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Looking for a book that sums up the unique contributions of Baptist preachers and teachers to Baptist theology? Theologians of the Baptist Tradition is a terrific place to start.

David Dockery and Timothy George do a great job of compiling terrific contributions about important Baptist figures of the past. Each chapter is devoted to a particular theologian/pastor. Chapters give biographical information, informative summaries of the teacher’s theology, and a helpful evaluation. The theology of men like Andrew Fuller, James P. Boyce, Charles Spurgeon, E.Y. Mullins, W.A. Criswell is described in a succint style that helpfully summarizes the strengths and weaknesses from each individual.

While the book is a helpful introduction to Baptist thinkers, several more recent Baptists are missing. Where is Stanley Grenz? Wayne Grudem? And several influential Baptists from the 20th century are absent as well (Walter Rauschenbusch, Martin Luther King, Jr.). Obviously, the writers could not include every important Baptist figure from the past few centuries. But men like Rauschenbusch and William Newton Clarke had much more influence (not necessarily good influence) than some of the theologians included in the book (Benjamin Carroll, for example).

Theologians of the Baptist Tradition succeeds in introducing the reader to the conservative Reformed-leaning stream of Southern Baptists. And the book is extremely helpful in this regard. But if you are looking for a book that also includes evaluation and critique of the influential Baptists who charted diverse paths towards liberalism, you will have to look elsewhere.

written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog

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