There have been Baptist churches in the Midlands since at least 1626. This book describes their story from Stoke-on-Trent in the north, to Droitwich in the south, and from Rugby in the east, to Oswestry in the west, and covers the whole of the large West Midland conurbation surrounding Birmingham.This volume includes the whole range of Baptists who have arisen from different sources over the generations, whether or not they have been in organised Association life. Local historians will gain an insight into a vital aspect of their community’s story. Original texts have been used to let people and their churches speak for themselves. The story has been divided into periods of time, reaching 2009 when the office of the Heart of England Baptist Association (which covers most of the Baptist churches in this account) made a significant move to a new location in Selly Oak. Within each period important topics are highlighted, such as worship, social impact, church planting, etc. in this way considerable growth and important changes over the years are detailed. Some exciting stories emerge, such as the leading role Baptists had in the campaign to abolish slavery. The publication of Deep Roots, Living Branches is a contribution to the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the start of the world’s first Baptist church among English émigrés in Amsterdam in 1609. The book includes numerous line-drawings by the talented artist, the late Violet Kennard of Coventry.

The African proverb states, "When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind." A complementary precept is, "When the branches are strong, there is no reason to fear climbing higher."Trees are the ideal metaphor for the growth and development of individuals and families across generations. Sturdy trees have deep roots and strong branches, and when exposed to threatening winds, trees grow stress wood, making them even more resilient.Previous generations have nurtured our life's tree, and we then assume stewardship and the responsibility to tend the tree for future generations-further deepening roots and strengthening branches. We can best do this if we develop a sense of self, mindfully answering three questions: 1) Who am I? 2) How did I become this person? 3) How will I affect future generations?In Deep Roots; Strong Branches, Alan Spector reflects on his answers to these questions and prompts the reader to do the same. He uses his life's stories and lessons learned, combines them with the stories and lessons of many others, and invites stories and learning from the reader. Hence the subtitle, Reflecting on Life Lessons Learned; A Mindful Multi-Memoir.

Explorations of the English Baptist reception of the Evangelical Revival often--and rightfully--focus on the work of the Spirit, prayer, Bible study, preaching, and mission, while other key means are often overlooked. Useful Learning examines the period from c. 1689 to c. 1825, and combines history in the form of the stories of Baptist pastors, their churches, and various societies, and theology as found in sermons, pamphlets, personal confessions of faith, constitutions, covenants, and theological treatises. In the process, it identifies four equally important means of grace. The first was the theological renewal that saw moderate Calvinism answer "The Modern Question," develop into evangelical Calvinism, and revive the denomination. Second were close groups of ministers whose friendship, mutual support, and close theological collaboration culminated in the formation of the Baptist Missionary Society, and local itinerant mission work across much of Britain. Third was their commitment to reviving stagnating Associations, or founding new ones, convinced of the vital importance of the corporate Christian life and witness for the support and strengthening of the local churches, and furthering the spread of the gospel to all people. Finally was the conviction of the churches and their pastors that those with gifts for preaching and ministry should be theologically educated. At first local ministers taught students in their homes, and then at the Bristol Academy. In the early nineteenth century, a further three Baptist academies were founded at Horton, Abergavenny, and Stepney, and these were soon followed by colleges in America, India, and Jamaica.

Resilient explores all the watered-down ways of presenting the gospel over the past 50 years that can result in a shaky foundation. With examples from Jesus, along with the historic men and women that once defined our faith, Luce shows you how to build your confidence in God when you don’t understand, train your faith for endurance rather than just strength, and develop a solid faith foundation that will last through the good and the bad.

Born into slavery in Hampton County, Virginia, orphaned soon thereafter, and raised for almost two years among Native Americans, the charismatic Rev. Peter Thomas Stanford (c. 1860–May 20, 1909) rose from humble and challenging beginnings to emerge as an inventive and passionate activist and educator who championed social justice. During the post- Reconstruction era and early twentieth century, Stanford traversed the United States, Canada, and England advocating for the rights of African Americans, including access to educational opportunities; attainment of the full rights and privileges of citizenship; protections from racial violence, social stereotyping, and a predatory legal system; and recognition of the artistic contributions that have shaped national culture and earned global renown. His imprint on working-class urban residents, Afro-Canadian settlements, and African American communities survives in the institutions he led and the works that presented his imaginative, literate, ardent, and often comic voice. With a reflection by Highgate Baptist Church’s former pastor, Rev. Dr. Paul Walker, this collection highlights Stanford’s writings: sermons, lectures, newspaper columns, entertainments, and memoirs. Editors Barbara McCaskill and Sidonia Serafini annotate his life and work throughout the volume, placing him within the context of his peers as a writer and editor. As an American expatriate, Stanford was seminal in redirecting antislavery activism into an international antilynching movement and a global campaign to dismantle slavery and slave trading. This book squarely inserts this influential thinker and activist in the African American literary canon.

Clearly modeled on Jonathan Edwards' life of David Brainerd, Andrew Fuller's memoir for his close friend Samuel Pearce was written out of the conviction that telling the stories of the lives of remarkable Christians is a means of grace for the church. This new critical edition of the memoir is based on the 1808 third edition and documents the way that Fuller modified the text after its original printing in 1800. A substantial introduction discusses the evangelical use of biography, sets the memoir in the context of Fuller's literary corpus, and provides an overview of Pearce's life, touching on areas not fully treated by Fuller.

This is the first critical study of the writings of the English Particular Baptist Benjamin Beddome (1718-1795), whose evangelical ministry stretched over the last half of the eighteenth century. Best known in the years following his death as a capable hymn writer, he was also a significant doctrinal preacher. John Newton, who had heard such preachers as John Wesley and George Whitefield, considered Beddome one of the finest preachers of his day. The articles in this critical study examine his sermons to delineate Beddome's view of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, as well as his position on the free offer of the gospel, a central issue among the Particular Baptists of his day. His important contribution to Christian hymnody is also detailed. A must-read for those interested in eighteenth-century evangelical thought.