The antebellum southern Baptist churches were led, in general, by populists who addressed their appeals to the common person and allowed women and slaves to vote on membership matters. Paradoxically, at the same time, no denomination could wield the religious authority as ruthlessly as the Baptists - between 1785 and 1860 they ritually excommunicated forty to fifty thousand church members in Georgia alone. Wills traces this split to two rival strains in the Baptist church - moderates who emphasized personal religious freedom and tolerance, and fundamentalists who preached discipline and the inerrancy of scripture. He demonstrates how a denomination of freedom-loving individuals came to embrace exclusionist spirituality, and how the results of that conflict continue to affect the church.

Pascal Denault's careful labors over the theological texts of both Baptist and Pedobaptists of the seventeenth century have yielded an excellent study of the relation of baptism to a commonly shared covenantalism. At the same time he has shown that a distinct baptistic interpretation of the substance of the New Covenant, that is, all its conditions having been met in the work of Christ its Mediator resulting in an unconditional application of it to its recipients, formed the most basic difference between the two groups. His careful work on the seventeenth-century documents has yielded a strong, Bible-centered, covenantal defense of believers' baptism and is worthy of a dominant place in the contemporary discussions of both covenantalism and baptism. -Thomas J. Nettles, Ph.D.

The Reverend Clarence Larkin was one of the most widely influential pop theologians of the early twentieth century: his works are the source of many of the "prophecies" and "truths" end-times Christians hold to even today. Here, in this 1887 pamphlet, Larkin summarizes the history of his particular sect of Christianity-the Baptists-by exploring: . why water is essential to baptism . the baptismal practices of the early churches . the object of baptism . why baptism is not essential to salvation . why Baptists insist on immersion in water for true baptism . the evils of infant baptism . baptism in the New Testament . and more. American Baptist pastor and author CLARENCE LARKIN (1850-1924) was born in Pennsylvania, and later set up his ministry there. He wrote extensively and popularly on a wide range of Biblical and theological matters.

"The recent reprint of The Baptist Catechism has given families and study classes a helpful tool for memorizing the great doctrines of the Christian faith. Now, a hidden jewel, Benjamin Beddome's 'A Scriptural Exposition of the Baptist Catechism, ' takes its place alongside the Catechism to give much needed assistance to the same families and classes. Beddome shows how the doctrines contained in the Catechism are founded upon Scripture, and explains them for all to understand. This is indeed a wonderful instrument to make skilled craftsmen from apprentices " - Dr. James M. Renihan

Inward Baptism analyses the theological developments that led to the great evangelical revivals of the mid-eighteenth century. Baird Tipson here demonstrates how the rationale for the "new birth," the characteristic and indispensable evangelical experience, developed slowly but inevitably from Luther's critique of late medieval Christianity. Addressing the great indulgence campaigns of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, Luther's perspective on sacramental baptism, as well as the confrontation between Lutheran and Reformed theologians who fastened on to different aspects of Luther's teaching, Tipson sheds light on how these disparate historical moments collectively created space for evangelicalism. This leads to an exploration of the theology of the leaders of the Evangelical awakening in the British Isles, George Whitefield and John Wesley, who insisted that by preaching the immediate revelation of the Holy Spirit during the "new birth," they were recovering an essential element of primitive Christianity that had been forgotten over the centuries. Ultimately, Inward Baptism examines how these shifts in religious thought made possible a commitment to an inward baptism and consequently, the evangelical experience.

Understanding the covenant of grace is at the heart of faith in Christ. In this inspiring book, Charles Spurgeon explores the details of God's unbreakable contract with you and points out many of its marvelous provisions, including forgiveness of your sins, inner peace, a new nature, freedom from bondage, and entrance into heaven. Often, God's blessings sit accumulating in His storehouse, just waiting to be claimed, because Christians do not realize they can have their inheritance now. Discover the riches of God's gracious covenant with you, so you can claim your abundant legacy today

In the seventeenth century, English Baptists existed on the fringe of the nation's collective religious life. Today, Baptists have developed into one of the world's largest Protestant denominations. Despite this impressive transformation, those first English Baptists remain chronically misunderstood. In Orthodox Radicals, Matthew C. Bingham clarifies and analyzes the origins and identity of Baptists during the English Revolution, arguing that mid-seventeenth century Baptists did not, in fact, understand themselves to be a part of a larger, all-encompassing Baptist movement. Contrary to both the explicit statements of many historians and the tacit suggestion embedded in the very use of "Baptist" as an overarching historical category, the early modern men and women who rejected infant baptism would not have initially understood that single theological stance as being in itself constitutive of a new collective identity. Rather, the rejection of infant baptism was but one of a number of doctrinal revisions then taking place among English puritans eager to further their on-going project of godly reformation. Orthodox Radicals complicates our understanding of Baptist identity, setting the early English Baptists in the cultural, political, and theological context of the wider puritan milieu out of which they arose. The book also speaks to broader themes, including early modern debates on religious toleration, the mechanisms by which early modern actors established and defended their tenuous religious identities, and the perennial problem of anachronism in historical writing. Bingham also challenges the often too-hasty manner in which scholars have drawn lines of theological demarcation between early modern religious bodies, and reconsiders one of this period's most dynamic and influential religious minorities from a fresh and perhaps controversial perspective. By combining a provocative reinterpretation of Baptist identity with close readings of key theological and political texts, Orthodox Radicals offers the most original and stimulating analysis of mid-seventeenth-century Baptists in decades.

Like most Christians, Mary Blye Howe was uninformed about Jewish ritual and tradition. To satisfy her curiosity she joined a Jewish study group held in the home of a Hasidic rabbi. "A Baptist Among the Jews" is Howe's first-person account of her eye-opening experience of studying with that welcoming group and how this experience led her to a deeper, richer relationship with her God. While learning about the traditions of Judaism and studying the Torah, Howe discovered a new world of worship and ritual that expanded her experience to include several different Jewish groups, among them Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox. She reveled in the joys of arguing with God (even though God always wins), synagogue-hopping on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, and dancing with a sefer torah through the streets of Dallas. Page after page, we join Howe on her religious quest and discover how her once-narrow concept of God has expanded with her ability to read the scriptures and understand this new faith. Howe's profound and transforming experiences helped her develop a new sense of worship-- one that eschews spectatorship in favor of participation.

For centuries, Baptists have published confessions of faith as formal statements of their beliefs. Chief among these is the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689. This doctrinal statement is a spiritual treasure trove worthy of our fresh attention. In this new study, more than twenty contributors unpack its timeless biblical truths, 'things which are most surely believed among us' (Luke 1:1). Our prayer is that the Lord will use this volume to richly edify and sanctify His people worldwide, and to assist the churches in pursuing biblical holiness and doctrinal purity. May these labors send God's people back again and again to the Bible, which is-as the confession states-the 'only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience' (1.1). Includes contributions from: Earl M. Blackburn Brian Borgman Dave Chanski David Charles Jason Ching Victor Claudio Jim Domm Gary Hendrix Steven Hofmaier Jeff Johnson Mitch Lush Lee McKinnon John Price Mike Renihan John Reuther Mark Sarver James Savastio Jeffery Smith Rob Ventura Calvin Walden Sam Waldron Austin Walker Jeremy Walker

Things that divide Christians act as a poor witness to the world. On such major schism is that of Baptism. However if we can't agree, the next best witness to the world is the manner of how we disagree. The two views explored here, paedo (or infant) baptism and adult (or believer's) baptism are often so entrenched that discussions can be based around prejudice rather than understanding. This classic book aims to eradicate the former and promote the latter. Do you know why Anglicans, Presbyterians and Methodists baptise babies? Do you know why Baptists find it impossible to understand why they do it? Do you know why most Baptists find it difficult to allow Paedobaptists to take communion or become church members? We owe it to the future health of the church, and its witness, to work out our differences in love before the world. This book looks at the biblical arguments for both views on baptism, show how these have been practised in church history and the place that baptism has in the church today. This book is based on the 1998 extended version of the 1977 classic. Donald Bridge and David Phypers approach this book from two different directions - respectively that of Baptist and Anglican. The common approach they bring is their respect of the others position as regards fidelity to scripture and faith.