Why I Am a Baptist

by Thomas J. Nettles (Editor), Russell D. Moore, Alistair Begg (Contributor)

In light of the current identity crisis facing Baptists today, editors Nettles and Moore offer a volume of testimonies from contemporary Baptists expounding on that very question—Why I Am a Baptist. Taking a more objective approach than offered in earlier books, Why I Am a Baptist models a more doctrine-oriented approach, explaining Baptist life on the basis of historical tenets of the Christian faith worked out in practice.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Church History, Christianity

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

Tom Nettles (see also) is Professor of Historical Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky.

Reviews

[Jesus Salgado · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been the first book I have read directly related to Baptist theology since I made a switch over to being a Presbyterian. I mentioned this because people might make the assumption I am biased but I don’t believe I am when making this review but that’s up to the reader to decide. With that being said, I don’t find anything meaningful in this book, most of the book reads like a biography and is very repetitive, I think another reviewer mentioned that the book should be called why I am not a Presbyterian rather than the title that it is given. I tend to agree with that comment mainly because I didn’t get a doctrinal position from any of the essays that were provided, there were a few of them that have made some assertions as to why they believe what they believe but nothing stands out. I will say I didn’t appreciate some of the historical stories of a few people mentioned mainly Baptists during the 17-18th century, (I believe I have the timeframe correct) their stories were enjoyable and allowed the framework or root of what Baptists get to claim for themselves today. Other than that you won’t get much from this book other than what has been mentioned above. The title doesn’t do the book justice.

[Daniel Ligon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of 26 essays. I found 2 very helpful (Paige Patterson's and Russell Moore's), but the others, while containing some good stuff, quickly became repetitive. Many were largely autobiographical rather than doctrinal, and many writers found little to make them Baptist aside from believer's baptism and possibly church polity. The book would probably have benefited from a wider pool of authors; most of the contributors were of the deeply Reformed Southern Baptist stripe. In fact, many seemed to imply that, aside from the issue of Baptism, they would much rather be conservative Presbyterians! If you wade through the repetition, though, you can compile some pretty good arguments for quite a few Baptist distinctives from this book.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of essays from many of the leading conservative Baptists of the late twentieth century. Many of the authors share testimonies of their Baptist upbringing, but the common theme is that they are Baptist not by tradition, but by conviction. Several common convictions emerge: believer's baptism, congregationalism, religious liberty, the priority of missions, and the priesthood of all believers. So many of the essays criticize the pedobaptist position that a suitable subtitle to the book could have been: And Why You Shouldn't Be a Presbyterian.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was not quite what I thought it was going to be. It didn't dive too deep into doctrine but was instead a collection of testimonies from many people on why they hold to baptist beliefs. (Although it should really be titled "Why I am a Southern Baptist"). As such, I did not necessarily agree with every particular thing each person, but still enjoyed the different perspectives.

[Caleb Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book might as well be a love letter to the Baptist faith. Unsure if/why you are a Baptist? Dive into the text for diverse testimonies throughout history on why we hold strong to the Baptist faith and message.

[Mark A Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is a Baptist? Why do so many associate with that Protestant denomination? Edited by Tom Nettles and Russell Moore, this book is a collection of essays from Baptists on why they came to, or remained in, the Baptist faith. The diversity of authors provides for engaging reading, though some entries lacked editorial direction. A few were dry and a few felt half-hearted but the lion’s share were infused with sincerity and conviction, grounded in Scripture.

[Wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the essays prove repetitive quickly, some of them stand out giving a couple gems. Wayne Grudem's, Al Mohler's and Erroll Hulse's to name some of them but the greatest of them was by far Don Whitney's. Reading his piece, entitled "Blood is thicker than Water" drew me to seek out more of his works and I have not been disappointed. Some of the essays are skip worthy but this is a great resource to find some new baptist authors to read! Especially since I got it for 2 bucks on Amazon!

[Matthew Bandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Helpful book w many short testimonies of Baptist pastors, educators, missionaries and leaders. Key topics mentioned repeatedly include biblical inerrancy, authority of scripture, lordship of Christ, trinitarian, priesthood of believers, regenerate church membership, baptism by immersion, autonomy of local church, separation of church and state, commitment to theological education, missions, care for the oppressed.

[Alasdair Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of reflections on Baptist distinctives and their importance to various pastors, academics and church members in coming to a historic baptist viewpoint. Impressively avoids being "Why I wish I was a Presbyterian but couldn't agree with peadobaptism" by giving important consideration to congregational polity and the idea of regenerate church membership. Very helpful.

[Joshua Lay · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a self-described conservative Baptist look at what it means to be a Baptist. This book is published in response to a moderate/liberal work of the same name. Some of the essays seemed repetitive and I didn't agree with a few. But, Dr. Moore's essay was excellent.