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.