Baptists and the Kingdom of God

The 'kingdom of God' has figured prominently in the biblical vocabulary of Baptists since their beginnings, helping them give utterance to the contrast with the kingdoms of the civil order that marks this distinctive Christian tradition. But as the essays in this groundbreaking volume demonstrate, Baptists have spoken this language of Zion with different accents that reveal the theological diversity of the people called 'Baptist'. This volume is a contribution to scholarship on Baptist identity unparalleled in the literature.

~Steven R. Harmon, Professor of Historical Theology, Gardner-Webb University

Baptists and the Kingdom of God converges on a provocative, theologically rich, morally compelling, and yet often misunderstood biblical theme: the kingdom of God. This powerful Gospel idea stands at the intersection of four distinct conversations about the shape of Baptist ecclesial identity, the eschatological hope for God’s reign, the moral impulse to social action, and the providential perspective on the historical process and God’s action. With each chapter laser-focused on the concept of the kingdom of God, this volume both contributes to and creates a new conversation for the global Baptist community.

~Adam C. English, Professor of Christian Theology and Philosophy, Campbell University

The pluriform writings assembled in this collection illuminate contemporary and historical Baptist ideas about the kingdom of God and much more. The interconnected perspectives provided by these global scholars illustrate what it means to be ‘baptist’. Many of the essays build on strong biblical foundations although each views the Scripture through different hermeneutical lenses. Some of them attend to theological principles and some to more practical concerns, but all of them help readers to better understand history—not just the white, Western history that has dominated Baptist education, but history that recounts long-silenced voices and oft-ignored experiences. Brazilian Baptists, aboriginal peoples, women missionaries, South African Baptists during apartheid, postcolonial interpreters, Baptist pioneers of social justice who fought slavery and racism—all of these perspectives come together not only to demonstrate what the kingdom has been in Baptist thought and practice but what a future for Baptists could look like if we learned from and built upon our underexplored history.

~Jennifer Garcia Bashaw, Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Ministry, Campbell University