W. A. Criswell envisioned the emergence of a new conservatism that would become the new religious right. In his most famous and revealing sermons, including "Segregation and Society" (1956) and "The Church of the Open Door" (1968), Criswell proclaimed that opposition to evangelical truths sprang from two sources: Darwin's Origin of Species and the vast inroads of German higher criticism and rationalism that explained away the miracles of the bible and reduced them to humanistic fiction. Towns's book examines selected speeches from 1956 to 2002, revisiting events that provoked the rhetorical situations of the era and exploring speaker-leader propositions and perspectives. Criswell's leadership in the Southern Baptist Convention was dynamic and unifying, and his paradigm for social responsibility in his preaching, speaking and writing can best be entailed in the following encapsulation: "Be anchored to the book and geared to the times."

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.