Hammett, John S. Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology.
Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2005. 368 pp. $19.99.
In his book Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology, John S. Hammett, professor of systematic theology at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, attempts to provide a biblical and distinctively Baptist ecclesiology that is relevant for the Church’s contemporary setting.
Hammett explains in the introduction that it is his aim to show that the church is the creation of God the Father, is the body of God the Son, and is the instrument through which God the Holy Spirit works in today’s contemporary world. Since the church is such a high priority for God, it should be of great importance to every Christian. In addition, North American Christian’s need to be aware of the dangers associated with focusing on growth, relevancy, and pragmatism instead of focusing on God’s design for the church (11).
Finally, Hammett believes that those who have held to a Baptist ecclesiology of the church have tra...
Parishioners often ask me if there is really any difference between United Methodist and the Baptists down the road. The answer, “quite a lot,” generally surprises them. When they ask me to explain, I often point them in the direction of our polity and the theology it reflects.
In Walter B. Shurden’s The Baptist Identity, he looks at four of the core elements, or freedoms, that shape and mold Baptist theology and their identity. The four core concepts he explores in his book are Bible freedom, soul freedom, church freedom, and religious freedom. While looking at these four values, he examines how they mold and shape the Baptist identity and how they came to be. The origin to each of these values in the Baptist tradition is addressed as well as their benefits and draw backs. He explains their purpose and necessity in the Baptist denomination and how it effects the denomination as a whole.
This book is a study of the personal tales of many single mothers, with intentions to understand why single mothers from poor urban neighborhoods are increasingly having children out of wedlock at a young age and without promise of marrying their fathers. The authors chose to research their study in Philadelphia’s eight most devastated neighborhoods, where oppression and danger are high and substantial job opportunities are rare. They provide an excellent education against the myth that poor young urban women are having children due to a lack of education on birth control or because they intend to work the welfare system. Instead, having children is their best and perhaps only means of obtaining the purpose, validation and companionship that is otherwise difficult to find in the areas in which they live. For many of them, their child is the biggest promise they have to a better future. They also believe that though their life may not have been what they want, they want their child to have more and better opportunities and make it their life’s work to provide that.
explain in my paper what the Baptist believe in, the meaning of their beliefs, and how
In an age when culture continues to lower standards of intellect, Marva Dawn makes compelling observations and suggestions for the Church to rethink its’ strategy on impacting society. How do we evangelize without weakening the message of what we are communicating? The majority of her text focuses on the worship environment generally, but later she focuses on music, preaching, and liturgy specifically. According to Dawn, a gathering of believers should emphasize God as the subject and object of worship, challenge each individual to grow in godly character, and accentuate the community of believers (not only in the room, but throughout history as well). Through this grid, she encourages leaders and participants to evaluate each worship element. If these primary goals are accomplished, then worship will not be empty and simpleminded. Instead the worship atmosphere would be held to a higher standard and, she believes, both pleasing to God and attractive to those who do not know God.
Ted A. Campbell, “Methodist Ecclesiologies and Methodist Sacred Spaces,” in Orthodox and Wesleyan Ecclesiology edited by S.T. Kimbrough (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2007) 218;
Everett F. Harrison, editor-in-chief, Baker’s Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1960, pg. 356.
The Christian Baptist church has a standard manual, The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches, where they base all of their belief systems. In this manual, Baptist can refer to this book for th...
Newman, Albert Henry. A Manual of Church History. Vol. 1. Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1900.
Cottrell, Jack. The Faith Once for All: Bible Doctrine for Today. Joplin: College Press, 2002. Print.
Boyd, Gregory A., and Paul R. Eddy. Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009.
Having clarified the matters of Theology, Christology, and Pneumatology, let us now move on to explore the Theology of the Book of Revelation, that is, the way in which John, and so the book, understands God. The Theology of Revelation, according to Bauckham, is highly context...
Scripture offers a fixed set of standards and norms for Christian faith and life, based on ancient testimonies of foundational events in both the Old and New Testaments. Tradition embraces and enhances these scriptural testimonies by bringing Scripture into a dynamic and critical dialogue through every age of the church’s life.
Towns, Elmer, and Ben Gutierrez, eds. “John: Believe and Live.” in The Essence of the New Testament: A Survey, 128-41. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2012.
The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2008. Nashville: Abingdon Pr, 2009. 87. Print.