Distinctly Baptist

Table of Contents (including contributors) and Foreword

Sample chapter: "Baptists and the Myth of the 'Myth" by Alan LeFever (sermon on the Baptist distinctive of the Separation of Church and State)

This new collection proclaims Baptist identity from the pulpit!

Without laying exclusive claim to any one doctrine, Baptists have concocted a collective of beliefs that are distinctive and defining. Unfortunately, in an increasingly post-denominational age, fewer Baptists are aware of the power and potential of their own witness.

When Baptists celebrated the 400th anniversary of their distinctive tradition in 2010, faculty of the George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University delivered a unique chapel series to proclaim the Baptist identity. Beginning with those sermons and expanding upon them, this book offers this generation a relevant understanding of Baptist faith and identity, based on the proclamation of 14 classic and emerging distinctives:

• Salvation by faith
• Authority of Scripture
• Soul competency
• Priesthood of believers
• Vocation and calling
• Christian mission
• Believers' church
• Congregational polity
• Local church autonomy
• Believer's baptism
• Lord's Supper
• Religious liberty
• Separation of church and state
• Social justice

Intended first and foremost to encourage and equip Baptist preachers, Distinctly Baptist will also be a useful study tool for individual or small-group study. Church educators as well as seminary and university professors will also find it an invaluable resource for teaching the relevance of Baptist identity to disciples and seminarians alike.