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tim_michiemo's review
5.0
4.5 Stars
Thomas Kidd's Baptists in America is a phenomenal book. This is primarily because of the content and secondarily because I am an American Baptist. For those who are not American Baptists, they may find this book uninteresting or unnecessary; and I'm not sure if I could convince you to read it. But if you are an American and a Baptist, I would say that this is a required read and a read you will enjoy.
Kidd and Hankins set out to "tell the story of Baptist growth and battles through the centuries from the founding of England’s colonies to contemporary America" (pg. 1), and they are successful in this endeavor. Kidd and Hankins explore the history of American Baptists beginning with the early colonial dissenters and ending with the great “Conservative Resurgence” in the Southern Baptist Convention. This book's strongest parts are its explanation of the history of minority Baptists in America, primarily the Black Baptists. These are the most valuable sections for American Baptists (particularly white Baptists) to read and understand the alternate stories of brothers and sisters in Christ of different ethnicities. Kidd and Hankins are generous to white Baptists who both opposed and supported slavery and segregation and skillfully show that there were many differences in opinion even among Black Baptists when it came to slavery and segregation.
Overall, I found this book to be extremely helpful. Its strong point is Kidd and Hankins' ability to show the continuity of Baptist thinking throughout American History, but also show how incredibly diverse Baptist thinking is. In the conclusion, Kidd and Hankins try to place their finger on what distinctively makes a Baptist, since there are so many diverse viewpoints and "sub" denominations within the Baptist denominations. They boil it down to three issues; Baptists believe in believers’ baptism, they promote the autonomy of the local church, and they have a willingness to call themselves Baptist. Kidd and Hankins hit it right on the nail when describing what unifies Baptists and presents us with many compelling stories that the American Church can learn from.
Read a more in depth review at: https://loveaboundinginknowledge.wordpress.com/2020/04/08/baptists-in-america-a-history-thomas-s-kidd-barry-hankins/
Thomas Kidd's Baptists in America is a phenomenal book. This is primarily because of the content and secondarily because I am an American Baptist. For those who are not American Baptists, they may find this book uninteresting or unnecessary; and I'm not sure if I could convince you to read it. But if you are an American and a Baptist, I would say that this is a required read and a read you will enjoy.
Kidd and Hankins set out to "tell the story of Baptist growth and battles through the centuries from the founding of England’s colonies to contemporary America" (pg. 1), and they are successful in this endeavor. Kidd and Hankins explore the history of American Baptists beginning with the early colonial dissenters and ending with the great “Conservative Resurgence” in the Southern Baptist Convention. This book's strongest parts are its explanation of the history of minority Baptists in America, primarily the Black Baptists. These are the most valuable sections for American Baptists (particularly white Baptists) to read and understand the alternate stories of brothers and sisters in Christ of different ethnicities. Kidd and Hankins are generous to white Baptists who both opposed and supported slavery and segregation and skillfully show that there were many differences in opinion even among Black Baptists when it came to slavery and segregation.
Overall, I found this book to be extremely helpful. Its strong point is Kidd and Hankins' ability to show the continuity of Baptist thinking throughout American History, but also show how incredibly diverse Baptist thinking is. In the conclusion, Kidd and Hankins try to place their finger on what distinctively makes a Baptist, since there are so many diverse viewpoints and "sub" denominations within the Baptist denominations. They boil it down to three issues; Baptists believe in believers’ baptism, they promote the autonomy of the local church, and they have a willingness to call themselves Baptist. Kidd and Hankins hit it right on the nail when describing what unifies Baptists and presents us with many compelling stories that the American Church can learn from.
Read a more in depth review at: https://loveaboundinginknowledge.wordpress.com/2020/04/08/baptists-in-america-a-history-thomas-s-kidd-barry-hankins/
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