Baptist History in England and America

Dr. David Beale recently published a new book on Baptist History, a welcome addition to the library of any independent Baptist. He gave us permission to publish the preface by Dr. Gerald Priest, which follows below. We also include the table of contents and links to bookstores where you may order the book. It is spiritually helpful for Christians to understand the struggles, strengths and weaknesses of their spiritual forbears. You will find this book a rich source of inspiration to Christian faithfulness.

David Beale has given us not merely a credible history, but a remarkable one. He is a conservative, independent Baptist minister and theologian. His credentials as a historian are indisputable, having authored major works including Historical Theology In-depth: Themes and Contexts of Doctrinal Development since the First Century (2 vols.); The Mayflower Pilgrims: Roots of Puritan, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Baptist Heritage; A Pictorial History of Our English Bible; and In Pursuit of Purity: American Fundamentalism since 1850. Beale is a Baptist not by convenience but by conviction. With careful and painstaking research, he has selected the most notable players in British and American Baptist history and provided thorough descriptions of their character and contributions. In doing so, he has offered a unique study that endears the reader to his subject.

Beale introduces his study in an unusual and captivating way, by setting Baptist beginnings in the crucible of persecution, and showing throughout the book how Baptists paid dearly for their outspoken defense of religious liberty. Like the early church of the first century, Baptists were tormented, incarcerated, and martyred for their faith. Their courageous testimony continues to stand as a beacon for perseverance in righteousness. The numerous, valuable contributions in this book, to name a few, include: (1) incontrovertible proofs that Landmarkism is based on spurious evidence; (2) how Thomas Helwys, founder of the first General Baptist church in England, made it financially possible for the future Mayflower Pilgrims to escape from England to the Netherlands; (3) how Thomas Grantham, the most articulate General Baptist theologian, provided the earliest doctrinal direction to his denomination; (4) how the triumvirate of Hanserd Knollys, William Kiffin, and Benjamin Keach united Particular Baptists around confessional theology; (5) how Baptists of John Bunyan’s day regarded him; (6) how evangelical Calvinism pioneered the missionary efforts of Andrew Fuller and William Carey in England, then spearheaded the missionary efforts of Adoniram Judson, Luther Rice, and John Mason Peck in America; (7) how the Down Grade Controversy unfolded between Charles Spurgeon and leaders of the British Baptist Union; and (8) how an inside look at Baptist Fundamentalism enlightens one’s understanding of the Fundamentalist/Modernist conflict in America.

One of the most significant contributions of this history is its attention to detail. To support his claims, Beale cites a massive collection of primary (in numerous cases rare) source materials, indicated by the extensive bibliographical entries at the end of each chapter. These are buttressed with empirical evidence from his own travels. In his biographies of famous Baptists, for example, he not only provides fascinating insights into their personal lives gleaned from original documents, but vividly describes the locations related to them. He can do this because he has personally visited nearly every place he mentions. This gives confidence to the reader that the author knows exactly what he is talking about. Complementing these references is a final chapter with additional resources for further study in Baptist distinctives and ecclesiology, along with an appendix providing a “Travel Guide to Historical Baptist Sites in England, Wales, and America.” Besides being a superb textbook for seminaries, colleges, and Baptist Heritage classes in local churches, this book is second to none as a handy reference work for Baptist historiography.

Gerald Priest, PhD, Professor of Historical Theology, Retired, Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary

Contents

Preface

Part I: Preliminary Essentials

1. Introductory Essays on Our Baptist Heritage

Part II: English General Baptists to the New Connection

2. The English Separatist Roots of General Baptists

3. General Baptist Beginnings: Thomas Helwys to Thomas Grantham

4. General Baptist Doctrinal Decline and the Rise of the New Connection

Part III: English Particular Baptists to the Down Grade Controversy

5. The Politico-Religious Landscape of the Earliest Particular Baptist Churches

6. Three Key Baptist Leaders: Hanserd Knollys, William Kiffin, and Benjamin Keach

7. Particular Baptist Confessions of Faith

8. John Gill and the Modern Question: The Emergence of Antinomianism

9. The Rise of Evangelical Calvinism: Life of Andrew Fuller to the Prayer Call of 1784

10. William Carey: His Life and Ministry

11. Charles Spurgeon: His Life and Ministry

Part IV: Baptists in America

12. Roger Williams and John Clarke: Founders of the First Two Baptist Churches in America and Co-Founders of Rhode Island

13. Seventeenth-Century Baptists in Massachusetts

14. William Screven, Elias Keach, and Morgan Edwards: Church Planting, Expansion, and Higher Education

15. The Separate Baptists: Struggle for Religious Freedom in North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia

16. Isaac Backus, John Leland, and Their Associates: Final Steps toward Religious Liberty

17. Pioneer Missionaries: Adoniram Judson, Luther Rice, and John Mason Peck

18. Northern Baptist Seminaries and the Rise of Theological Liberalism

19. The Rise and Development of Baptist Fundamentalism

20. The Southern Baptist Convention: Its Strong Foundation, Rise of Liberalism, and Conservative Resurgence

Part V: Sources for Baptist Ecclesiology

21. Additional Tools and Resources

Appendix A: Reconciling Old Style–New Style Calendar Dates

Appendix B: Overview of Free Will Baptists in America

Appendix C: Travel Guide to Historical Baptist Sites in England, Wales, and America

Index

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