Baptists in America
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Baptists are a study in contrasts. From Little Dove Old Regular Baptist Church, up a hollow in the Appalachian Mountains, with its 25-member congregation, to the 18,000-strong Saddleback Valley Church in Orange County, California, where hymns appear on wide-screen projectors; from Jerry Falwell, Jesse Helms, and Tim LaHaye to Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson, Bill Clinton, and Maya Angelou, Baptist churches and their members have encompassed a range of theological interpretations and held a variety of social and political viewpoints. At first glance, Baptist theology seems classically Protestant in its emphasis on the Trinity, the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the authority of Scripture, salvation by faith alone, and baptism by immersion. Yet the interpretation and implementation of these beliefs have made Baptists one of the most fragmented denominations in the United States. Not surprisingly, they are often characterized as a people who "multiply by dividing."
Baptists in America introduces readers to this fascinating and diverse denomination, offering a historical and sociological portrait of a group numbering some thirty million members. Bill J. Leonard traces the history of Baptists, beginning with their origins in seventeenth-century Holland and England. He examines the development of Baptist beliefs and practices, offering an overview of the various denominations and fellowships within Baptism. Leonard also considers the disputes surrounding the question of biblical authority, the ordinances (baptism and the Lord's Supper), congregational forms of church governance, and religious liberty.
The social and political divisions among Baptists are often as dramatic, if not more so, than the theological divides. Leonard examines the role of Baptists in the Fundamentalist and Social Gospel movements of the early twentieth century. The Civil Rights movement began in African American Baptist churches. More recently, Baptists have been key figures in the growth of the Religious Right, criticizing the depravity of American popular culture, supporting school prayer, and championing other conservative social causes. Leonard also explores the social and religious issues currently dividing Baptists, including race, the ordination of women, the separation of church and state, and sexuality. In the final chapter Leonard discusses the future of Baptist identity in America.
Bill J. Leonard
Bill J. Leonard is Chair of Church History in the Divinity School at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is the author or editor of a number of books, including A Dictionary of Baptists in America, Baptist Ways: A History, and Baptists in America.
Read more from Bill J. Leonard
Baptist Questions, Baptist Answers: Exploring Christian Faith Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBaptists in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRemembering Antônia Teixeira: A Story of Missions, Violence, and Institutional Hypocrisy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Baptists in America
Related ebooks
Baptists in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShepherding in the African American Community - Pastoral Care Conversations: Volume II, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Party Faithful: How and Why Democrats Are Closing the God Gap Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Reinventing American Protestantism: Christianity in the New Millennium Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Going on to Salvation, Revised Edition: A Study of Wesleyan Beliefs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPast and Prospect: The Promise of Nazarene History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Brief History of the Presbyterians Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Eastern Church in the Spiritual Marketplace: American Conversions to Orthodox Christianity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Handbook for Today's Disciples, 5th Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnitarians and Universalists of Washington, D.C. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReligion and the Radical Republican Movement: 1860–1870 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSouthern Baptist Identity: An Evangelical Denomination Faces the Future Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Colonial Presbyterianism: Old Faith in a New Land Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5California's Spiritual Frontiers: Religious Alternatives in Anglo-Protestantism, 1850-1910 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFaith Forming Faith: Bringing New Christians to Baptism and Beyond Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlack Church Beginnings: The Long-Hidden Realities of the First Years Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Missed Mission of The Great Commission A First Century Discipleship Paradigm for the 21st Century Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLiving as United Methodist Christians: Our Story, Our Beliefs, Our Lives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMarginalized Voices: A History of the Charismatic Movement in the Orthodox Church in North America 1972–1993 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPresbyterian Faith That Lives Today Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWonderful Words of Life: Hymns in American Protestant History and Theology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming an Anti-Racist Church: Journeying Toward Wholeness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe SBC and the 21st Century: Reflection, Renewal & Recommitment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMennocostals: Pentecostal and Mennonite Stories of Convergence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Monks to Missionaries: Schools of Spirituality in the Christian Tradition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Is the Church and Why Does It Exist? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Disciples—Second Edition: A Struggle for Reformation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Religion & Spirituality For You
Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Se Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Grief Observed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Be Here Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Love Dare Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Course In Miracles: (Original Edition) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dangerous Prayers: Because Following Jesus Was Never Meant to Be Safe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Abolition of Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Buddha's Guide to Gratitude: The Life-changing Power of Everyday Mindfulness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Odyssey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gospel of Mary Magdalene Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writing to Wake the Soul: Opening the Sacred Conversation Within Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5NRSV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer: Summary and Analysis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5THE EMERALD TABLETS OF THOTH THE ATLANTEAN Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weight of Glory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Baptists in America
0 ratings0 reviews