Customer Reviews

Why I Am a Baptist

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Dr. Tom Nettles and Russell D. Moore have edited a wonderful volume on the true glue that holds Baptists together and that is theological conviction. The list of contributers is a veritable "who's who" of Baptist theological conservatives. The contributers span from the U.S. to Wales to Zambia. They reflect the theological diversity that is found among conservative, confessional and committed Baptists. They are pastors, scholars and lay people. The men and women in this volume stand in the tradition of their Baptist forebearers, committed to God's inerrant Word and the doctrines contained therein and willing to suffer for those distinctives they find in the Bible that makes them Baptists. I would implore every Baptist to read this book and rejoice in the true glue of theological conviction that holds us together as Baptists. I would also encourage every non-Baptist to read this volume for an honest understanding of what is at the core of what it means to be a Baptist Christian.

This book is so much more than a mere book of testimonies. This is a solid polemic for Baptist theology in the areas of the absolute authority of Scripture, Believer's Baptism, Religious Freedom, and Local Church Autonomy. It's very interesting that many of the contributors flirted with becoming Presbyterian (one even left being a Baptist to become a Presbyterian, only to come back) but the issue of infant baptism was something they could not overcome. I can truly relate to them on that.

Contributors include:
-Albert Mohler
-Wayne Grudem
-Paige Patterson
-Ann Judson
-Mark Dever
-Stan Norman

If you are flirting with becoming a Baptist, once were a Baptist or just want to understand the Baptist position this book is without a doubt for you.

The one drawback is that there's nothing by Spurgeon or John Gill in here which would have fit so perfectly. Also there is a lack of minority contributors for whatever reason. Why Voddie Bachum (sic) was not in here is very strange.

A book of testimonies by various Baptist leaders, both past and present, on our common faith and heritage. Sadly, Baptists are often known more for our traditions and emotional revivalism than our deep theology, but this book shows there are indeed many biblical, theological, and historical reasons to celebrate being a Baptist. Some great chapters, though the book could probably have been titled, "Why I wish I was Presbyterian, but the Bible's teaching on believer's baptism would not let me."

I found this to be a good read. I liked the editor's choice to draw from fairly diverse group of Baptists (though some larger groups go unrepresented). I thought a couple of segments were outstanding, and couple of segments were uninspiring, and the rest was pretty good. I don't know if I would put this on a must read level, but if you are a Baptist and you want to come into a better understanding of the Baptist family, then this is worth your time and money.

-Chris-

Search for books called Why I Am a Baptist and you will find titles going back for more than a century. One of the more recent books to claim this title explores the reasons for Baptist identity by drawing from the personal experiences of a variety of Baptist leaders.

Russell Moore and Tom Nettles (both of Southern Seminary) have done conservative Baptists a service by editing a book that describes Baptist doctrinal distinctives in the context of personal testimony. This readable collection of essays will be an encouragement to Baptists who may not know why they are Baptist, aside from their upbringing.

Why I Am a Baptist contains essays from Baptist forefathers (Isaac Backus, Ann Judson, F.H. Kerfoot), from current Baptist leaders (such as Jimmy Draper, Paige Patterson, and Al Mohler), European Baptists (Erroll Hulse, etc.), pastors (Mark Dever, Al Meredith, etc.), pastors' wives, professors, and other Baptist evangelical leaders (Carl Henry, Wayne Grudem, etc.).

Baptist distinctives are clearly articulated in this book, especially the doctrine of believer's baptism as the key to Baptist identity. The contributors emphasize the trustworthiness of Scripture and the autonomy of the local church.

The only complaint I have with this collection is that the majority of the writers lean to the Reformed side of Baptist life. This fact is most clearly seen in many of the authors' journeys between Presbyterian and Baptist churches. Several of the essays could have just as well been titled "Why I Am No Longer a Presbyterian." While I enjoyed these essays, I would have rather heard from a broader spectrum of Baptist theology.

Still, Why I Am a Baptist is a worthy addition to the library of anyone interested in Baptist belief and practice. The distinctiveness of Baptist belief is presented in the form of testimony, leading to a deep appreciation for the Holy Spirit's guidance of Baptists throughout the centuries.

As the editors state in the introduction, this book was written as a right-wing response to Cecil P. Staton, ed., Why I Am a Baptist: Reflections on Being Baptist in the 21st Century (Smyth & Helwys Press, 1999). The former book has some problems since it is dominated by the losing voices (i.e. centrists and progressives)in the Southern Baptist Holy War, c. 1979-1994, and their pain is still evident as they describe finding ways to be Baptist in other Baptist denominations after being betrayed by their home denomination. Other global voices are in that collection, but not enough.

But this conservative-fundamentalist response speaks falsely about the earlier volume (e.g., claiming that the contributors have no theological convictions simply because they do not share THEIR convictions) and then narrows the Baptist tradition to "fundamentalist Calvinists who practice the immersion of believers." The actual 400 year global Baptist tradition is far more diverse than that, but no one reading this volume would know it from the contents. Don't waste your money or your time. To find out about real Baptists look elsewhere.