The Baptist Heritage: Four Century of Baptist Witness H. Leon McBeth's 'The Baptist heritage' is a definitive, fresh interpretation of Baptist history. Based on primary source research, the book combines the best features of chronological and topical history to bring alive the story of Baptists around the world.

Arranged in chronological order so that the Baptist saga can be understood as a continuous narrative, the book has the added advantage of permitting the reader to cherry-pick chapters that are of particular interest. The Baptist struggles for freedom of conscience, for a believer's church, for including both genders and all races, for fulfilling the Great Commission, and for the separation of church and state--these are only a few of the denominational-shaping turning points one discovers in this book.

This collection of essays by different authors is presented as a tribute to Walter B. "Buddy" Shurden, (distinctively Baptist) church historian, teacher, preacher, author, Baptist apologist extraordinaire. The rationale of this celebration of the lifework and influence of Walter Shurden is well stated, for example, in editor Marc Jolley's preface: "[D]uring some of the initial forays of our most-recent and ongoing Fundamentalist-Moderate controversy, there were days when I thought about changing denominations. Shurden's works were instrumental in my remaining a Baptist, not because I could see how Baptists had always had controversies and survived--although that is true--but because he helped me understand that the reason I had been Baptist and would remain so was due to our Baptist distinctives, our freedoms. For so much more, but especially for that understanding, I am forever grateful." Many students, Baptists in the pews, some at the pulpit or lectern, even some who are not "distinctively Baptist" could testify in like terms regarding the ongoing work and influence of Walter B. Shurden. The essays in this collection of course address some of the primary concerns of Walter Shurden, augmenting that already significant lifework.

The basic question, "Where did Baptists come from and why?" has two camps that offer differing explanations: (1) the English Separatist camp produced the ministries of foundational Baptists, John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, thus takes credit for Baptist origins, and (2) the Anabaptist movement is the alternative camp, understanding either a direct connection via lineage back to the infamous Swiss Brethren or an indirect connection via Anabaptist teachings. Anabaptist ecclesiology is very much akin, if not in some ways identical, to modern Baptist ecclesiology. In fact, the Baptist church, led by John Smyth and successively by Thomas Helwys, resembled both English Separatist and the Anabaptist ecclesiology with notable differences between both entities. When The Mystery of Iniquity is properly understood, as Helwys intended, the reader will grasp the logical reasons that the Baptist church in 1607 was akin to both the English Separatist and the Anabaptist and yet differed from both. In The Beginning of Baptist Ecclesiology, Marvin Jones give a fresh voice to Thomas Helwys's opinion that a Baptist church is a viable New Testament church, and provides further relevant material rationale for the conversation concerning Baptist origins.

This book compiles four centuries of the most notable religious documents from the Baptist tradition in a single setting. It contains key information concerning the theology, origins, conflicts, denominational organization, and historical events of early English Baptists, American Colonial Baptists, Southern Baptists, American Baptists, the Baptist Missionary Association, European Baptists, Baptist Bible Fellowship, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship plus profiles of influential pastors, theologians, missionaries, Baptist leaders, and more. - Back cover.

Southern Baptists have a unique and colorful story. Birthed in the time of slavery controversy, their theology on this and human rights issues has changed as cultural and societal developments occurred. One thing that never changed, however, was their zeal for evangelism. They eventually grew to become the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. Later, a major controversy in the late twentieth century pitted conservative Baptists against moderates. Both sides, however, wrote histories of the controversy from their own perspectives. These histories were significant for understanding how each side interpreted the events. These pages attempt to fill a missing gap. Readers will hear the Southern Baptist story from both sides. Understand from this how Southern Baptists work, think, grow, argue, and have changed over time. They have weathered the ups and downs of history to reveal an ever-growing heritage.

Examines how a southern evangelical denomination was able to become the second largest religious body in a region characterized by cultural, racial, and religious pluralism; and the effect this had on their structure and beliefs.

Companion to the The Baptist Heritage, this book provides documents that will enrich the study of Baptist history.