By Bill J. Leonard
The most important Protestant denomination within the usa is in the course of a major id hindrance; many Baptists are revisiting or turning clear of the culture, leaving others to turn into more and more doubtful that the denomination can stay possible. the following, even though, famous Baptist historian invoice Leonard wades during the murky waters of the Baptist earlier and explores the old commitments of this precise humans -- all that allows you to make clear its modern dilemmas and review the customers for a Baptist destiny. whereas encouraging individuals of the religion to completely and reasonably assessment their background -- and its many error alongside the best way -- Leonard eventually argues that the Baptists' contentious 'audacious witness' proven all through its background nonetheless has a priceless function to play within the twenty-first century.
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Extra info for The Challenge of Being Baptist: Owning a Scandalous Past and an Uncertain Future
Example text
Those ideas offer an opportunity for revisiting Baptist identity in terms of biblicism, conversionism, and what might be called congregational sacramentalism. They also suggest ways for reflecting on the future of Baptist identity in the twenty-first century, a so-called postmodern moment when the future of the Baptists worldwide is unclear and their cultural dominance in the United States is coming to an end. The Bible and Baptist Confessions of Faith When it comes to defining the nature of Baptist identity, the confessions of faith are surprisingly uniform.
Regionally, the Bible Belt, most of it based in the South, was a last bastion in the fight against moral and spiritual decline. For many, a rejection of “worldliness” included mandates against drugs, alcohol, tobacco, pornography, rock and roll, movies (G-rated might be acceptable), and provocative dress on males and females. Divisions later occurred over the appropriateness of certain kinds of Christian music, moderation rather than abstinence in the use of alcohol, and the boundaries for Christian use of the media.
Most continue to affirm the centrality of the local church, join in associational relationships, and, with some exceptions, form conventions, societies, or unions with like-minded Baptists in their regions or nations. For example, the breakup of the Soviet Union produced numerous new Baptist unions in countries such as Romania, Latvia, Georgia, Poland, and Lithuania. Generally speaking, these unions or denominations are derivative in authority from local churches. Individual congregations elect their own officers, search for and select their own ministers, raise their own budgets, and pursue their own specific ministries.
