The Baptist Tradition

The Course Description

A seminar on the historical basis of Baptist thought and practice, from the sixteenth century to the present. Under consideration will be the major theological issues addressed by Baptists, the Baptist confessions of faith, Baptist church practices, and Baptist leaders and theologians

This seminar was led by Dr. Jason Duesing and Dr. Michael McMullen.

The Course Objectives

  1. Clearly articulate an advanced understanding of various aspects of the history and theology of the Christian Church as expressed in the Baptist Tradition.
  2. Demonstrate competence in historical and theological research skills. 
  3. Clearly define and evaluate various methods of biblical interpretation used in the history and thought of the Christian church as expressed in the Baptist Tradition.
  4. Demonstrate competence in applying the lessons of the Baptist Tradition of Christian history to modern issues in Christian ministry and contemporary culture.

The Course Reading

Theology and Tradition

  1. James Leo Garrett. Baptist Theology: A Four-Century Study (Mercer, 2009). 978-0881461299. 743 pages.
  2. Timothy and Denise George, eds. Baptist Confessions, Covenants and Catechisms (B&H Academic, 1999). 978-0805412611 282 pages.
  3. The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 available from http://www.sbc.net/bfm2000/

16th Century

  1. Walter Klaassen, Anabaptism in Outline: Selected Primary Sources (Herald Press, 1981). 978-0836112412. 360 pages.

William R. Estep, Jr., The Anabaptist Story, 3rd Edition (Eerdmans, 1995). 978-0802808868. 332 pages.

17th Century

  1. Stephen Wright, The Early English Baptists, 1603-1649 (Boydell & Brewer, 2006). 978-1843831952 $70.68 288 pages [Free electronic version available through MBTS library]
  2. Joe Early, Jr., The Life and Writings of Thomas Helwys (Mercer, 2009). 978-0881461466. 328 pages

18th Century

  1. Andrew Fuller, The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation (1st or 2nd editions). Public domain or Logos. 100 pages.

19th Century

  1. Gregory A. Wills, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859-2009 (Oxford, 2009), Chapters 1-6. 978-0195377149. 272 pages.
  2. Charles H. Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (1861-1917). [Select ten (10) sermons from MBTS Spurgeon Center Archive: Spurgeon.org]

20th Century

  1. Gregory A. Wills, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859-2009 (Oxford, 2009), Chapters 7-13. 978-0195377149. 276 pages.
  2. “Report on Slavery and Racism in the History of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary,” Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, December 2018.  Available at http://www.sbts.edu/southern-project/  
  3. Carl F. H. Henry, The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism (Eerdmans, 1947, 2003). 978-0802826619. 112 pages.
  4. Carl F. H. Henry, “The Meaning of Inerrancy,” in God, Revelation, and Authority, Vol 4 (Crossway, 1999): 201-219. 978-1581340440. 18 pages.

Submissions for the course

Review of Leo Garrett’s book, Baptist Theology: A Four-Century Study.

Paper on Henry Ward Beecher Influenced the Down-Grade Controversy in which C.H. Spurgeon was a key figure.