because I knew nothing about how African-Americans clung so strongly to the Baptist Church (especially along the southern atlantic coast).

Within this book you will clearly understand how and why the National Baptist Convention splintered into so many different factions and how the Southern Baptist Church came to dissociate iself from it.

A good read...and not too academic to boot. ... Read more

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The largest Protestant denomination in the United States is in the midst of a serious identity crisis; many Baptists are revisiting or turning away from the tradition, leaving others to become increasingly uncertain that the denomination can remain viable. Here, however, noted Baptist historian Bill Leonard wades through the murky waters of the Baptist past and explores the historic commitments of this unique people -- all in an effort to shed light on its contemporary dilemmas and evaluate the prospects for a Baptist future. While encouraging members of the faith to thoroughly and fairly evaluate their heritage -- and its many blunders along the way -- Leonard ultimately argues that the Baptists' contentious 'audacious witness' shown throughout its history still has a worthy role to play in the twenty-first century. ... Read more

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A young Baptist girl introduces the history, beliefs, and practices of this Christian religion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good, but far too short
This attractive little book is part of the Religions of the World Series. Written for the younger reader, it attempts to explain to the reader the history of the Baptists and what they commonly believe. Every other page in this book is a large and colorful picture, included to keep the reader interested.

Overall, I thought that this is a beautifully produced book, but I am uncomfortable with its contents. Having a mere 11 pages with any sort of text on them, it is bound to give short shrift to a deep and complex theology. For example, the glossary defines baptism as, "The religious practice of symbolically washing away sins with water." This statement simplifies the definition down to the point where it misleads more than it informs.

That said, though, I found this book to be a generally good little introduction, something that a very young reader can peruse to get a feeling for what Baptists believe. On the whole, I give this a very guarded recommendation. ... Read more

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Contains every important Baptist confession of faith from the forerunners in the early seventeenth century through the American Baptist confessions and doctrines into the early 1960s. This comprehensive resource also provides confessions of other nationalities, including German, Swedish, French, Canadian, and Russian. Each is reevaluated in light of contemporary research and related to Christian life today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

the best volume on Baptist Confessions
The book written by William L. Lumpkin is the best available sourcebook for Baptist Confessions of Faith. The author collected the most famous Anabaptist and Baptist Confessions. It includes also English, American Baptist and some other Baptist Confessions from Europe and other countries. The book does not include Baptist Faith and Message 2000 because this book was revised only in 1969. The author gives good introductions to Confessions and explains the most importans things which relates to them. This book is very useful for people who want to understand Baptist beliefs.

History of The Baptist Confessions of Faith
What should be the most important thing in choosing a church? Does the church profess the Bible is the word of God inerrant; that Jesus Christ is God, Lord and Savior? What is believed by the Pastor, what is believed by the members of the church and what is taught inside the church building? I certainly would not join a church that denied the contents of the Bible. Before joining a local congregation I would want to know what is taught at that particular congregation of believers. A confession of Faith is a profession of beliefs to what is true; a declaration of the understanding of the Bible and the truth of its contents. This book is an ambitious work in containing volumes of confessions and giving a very brief reason why a local church or group of churches came together to declare what the Bible taught.

Working hypothesis of this book is the Baptist denomination has roots in England and the English Reformation: Starting with Wycliffe in the 15th century and William Tyndale translating the Bible into the vulgar English language. In the 1538 King Henry VIII was obliged to license Bibles into the English language. Calvinism and Anabaptism were imported to England about the same time. The Anabaptist taught that only the converted, who confessed Jesus as Savior and Baptized were believers and members of the Body of Christ. Puritans were Calvinist who wanted to purify the Church of England of Bad Doctrine. They consider good doctrine what is Calvinistic. Puritans wanted to change the Church from within. English Separatism wanted to separate form the English church and for the most part adopted the belief in believer's baptism. The English Separatist was Calvinist. This was the start from what we know today as the Baptist church.

Forerunner Confessions, Anabaptist Confession of Faith are so called in this book and consume the first 78 pages of this work.By 1562 there were thirty-thousand Anabaptist who came from the Netherlands in England. Their beliefs and expression had to be hidden for fear of the death penalty awaited those holding Anabaptist beliefs during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. In 1580 Robert Browne, in a county with Dutch Artisans, worked in the establishing congregationalism. Browne later fled to the Netherlands and still later rejoined the government church. In 1609 John Smyth baptized himself and others who joined that particular Separatist movement. Later he sought to join a longer established Mennonite congregation.A short confession of 1610 was written by John Smyth's group as a statement of Faith as consideration for the Mennonite church. The idea of the local congregational authority in choosing church leaders including the Pastor was originally an Anabaptist concept. These are the three points the author uses to argue a connection between Baptist and Anabaptist.

This book contains five Anabaptist confessions plus two other statements about church organization. The Anabaptist argued for obedience to the government, but none of its members were to be part of the government. The argument that government and the sword is an instrument of God, but believers were not to use the sword and such could not be part of the Government. The confessions have strong statements against any member of Christ's body taking any sort of oath. There is also a call for shunning of those members who are excommunicated from their congregation. A group led by Thomas Helys made their own confession and separated from the fellowship of John Smyth with these theological questions.English Separatist and Baptist did not argue as such. The Anabaptist was not Calvinistic such as the early Baptist was. This is also easily recognized in comparing the different confessions.

A large segment of this book deals with confessions of Particular Baptist who were Calvinistic and General Baptist who some of their confessions were more Arminian. Some of the Particular Baptist was in response to Quaker Evangelism. There was a thought going around that Particular Baptist was being converted to Quakerism. So part of the confessions deals with subjects of emotionalism and inner light. That it is through the Holy Spirit man understands the Bible and God's Truth. General Baptist confessions were in response to the Anglican Church and inner politics of London at the time. This book also includes confessions of the American Baptist and other countries outside England. This book presents the History around the confessions, but does not go in depth about the doctrine in the confessions.

Consolidated Confessions
Lumpkin has created a great work, bringing together all the confessions of faith of the Baptist Church and others who have historically had an influence on the church.A must for serious church historians and for those who seek to follow the progression of the confessions from the beginning.Quality production and binding.

not so much
it was used as a text book for a class; require reading.I'm sure for the hard core theologian this would be an invaluable tool, but not for my library.

Baptist Confessions of Faith
Groovy.So far I dig the 1644 London Confession the most.I don't care about church hierarchy but the Calvinism is awesome. ... Read more

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Respected Baptist historian and theologian Bill J. Leonard takes readers through the theological and practical questions that are important to Baptists. In a clear style and with great sensitivity to the varieties of beliefs among Baptist bodies, Leonard considers the big questions of faith. These include Baptist beliefs about God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, salvation, and the Christian life, among others.

Drawing on historic statements of Baptist belief, contemporary history, and his own background and deep scholarship, Leonard provides reliable and accessible discussions of these issues. His work will be highly illuminating for Baptists of all denominational groupings as well as for others interested in the core of Baptist theological convictions and their various expressions. This book is a strong and trusted voice, and a welcome resource.

This primer is cast in the form of a series of questions and answers. Leonard has devoted himself to understanding Baptists. He draws on his historical knowledge of early Baptist Confessions, his sensitivity to Baptist diversity, and his intimate knowledge of current Baptist life to offer readers a superb guide to Baptist beliefs and practices. - William L. Pitts Jr., Professor of Religion and Director of Graduate Studies, Baylor University

In his own inimitable style honed over years of teaching and preaching, Bill Leonard engagingly dissects Baptist life in all its simplicity and complexity. Focusing on an identity forged before there were denominations, Baptist Questions, Baptist Answers challenges readers to focus on what it means to be a Christian in the Baptist expression of the Christian tradition in a context questioning denominational affiliation.- Phyllis Rodgerson Pleasants, John F. Loftis Professor of Church History, Baptist Seminary at Richmond
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Primer for a Reformed Baptist
I just read this book and it filled in a lot of gaps for me.I knew I was Reformed Baptist by listening to Reformed Baptist preachers, but after reading Mr. Waldron and Barcellos' book, I now know why precisely I am.I know where I fit in now and I am thankful for that.The thrust of the book is the New Covenant as the Constitution of the Church and how that works itself out as it relates to law and grace, Arminianism and Calvinism, Paedobaptism and Credobaptism.

I currently attend a Presbyterian PCA church and have many brethren there that I love, but some of their practices I cannot get over, as much as I have tried.One in particular is Paedobaptism (infant baptism.)Though not an exhaustive treatment, A Reformed Baptist Manifesto forcefully presents why Reformed Baptists do not hold to infant baptism and why they believe in Believer's Baptism only.I am not going to spoil why because I want you to buy the book.I have to admit that I skipped ahead and read the Paedobaptism chapter, but after reading the book I believe it probably would have been better to start at the beginning.This is not only chapter in the book or even its main argument, but it was the initial reason I purchased it.The Reformed Baptist Manifesto contains more than a fight about baptism. It allows one to understand why there is a denomination called Reformed Baptist.Paedobaptism is only one aspect that interested me, but after reading why it is rejected, I see much larger issues.

The book itself is easy to read, not too technical, and continues to be edifying to this believer.If you want a super technical treatise of everything this book is not for you.If you want a good overview with apologetic content, then you should like this book.It is a departure point to other works on the subject.It also does not contain a lot of history.The book is about the New Covenant as found in the book of Jeremiah and Hebrews and it gets to that topic immediately.

Concerning the book and its writing mechanics, I liked the larger print, but in reality it is a larger book because of the size of the print, not the content.Some of the grammar I thought was a little less polished in places, but nothing that could not be understood.I remember no misspelling or gross errors in the writing.

This work does what I think may be better than anything else.The Reformed Baptist Manifesto causes you to go back to the Bible and study for yourself, seeing and being interested in things you may have not thought about before.

I gave this book five stars because I believe it accomplishes what it is intending to do.It stays on topic and gives an overview and comparison to competing thoughts to clarify its thesis.The small faults above do not amount to enough to drop a star, and if you do not buy the book intending to find an encyclopedia, then you will be pleased with your purchase.

A clear declaration
Baptist of all stripes will find this book of great help and edification.In a little more than a 100 pages, these men deal biblically and clearly with significant issues.

Dispensationalism, Antinomianism, Arminianism, and Paedobaptism are all tackled from a New Covenant perspective.The first three in this list have been particularly troublesome to Baptist in America since the late 19th century.

This book gives me hope that we may soon see a full treatment of Covenant Theology from a Baptist perspective.

Along these lines is the short, but helpful treatment of the so-called "New Covenant theology" that is gaining in popularity.

The irenic tone of the book made it exceptionally enjoyable to read. ... Read more

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Baptists in the Balance is a collection of essays, sermons, lectures, articles, and addresses reflecting the thoughts and experiences of a variety of Baptists who observe Baptist life in the late twentieth century. From a diverse background, the contributors reflect on what it means to be a Baptist, and in particular what being a Baptist means for living faithfully between freedom and responsibility. ... Read more

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Non-fundamentalist Baptists Explore Classic Baptist Tensions
Most of the contributors to this volume belong to the American Baptist Churches, USA (the former Northern Baptist Convention), but there are also contributions from National Baptists (African-American) and Southern/ex-Southern Baptists.The essays explore the classic Baptist tensions between an emphasis on liberty and the individual and the emphasis on gathered community (both as local congregations and associations) and responsibility to fellow Baptists, other Christians, and society.All of the diverse authors agree at least on this much:that the creative tension must not be relaxed.If/when the individualist/liberty pole is/has been overemphasized, Baptist identity has often been amorphous.On the other hand, if/when the corporate/gathered community pole has been overemphasized, the result has always been authoritarian tyranny and loss of the freedom that characterized Baptist life at its best.(The now-fundamentalist controlled Southern Baptist Convention, my former denomination, is the perfect example of the second problem.) The now-fundamentalist Southern Baptist Convention, because of its huge size, has almost defined "Baptist identity" for everyone in the U.S. by default.It has left non-fundamentalist Baptists (whether evangelical, centrist, or progressive/liberal in theological orientation) searching struggling for a sense of "who they are."All too often, the temptation has been to define themselves by reaction:We are not like the fundamentalists who currently lead the SBC. But it is not enough for individuals or groups to say what they are not.That's why there has been a rash of books like this one where non-fundamentalist Baptist have attempted to articulate a clear identity.The current work, as a collection, doesn't crystalize a single vision, but it does help define the pitfalls in overemphasizing certain classic polarities that, for authentic Baptist life, are better kept in creative tension. ... Read more

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Respected leaders point a way forward in the key debates within the Southern Baptist Convention, one of the largest denominations at more than 16 million members. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

What is Southern Baptist
This book synthesizes core issues.
If you think change is needed this is a must read.

It doesn't answer everything but the answers it does give points
the Church in the direction it should have always been going.

Don't be fooled by the title
This is an excellent apologetic for Baptist Distinctives. Excellent through and through. This book lays out the major issues that make Baptists Baptists:

-Regenerate Church Membership
-Believer's Baptism by Immersion
-Memorial View of the Lord's Supper
-Church Discipline

Pick this up along with The Baptist Way: Distinctives of a Baptist Church.

For anyone thinking about becoming a Baptist, anyone with questions about Baptist theology and for Baptists themselves.

A must for heads of Baptist churches
Some say integrity is something that has taken quite the beating in modern society. "Restoring Integrity in Baptist Churches" is a collection of wise, Christian minds on the current decline of church attendance nation wide and the fall of moral values in America. Speaking on membership, Baptist principles, Discipline, and how to spread the values to a congregation, "Restoring Integrity in Baptist Churches" is a must for heads of Baptist churches.

Excellent
Various authors - Mark Dever, Daniel Akin, and Stan Norman to name a few - provide overlapping chapters on themes like "Regaining Meaningful Church Membership," "Fencing the Table," and "The Reestablishment of Proper Church Discipline."

This book mentions by name current debates within the SBC on these issues. There is no doubt that this book will benefit the daily conversation among denominational leaders and pastors regarding the health of Baptist churches. I found the authors to be soaked in Scripture, aware of church history, and given to pastoral practicality.

Book Endorsements
"In a day when many believe the most important ingredients to effective ministry are intellect, intensity and insight this volume restores our faith in the fact that it is really integrity in the local church.Integrity is rooted in our private lives, reflected in our personal lives, reinforced in our professional lives and ultimately revealed in our public lives as churchmen.Restoring Integrity...read it and reap!"

O.S. Hawkins
President/CEO
Guidestone Financial Resources
Southern Baptist Convention


"My favorite verse in the Bible is found in Proverbs 20:7, which magnifies integrity. The church will be blessed by our Heavenly Father in direct proportion to its integrity. This book will chart the path that leads to the place of knowing His hand on the church's work. What we are in the inward parts is what matters most."

Johnny Hunt
Pastor
First Baptist Church of Woodstock
Woodstock, Georgia

"Restoring Integrity in the Church. Formidable Assignment! Formidable scholars! Formidable proposals! I believe the Lord will use this book by committed conservative scholars to return our churches to New Testament integrity."

Jerry Vines
Pastor Emeritus, First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, FL
Two-time President, Southern Baptist Convention
and President, Jerry Vines Ministries


"The loss of a biblical vision of the local church - indeed the collapse of biblical ecclesiology in many congregations - is the greatest threat to the Baptists.Restoring Integrity is a book urgently needed and well timed.The writers of this book are some of the brightest theologians and scholars in Baptist life today, and they are deeply committed to the recovery of integrity in Baptist life and in Baptist churches.We have needed this book for a long time."

R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
President
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary ... Read more

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Required Reading
For anyone called to be in the Diaconate ministry this is required reading. It is based on Scripture and provides good insight and guidance to the men who are called to place themselves in the service of God,for their pastor, and for God's people

Baptist Deacon
As a candiadate to become a deacon, I went to scripture to help me understand what it means to be a deacon.In addition, I wanted to read some books written by ministers that had experience with deacons and their roles.This book was of great support in my search for additional knowledge. ... Read more

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...an important contribution...it is difficult to see how the historical argument could be any better presented than has been done by James McGoldrick. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

What Other Church?
When fundamentalist Christians are faced with the relative novelty of many of their cherished beliefs and practices within the context of Church history, they could react in one of three ways: first, they could acknowledge the facts of history but dismiss the importance of any historical support for their ecclesial tradition as irrelevant; second, they could acknowledge the historical evidence and adjust their beliefs to be more in accordance with historical Christianity (often leading to a move to Rome, Anglicanism, or Orthodoxy); third, they could dismiss the evidence as biased and construct a rival Church history more to their own liking.

Even though the extensive research into Church history of the last century should render the latter choice as a hopeless one, it is unfortunately all too common within a subculture where conspiracy theories are taken seriously as historical evidence. Through numerous error filled volumes (e.g., J. M. Carroll's Trail of Blood), revisionist histories have been constructed wherein a supposed alternate strain of Christianity conforming to the faith of the Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, Oneness Pentecostals, etc. (according to whomever is doing the reconstruction) is traced in opposition to the known Church of history. This "other" church supposedly can be followed through dissident groups who were persecuted by the Church as heretics but who were in actuality the "true Christians".

James Edward McGoldrick deals with the claims of the "Landmark Baptist" movement (where many heretical movements are considered persecuted historical Baptists) in Baptist Successionism. As a former adherent of the movement, McGoldrick understands the appeal of the revisionist product - after all, how can one claim to follow the true Christian faith when history shows your beliefs to have their roots a millennia and a half after the Resurrection? Has the grace of God not been operating all these centuries? Has God taken a vacation?

Revisionism claims to solve this by placing a rival Church of God alongside the corrupted so-called Church (whose "apostasy" is usually blamed on the Emperor Constantine). Of course, one cannot argue from silence and so candidates for the "true Church" are needed and found in various known dissident (and frequently heretical) sects throughout history. The effort has been so persuasive in some circles that some Baptists now believe they are not actually Protestants but can in fact trace their history back to the Apostolic Church in an unbroken succession.

McGoldrick, a professor of history at Cedarville College, was swept up by such views as an undergraduate but in his later investigations into Church history discovered them to be historically untenable. Such revisionism usually centers on one or two beliefs wherein a certain dissident group might agree with them as opposed to the historic Church, but ignores the greater picture whereby such groups by and large do not resemble Baptists or any other Protestants at all and their motivations for agreeing upon certain issues has nothing to do with Baptist principles. His analysis is comprehensive, impressive, and irrefutable - there were no Baptists prior to the Protestant Reformation and efforts to project Baptist beliefs upon the groups commonly cited are based on wishful thinking.

Dissident group after dissident group are placed under the historical microscope: Montanists, Novations, Paulicans, Bogomils, Petrobrusians, Arnoldists, Henricians, Albigenses, and Waldenses. Each group is shown to have no basic affinity to standard Baptist doctrine. Some were in schism on certain issues from the larger Church but had far more in common with them than anything we would consider Baptist. Others were so tainted by dualism as to only be "Christian" in a nominal sense. In no case is any group even remotely attached to Baptist beliefs and practices. McGoldrick also includes a refutation of the claim that St. Patrick was a Baptist. This contention is ridiculous but it shows how revisionists argue from silence (St. Patrick wrote very little and so they argue since he never endorsed certain Catholic doctrines in writing, he must be a Baptist) to produce Baptists ex nihilo. He then considers the claim that the Anabaptists were in the Baptist succession. That one could make such claims for a movement known to have sprung from the radical end of the Protestant Reformation is a mystery to all but those with successionist blinders, but McGoldrick patiently examines the claim and easily refutes it. Endings with a careful review of the true history of the Baptist movement, he concludes the obvious - Baptists are Protestants.

One might consider it unfortunate that a book needed to be written to demonstrate such a well established fact. However, given the trusting nature of many Christians and the ignorance of Church history within much of Protestantism, McGoldrick is to be commended for taking the time to answer these claims and perhaps inoculating others from their allure. Although aimed at the Baptist successionist movement, it also answers similar claims from any group purporting to be the "other Church". McGoldrick's unanswerable reply is "What other church?"

An indispensible resource
This book to me was a breath of fresh air.While I am not a Baptist (but at one time was affiliated with a non-landmark Baptist Church), my interest in this book was not so much for the purpose of refuting landmarkism, but to examine the various Christian or quasi-Christian bodies deemed heretical by the Catholic Church, and heralded as heroes of "true christianity" byFoxe's book of Martyrs, Dave Hunt, and the others who, denying that the Catholic Church is a Christian body, have to stay faithful to the words of Christ in Matthew 16:18 (and in doing so, label gross heresies and anti-Christian groups as "true Christians", calling that which is evil good).

The scholarship is excellent, as McGoldrick is careful to use original sources when possible, and when not, he honestly addresses the credibility of his secondary sources and is careful to extensively footnote everything.

For this purpose I am greatly indebted, as the book is useful to this end as well.The fact that McGoldrick misunderstands Catholic soteriology can be forgiven, as that was not the scope of this work.I highly recommend this to every honest Christian, regardless of denominational affiliation.

A Mixed Review
Brother James E. McGoldrick has written an interesting work on a controversial subject.It is admirable that he freely admits the fact that he is a former Landmark Baptist who has abandoned Landmark Baptist ecclesiology in favor of Protestant ecclesiology.He performs a valuable service by pointing out some of the historiographical weaknesses and errors found in a lot of pro-Landmark Baptist literature and provides some excellent primary sources deserving of further investigation.

The major weakness of this book, as I see it, is that he paints the churches in the free church tradition (e.g., the Novatians, Donatists, Albigenses, Waldenses, and Anabaptists) with too broad a brush instead of acknowledging that there were many doctrinal and practical differences within each of these groups and between these groups.They were not nearly as monolithic as he portrays them. Landmark Baptists do not contend that all of the churches in the free church tradition subscribed to all of the things Landmark Baptists believe and practice today, but one might get this impression from reading this book.Their major contention is that there have been, ever since the time of Christ's earthly ministry, Bible-believing New Testament churches on earth that have preached the true way of salvation and practiced the true way of baptism.These New Testament churches have been neither Catholic nor Protestant, but they have been bitterly opposed by both of these groups at times.

The sine qua non of Landmark Baptist ecclesiology is not the denial of any and all forms of a universal church, as this book might suggest, for a large percentage of the 19th century SBC Landmarkers believed in either the present or future existence of a church larger than the local, visible assembly or congregation.The essence of Landmark Baptist ecclesiology is ecclesiastical separation from churches that do not qualify as true New Testament assemblies.A rejection of alien baptisms, open communion, and pulpit affiliation lies at the heart of Old Landmarkism, and this is not brought out clearly enough in this volume.In effect, then, Brother McGoldrick often builds Landmark Baptist straw-men, then proceeds to tear them down.

William Whitsitt's modernistic theory of Baptist church history is too readily accepted by the author of this book.He would do himself and the rest of us a great favor if he would approach the study of Baptist history without these liberal presuppositions, and he has the training and expertise to write some really valuable books on this subject from a more objective viewpoint.As it stands, he has overreacted to some of the excessive subjectivity one finds in some Landmark Baptist writings by being overly subjective himself and biased against Landmark Baptist ecclesiology.

Fox in the hen house claiming he doesn't like chicken
McGoldrick in the introduction of his book,on page 5,sums it all with his statement "The author of this book is thoughly convinced that the New Testament affirms the doctrine of the universal church, and he thereforefeels no oblication to reconstruct the past in such away as to find ancientand medieval sects that might be called Baptists."As McGoldrickshould know the Baptist name comes from Believer's Baptism, which separatedthem from most Anabaptist.This distinction put salvation in Jesus not"the church".Baptist have always put scripture above tradition. Most baptist today would say many of the early fathers held many baptisttenets.We see many ancient heretics we would call brother.Cheif amongthose tenets are the authority of the holy scriptures only.Next to thisthe independance of the local church from alll man made authorities. McGoldrick's in error when he tries to define Cathari, Albigensed,Waldenses, and Anabaptist.These groups had many and veried tenets many ofwhich could be claimed by baptist today.Todays baptist hold many andvaried beliefs.What makes us baptist is believers baptism and localauthority.

It's about time
This is a valuable refutation of a ludicrous but popular error, "Baptist Successionism" in its various forms.McGoldrick should be commended for using as many primary sources as were available.This book,like Ralph Woodrow's _The Babylon Connection?_, is definitely part of apositive trend in Fundamentalist Christian histories. ... Read more

Product Description
A clearly written introduction to the history and theology of this international people, Baptists through the Centuries provides a chronological survey of the main developments in Baptist life and thought from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. As Baptists spread globally beyond their British and American origins, Bebbington persuasively demonstrates how they constantly adapted to the cultures and societies in which they lived, generating even more diversity within an already multifaceted identity. In the course of telling the story of Baptists, Bebbington also examines the challenging social, political, and intellectual issues in Baptist history attitudes on race, women's roles in the church, religious liberty, foreign missions, and denominational identity and situates each one within a broader context. ... Read more

Product Description

The Holy Bible, Baptist Study Edition under the editorial leadership of W.A. Criswell and Paige Patterson, offers a comprehensive study Bible with accurate, detailed scholarship in the Baptist tradition. Every serious student of Scripture, including pastors and lay men and women, will find this Bible a valuable resource for growing in the knowledge of God's Word. The Holy Bible, Baptist Study Edition will help you find deeper meaning in your daily study of the Scriptures, as well as practical applications for your day-to-day walk with the Lord. Offered in the New King James Version.

Customer Reviews (12)

Bible
This product is out of print. This was the only place I found this particular Bible. I ordered it with 2 day shipment. It arrived in new condition and sooner than I expected.

Excellent Study Bible
W.A. Criswell is by far one of the clearest teachers of the Bible.I use the commentary in this Study Bible as a resource to teach and preach.If you are looking for a clear study Bible, this is the one you should purchase.Criswell College is named after W.A. Criswell and home of the Pasche Institute of Jewish Studies.His teachings are clear and easy to understand.

The problems with "Study Bibles" ...
1) They almost never inspire "study" - we Americans are laaa-zeee.We would rather have someone else do our thinking for us.2) Their "notes" are too often propaganda rather than exegesis - please learn the difference and always keep this distinction before you.3) Any Bible that has a subtitle is, by definition, suggesting that this edition is better than the rest - do you see why I would say that?4) Too often "Study" Bibles are simply devices for selling more paper and ink - the same applies to "new" translations.

If you want to celebrate your heritage, good for you.But be aware of this - if you are a Christian your heritage is neither in your church's denomination nor even in your church's pedigree.Our heritage is in Christ and in Him alone.We need to stop thinking in terms of "It's all about me" (e.g. I'm a Baptist / Presbyterian / Episcopalian,etc.) and start focusing on the excellencies of God in Christ.(Perhaps you might want to read Packer's KNOWING GOD.)It's not about "me", it's all about Him ...

... I'm just along for the ride.

P.S. for some additional historical issues see the review titled "Errant Notes to the Inerrant Word, October 24, 2006".Interesting, if true.

Errant Notes to the Inerrant Word
This study Bible adds errant notes to the inerrant Word of God. It represents the definitive position of a theology (dispensationalism) that will be so changed in the next few decades that it will be unrecognizable from its present form. Those who believe that dispensationalism is Baptist theology don't know their Baptist history. Gill, Fuller, Boyce, Dagg, Carroll, Hovey were all covenant, calvinistic theologians. The precursors to modern Baptists who hold to dispensationalism were either holiness folks like A.J. Gordon, or radical sepratists like William B. Riley. This study Bible is no more representative of Southern Baptists than the Ryrie Study Bible. Go buy the Open Bible, a much better choice.

Great!
This study Bible is a fantastic resource for any and every Baptist believer! When you open the cover, and see a forward by Billy Graham, you know it is going to be good, and when you look at the list of contributors and see W.A. Criswell and John MacArthur, you know it is going to be great!

Each Bible book starts out with an in-depth introduction that discusses such things author, date and theme, then has a nice outline, and then follows with the Biblical text (New King James Version) with copious and highly informative annotations at the bottom of the page. At the end of the book are several Bible study articles, maps, and a nice concordance.

Now, my description above is not really exhaustive. There is so much in this great book that I could probably write a small book just describing it! So, suffice it to say that this is a great study Bible, one that is sure to please any Baptist believer. I love this great study Bible, and give it my highest recommendations! ... Read more