Baptists through the Centuries provides a clear introduction to the history and theology of this influential and international people. David Bebbington, a leading Baptist historian, surveys the main developments in Baptist life and thought from the seventeenth century to the present. The Baptist movement took root and grew well beyond its British and American origins. Bebbington persuasively demonstrates how Baptists continually adapted to the cultures and societies in which they lived, generating ever more diversity within an already multifaceted group. Bebbington's survey also examines the challenging social, political, and intellectual issues in Baptist historyaattitudes on race, women's roles in the church, religious liberty, missions, and theological commitments. The second edition of this proven textbook extends the scope with chapters on three parts of the world where Baptists have become particularly numerous: Latin America (where Brazilian Baptists number over 2 million), Nigeria (where Baptists are at their strongest outside North America, numbering roughly 5 million), and the Naga Hills in India (where Baptists form over 80 percent of the population). Each chapter also highlights regional issues that have presented new challenges and opportunities to Baptists: holistic mission in Latin America, the experience of charismatic renewal and the encounter with Islam in Nigeria, and the demands of peacemaking in the Naga Hills. Through this new edition, Bebbington orients readers and expands their knowledge of the Baptist community as it continues to flourish around the world.

The Baptist tradition stands in great peril of losing the cherished principles of the free exercise of religion, the freedom from political interference with faith, and the right of self-determination in all matters related to religion. It is God to whom we are ultimately responsible. Soul freedom, all freedom, and responsibility is Gods supreme gift to humanity. The dignity and respect afforded to persons comes from God as revealed in Scripture. Soul Freedom is composed of a series of essays that examine considerably controversial issues. This book comes at a time when the Baptist commitment to soul freedom feeds the deeper hunger of the hearts of millions of persons seeking authenticity in religion.

Nations as well as individuals are fashioned by their ideals. When the ideal of Sparta was grace and symmetry of body, then she produced the most splendid physique that has ever graced the earth. When her ideal fell to that of mere brute force, then her civilization was "red with the fierce fires' of animal passion." When the ideal of Athens was philosophy, there was produced her Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. When the ideal of France was glory, then "glory sat with the eagles on her victorious banners." But when her ideal was agnosticism, then anarchy took the place of government; patriots were exiled and murdered; scholars were proscribed and banished; licentiousness held high carnival in her first homes, and lovely womanhood was degraded and despised.

Think mid-twentieth-century Baptist evangelism, and the figure that comes immediately to mind is likely Billy Graham. But far removed from the glitz and glamor of televised crusades, what did typical Baptist mission field evangelism and worship really look like? In this latest volume in the Church at Worship series, Lester Ruth and Eric L. Mathis draw from a rich selection of primary sources to immerse readers in the worship life of Conservative Baptists in northwest Argentina from 1948 to 1964. Combining historical, theological, and practical perspectives, this book offers a vital educational resource for Christian ministers engaged in or preparing for cross-cultural ministry, introduces readers to a worshiping community that may be unfamiliar to them, and represents a significant contribution to liturgical history.