When former United States presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton announced the establishment of a broadly inclusive "New Baptist Covenant" that will be launched in early 2008, excluded from the proceedings were leaders from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Recognizing the need for both conviction and cooperation, for confessional commitments and biblical unity, Union University president David Dockery rallies Southern Baptists anew "for such a time as this" in Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal, a prophetic, clarion call to cooperation, unity, and renewal throughout the SBC. Many issues today threaten to sidetrack Southern Baptists from advancing the gospel, missions, and theological education together. Dockery urges them to focus on their confessional heritage and renew their commitment to truth, to doctrinal fidelity, and to the Christ-centered message of the gospel. - Publisher.

Are church denominations necessary; do they even have a future? Such questions are explored in Southern Baptists, Evangelicals, and the Future of Denominationalism, based on a conference of the same name held at Union University where Evangelical and Southern Baptist scholars addressed challenging issues of theology, polity, and practice. Contributors include: Ed Stetzer ("Denominationalism: Is There a Future?") James Patterson ("Reflections on 400 Years of the Baptist Movement") Harry L. Poe ("The Gospel and Its Meaning") Timothy George ("Baptists and Their Relations with Other Christians") Duane Liftin ("The Future of American Evangelicalism") Ray Van Neste ("Pastoral Ministry in Southern Baptist and Evangelical Life") Mark DeVine ("Emergent or Emerging") Daniel Akin ("The Future of the Southern Baptist Convention") Michael Lindsay ("The Changing Religious Landscape in North America") Jerry Tidwell ("Missions and Evangelism") David S. Dockery ("So Many Denominations") Nathan Finn ("Passing on the Faith to the Next Generation") R. Albert Mohler Jr. (title essay)

The Southern Baptist Convention is currently facing issues that challenge its identity, heritage, and future. In The SBC and the 21st Century, Revised Edition, key leaders address critical issues such as: · Will the SBC grow more unified around shared convictions and mission or will it fragment over secondary concerns and tertiary doctrinal differences? · Will the SBC be able to maintain a distinct Baptist identity while engaging and partnering with the broader evangelical community? · Will the SBC be willing to reimagine its structures, programs, and efforts to effectively reach the world for Christ or will it risk being a past-tense denomination? This volume not only promotes meaningful dialogue, it calls leaders throughout the SBC into action. Extensive thought, research, assessment, and wisdom from some of the SBC’s brightest minds have been poured into this volume with the intent of rendering a helpful contribution to SBC life that will propel forward the collective work of Southern Baptists well into the 21st century.

Themelios is an international, evangelical, peer-reviewed theological journal that expounds and defends the historic Christian faith. Themelios is published three times a year online at The Gospel Coalition (http://thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/) and in print by Wipf and Stock. Its primary audience is theological students and pastors, though scholars read it as well. Themelios began in 1975 and was operated by RTSF/UCCF in the UK, and it became a digital journal operated by The Gospel Coalition in 2008. The editorial team draws participants from across the globe as editors, essayists, and reviewers. General Editor: D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Managing Editor: Brian Tabb, Bethlehem College and Seminary Consulting Editor: Michael J. Ovey, Oak Hill Theological College Administrator: Andrew David Naselli, Bethlehem College and Seminary Book Review Editors: Jerry Hwang, Singapore Bible College; Alan Thompson, Sydney Missionary & Bible College; Nathan A. Finn, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Hans Madueme, Covenant College; Dane Ortlund, Crossway; Jason Sexton, Golden Gate Baptist Seminary Editorial Board: Gerald Bray, Beeson Divinity School Lee Gatiss, Wales Evangelical School of Theology Paul Helseth, University of Northwestern, St. Paul Paul House, Beeson Divinity School Ken Magnuson, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Jonathan Pennington, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary James Robson, Wycliffe Hall Mark D. Thompson, Moore Theological College Paul Williamson, Moore Theological College Stephen Witmer, Pepperell Christian Fellowship Robert Yarbrough, Covenant Seminary

A collection of essays by Southern Baptist leaders on the biblical, theological, and practical matters relating to their convention's Great Commission Resurgence initiative.

In Baptists and the Christian Tradition, editors Matthew Emerson, Christopher Morgan and Lucas Stamps compile a series of essays advocating "Baptist catholicity." This approach presupposes a critical, but charitable, engagement with the whole church, both past and present, along with the desire to move beyond the false polarities of an Enlightenment-based individualism on the one hand and a pastiche of postmodern relativism on the other.

Just what makes a Baptist, a Baptist? What are the beliefs that set Baptists apart from other Christian churches, and are they of any real importance for the local church member who just wants to follow Jesus? Four centuries of Baptists have found those distinctive beliefs to be the command of Jesus in the Scripture, have expressed their love for him by holding and practicingthem, and have passed that sacred trustdown to us. A church which fails to know and value its Baptist identity becomes subject to error and false teaching and loses the heritage for which its Baptist ancestors were willing to suffer and die. The sermons in this book provide a helpful introduction to the beliefs which distinguish Baptists from other Christian groups and churches, and help readers to consider those beliefs in their proper level of importance. Extensive guides to additional resources in the distinctive beliefs of Baptists and in doctrinal preaching are provided for those desiringfurther study and for pastors interested in developingsimilar messages. Includes endorsements from Chuck Kelley and Lloyd Harsch of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisher Humphreys of Beeson Divinity School.

Editors Nathan Finn and Keith Whitfield have collected over a dozen of essays written in honor of the president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Daniel Akin. These essays highlight various biblical themes in connection to Akin’s missional emphasis in his theology and personal life.

Respected Christian leaders honor David S. Dockery in this volume by presenting essays that explore "convictional civility" as as a vision for contemporary cultural engagement and as a lifestyle of bearing witness for Christ and contributing to the common good.

We live in a precarious time when many are questioning the necessity of formal theological education for ministers. Theology, Church, and Ministry: A Handbook for Theological Education helps readers understand the critical role theological education plays in equipping God-called ministers for service in the church. This distinct resource explains both the development and purpose of theological education as well as its role in student formation. The contributors include outstanding thinkers and leaders in the field of theological education, including Con Campbell, Tim Tennent, Mark Bailey, Kevin Vanhoozer, Dan Block, Robert Smith, Dana Harris, Malcolm Yarnell, Danny Akin, and Greg Wills, among others.