Why I Am a Baptist: Reflections on Being Baptist in the 21st Century - Softcover

Staton Jr., Cecil P.; Carter, Jimmy; Dunn, James M.; Leonard, Bill J.; Marshall, Molly T.; Pitts, James M.; Poole, Charles E.; Sherman, Cecil E.; Shurden, Walter B.; Vestal, Daniel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1573122912 ISBN 13: 9781573122917

Publisher: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated, 2023

Synopsis

“A good book to give anyone who asks, ‘How can you be a Baptist after all that?’ And an encouraging work for those who say, ‘I can’t stop being Baptist, but I am not a Baptist.’ ” -Will Campbell

Contributors:

Jimmy R. Allen, Robert C. Ballance, Jr., Tony Campolo, Jimmy Carter, Carolyn Weatherford Crumpler, James C. Denison, James M. Dunn, Jocelyn L. Foy, Carole “Kate” Harvey, Brian Haymes, Margaret B. Hess, Bill J. Leonard, Molly T. Marshall, Emmanuel L. McCall, Sr., Gary Parker, R. Keith Parks, James M. Pitts, Charles E. Poole, John Thomas Porter, Nancy Hastings Sehested, Cecil E. Sherman, Walter B. Shurden, Cecil P. Staton, Jr., Charles Frank “T” Thomas, Daniel Vestal, Charles R. Wade, and Karl Heinz Walter

Cecil P. Staton, Jr. is President and Publisher of Smyth & Helwys Publishing. He concurrently serves as Associate Provost for Academic Publications and Associate Professor at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia.

About this title

About the Author

Cecil P. Staton, Jr. is President and Publisher of Smyth & Helwys Publishing. He concurrently serves as Associate Provost for Academic Publications and Associate Professor at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia. He is a graduate of Furman University and holds the D.Phil. in Old Testament and Hebrew from the University of Oxford, UK.

From the Back Cover

"A good book to give anyone who asks, "How can you be a Baptist after all that?" And an encouraging work for those who say, "I can't stop being Baptist, but I am not a Baptist." -Will D. Campbell Contributors: Jimmy R. Allen, Robert C. Ballance Jr., Tony Campolo, Jimmy Carter, Carolyn Weatherford Crumpler, James C. Denison, James M. Dunn, Jocelyn L. Foy, Carole "Kate" Harvey, Brian Haymes, Margaret B. Hess, Bill J. Leonard, Molly T. Marshall, Emmanuel L. McCall Sr., Gary Parker, R. Keith Parks, James M. Pitts, Charles E. Poole, John Thomas Porter, Nancy Hastings Sehested, Cecil E. Sherman, Walter B. Shurden, Cecil P. Staton, Jr., Charles Frank "T" Thomas, Daniel Vestal, Charles R. Wade, and Karl Heinz Walter.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Let us be honest. No one has a copyright on the word "Baptist," and thus anyone can call himself or herself a Baptist. The Baptist emphasis on the priesthood of all believers, or the right of individuals to read and interpret scripture for themselves, encourages multiple voices, opinions, and views. With honor or shame, theological and political conservatives, moderates, and liberals all continue to wear the name "Baptist." But something has changed in recent years. Some lifelong Baptists are now ashamed to be known by that name. This is perhaps most evident in the recent phenomenon of more and more churches, both conservative and progressive, dropping the word Baptist from their name. For some it is now downright embarrassing to be identified as "Baptist." I confess I feel this way all too often. "Baptist" has become a word that in the popular culture connotes arrogance and ignorance and in some circles brings ridicule and derision. Baptists are stereotypically conceived by many as ignorant, mostly southern, redneck Christians who would rather fight over seemingly unimportant issues than make a genuine difference in a world of great need. Yet surely there is another side to Baptist life that has been hidden from view by the results of the controversy. Surely there is more to being "Baptist" than this. There are important aspects to the Baptist identity that have been overshadowed by the clouds of controversy. It is as though a beautiful mountain range has been permanently lost from view by a cloud cover that will not retreat. Again, the purpose of this book is not to focus on the controversy. Its purpose is not to cast stones at certain members of the Baptist family with whom some of us may disagree. The Baptist tent is a large one indeed. The purpose, rather, is to give voice to that which is good and honorable about the Baptist identity. The method chosen is a collection of "Baptist" voices speaking out at the end of one century and the beginning of a new millennium in order to bring to light and to celebrate those things about the Baptist vision that are positive, relevant, and important as we begin the twenty-first century.

Edition details

• Publisher: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1573122912
• ISBN 13: 9781573122917
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 220