Publisher's Synopsis
What distinguishes a Baptist from any other Evangelical is a particular ecclesiology, but defining the historical, theological, and practical particulars of Baptist ecclesiology is today an often-debated topic. While tracing the history of Baptists back to the Protestant Reformation in Europe, this third book from the Studies in Baptist Life & Thought series primarily focuses forward to Baptists in America.How are Baptists historically and theologically related to the Protestant Reformation and to the Anabaptists? What's the difference between a "Baptist" and an "evangelical" or an "evangelical Baptist" and a "Baptist evangelical"? Is the New Testament more concerned with the universal church or the local church? What kind of relationship and cooperation should there be between Baptists and the rest of the Christian world (i.e., how "ecumenical" should Baptists be)?The Second Reformation addresses these questions and more, touching on the Puritans and the Great Awakening as well as detailing the widely known Baptist leader Isaac Backus, the main Baptist confession in America (New Hampshire), and the development of Baptist ecclesiology.
