The Baptist Story From English Sect to Global Movement

The Baptist Story is a narrative history spanning over four centuries of a diverse group of people living among distinct cultures on separate continents while finding their identity in Christ and expressing their faith as Baptists. Baptist historians Anthony Chute, Nathan Finn, and Michael Haykin highlight the Baptist transition from a despised sect to a movement of global influence. Each chapter includes stories of people who made this history so fascinating. Although the emphasis is on the English-speaking world, The Baptist Story integrates stories of non-English-speaking Baptists, ethnic minorities, women, and minority theological traditions, all within the context of historic, orthodox Christianity.

This volume provides more than just the essential events and necessary names to convey the grand history. It also addresses questions that students of Baptist history frequently ask, includes prayers and hymns of those who experienced hope and heartbreak, and directs the reader’s attention to the mission of the church as a whole. Written with an irenic tone and illustrated with photographs in every chapter, The Baptist Story is ideally suited for graduate and undergraduate courses, as well as group study in the local church.

Anthony L. Chute is professor of Church History and associate dean of the School of Christian Ministries at California Baptist University in Riverside, California. He has written several books and essays on Baptist history and theology.
 
Nathan A. Finn is associate professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He has written widely on topics related to Baptist history, identity, and spirituality.
 
Michael A. G. Haykin is professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has written a number of books on the ancient church and eighteenth-century British Baptists.

Introduction

Section One: Baptists in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
Chapter 1: Baptist Beginnings
Chapter 2: Baptists Under the Cross
Chapter 3: Baptists in an Age of Reason and Revival
Chapter 4: Baptist Renewal and Advance

Section Two: Baptists in the Nineteenth Century
Chapter 5: Baptists and the World Before Them
Chapter 6: Baptist Progress and Setbacks
Chapter 7: Baptist Expansion and Adaptation
Chapter 8: Baptist Transitions and Trends

Section Three: Baptists in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
Chapter 9: Baptists and the Early Twentieth Century
Chapter 10: Baptist Tensions and Expansions
Chapter 11: Baptist Controversies in a Changing World
Chapter 12: Baptist Developments into the Twenty-First Century

Section Four: Baptist Beliefs
Chapter 13: Baptist Identity and Distinctives