The Baptist Vision: Faith and Practice for a Believers’ Church

Hobbs College Library

by Matthew Y. Emerson, Heath A. Thomas (editor), R. Lucas Stamps

What does it mean to be Baptist?

The Baptist Faith and Practice for a Believers’ Church answers this question by introducing readers to the distinctive theology and practice of Baptists and by putting forward a biblical, charitable, and winsome presentation of the Baptist vision.

Authors Matthew Y. Emerson and R. Lucas Stamps begin by examining the theological foundations of the Baptist catholic, reformational, evangelical, and covenantal. They then demonstrate how these foundations issue forth Baptist distinctives (believers’ baptism, congregationalism, religious liberty, and more) and Baptist practices (worship, holiness, and missions). Not simply descriptive, The Baptist Vision will also suggest a particular vision for the Baptist future, one that is more explicitly and intentionally positioned as a renewal movement within the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.

This book will appeal to Baptist and non-Baptist readers alike as Emerson and Stamps delve into themes that resonate with the broader body of Christ while simultaneously highlighting the rich beauty of the Baptist faith.

Genres: Theology, Ecclesiology, Christian

192 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2025

About the author

Matthew Y. Emerson (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is associate professor of religion at Oklahoma Baptist University. He is the author of The Story of Scripture: An Introduction to Biblical Theology, Between the Cross and the Throne: The Book of Revelation, and Christ and the New Creation: A Canonical Approach to the Theology of the New Testament.

Reviews

[Matthew Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great quick read on what it means to be Baptist. Emerson and Stamps do a great job placing the Baptist tradition within the fuller Christian and Protestant tradition.

I’d highly recommend this is you’re at a Baptist (or non-denominational) church and want to understand your church better. I’d also recommend it if you grew up in a Baptist church and are questioning its historic place in Christianity (and are maybe being drawn to higher church traditions because of that).

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great book that made me prouder to be a convictional (versus nominal) Baptist

written to address that there are lamentably few convictional baptists, instead “many are insufficiently catechized into Baptist faith, history, biblical theological rationale, and practical and spiritual appeal” (p3). it helpfully sets baptists within an historical, confessional context.

divided into three sections,
- Foundations: answers the questions: where do Baptists come from? and what do they share with the catholic (i.e., universal) church? answers by (1) showing shared orthodox beliefs (nicean view of trinity, chalcedonian christology, christs work in his threefold office, etc), (2) placing baptists downstream of the reformation historically (takes the english separatist view of baptist origins) and theologically (specifically view of scripture and soteriology), (3) emphasizing baptist “crucicentrism” as an expression of its evangelicalism, and (3) demonstrating that “the Baptist understanding of the relation between the covenants is truly our defining theological commitment… [it] dictates every theological and practical distinctives of the Baptist tradition” (p49,57).

- Distinctives: starts with (1) liberty of conscience as “the most fundamental Baptist distinctive” defining it as “each individual person is responsible before God under the supreme lordship of Jesus Christ” (p61), before walking through (2) believers baptism, (3) congregationalism, (3) covenantal communion, and (4) religious liberty. highlights key biblical texts, supporting baptist historical writings/confessions, and ends each chapter with a clear, compelling conclusion.

- Practices: the unique set of Baptist distinctives results in (or should result in) many practices, but the authors highlight three, (1) corporate worship (“Worship should be free (not determined by the strictures of the established church), true (regulated by Scripture alone), and gos-pel-oriented (focused on Christ and his saving acts)” (p120), (2) a life of holiness (“Our individual and collective faith in Christ is formed in covenant relationship to God and issues forth in covenant responsibilities toward one another” (p142), and (3) the urgency of missions/evangelism (“The God who has ordained the end (the salvation of the elect) has also ordained the means of their salvation (the indiscriminate, global proclamation of the gospel)” (p154).

best parts:
- the emphasis on covenantal theology as foundational was useful framing. the claims of baptist theology isn’t eisegisis or a rejection of orthodoxy but ideally an effort to consistently apply scripture (as interpreted through their covenantal hermeneutic) to key areas of christian living (primarily ecclesiology)
- not afraid to use the word “sacrament” when discussing baptism/communion (provides an explanation of why on p74-80)
- “low church liturgy”: much of the discussion on worship is taken from emerson and stamps essay “Liturgy for Low-Church Baptists”, and it’s a helpful response to the stereotypical, modern SBC-Baptist disdain for any form of worship that involves anything that smells of “high-church”. they lay out that all churches have a liturgy, so the question is will that liturgy be formed by scripture and orderly. they further lay out the limits to what they call “frontier liturgy” (the typical baptist: music, sermon, invitation) and lay out benefits of historic liturgies for baptists. even have a section on family worship!!

could be better
- in an attempt to represent “Baptists” more broadly (well except for anabaptists, see p5), has to paint with a broad brush at times. for example, includes a mention of dispensationalism as a covenant theology held by some Baptists without any comment on the view. but if that show of inclusivism leads more dispys to read this book then i guess i can be okay with that…

[Jake Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please see the link to my Substack with a review of the book!

https://elephantinroom.substack.com/p...

[Jackson Roderick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great work on detailing the Baptist distinctives and vision.

“the heart of the Baptist movement rests in the pews— the anonymous faithful”

[Jonathan Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers a clear and compelling summary of the Baptist vision of the Church. Emerson and Stamps do a fantastic job of locating the Baptist tradition as a renewal movement *within* the great tradition of the church rather than a sectarian “counterinsurgency” (161). The authors situate the tradition as Christian (in alignment with classic creedal Christianity), reformational (e.g., shaped by the solas of the Reformation), evangelical (unswervingly committed to the gospel, relational spirituality, personal evangelism, etc.), and covenantal (i.e., recognizing both continuity and discontinuity between the old and new covenants and their signs). The book, like others in this series, is brief and intended for a broader audience. That said, the authors demonstrate a breadth and depth of engagement with relevant literature at strategic moments. This work will prove helpful to pastor-elders, deacons, church leaders, and other interested lay persons seeking to better understand the Baptist tradition and its relation to the great tradition of “the historic Christian church.” Warmly recommended.

[Nathaniel Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really wonderful book. Emerson and Stamps have succeeded in providing a clear and accessible primer to Baptist faith & practice. They persuasively show that the Baptist vision is not sectarian, but a renewal movement within one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. They present Baptist distinctives with a unity and coherence that will help readers truly understand what it means to Baptist as opposed to simply being baptistic. Part three discusses the practices of holiness, worship, and mission. For my money, the chapter on worship is worth the price of the book.

In 1881 John Broadus argued in a short 35 page pamphlet that Baptists have a duty to teach Baptist distinctives. Emerson and Stamps have faithfully achieved this for a new generation of Baptists. It will serve as a valuable resource for pastors and is accessible to every member in the pew.

I highly commend it!

[Jeremy Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes me thankful for both the Reformed resurgence and the retrieval of Classical Theology. A book like this couldn't have been written 20 years ago. Southern Baptists especially have come a long way from where it was in the early 2000s and previously.

At times, the authors present a consensus Baptist vision while at other times they present their own vision of Baptists (contrast the chapter on covenantal hermeneutics with the chapter on covenantal communion). The book would have been better if the authors chose one or the other.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would read through with this with elders at any baptistic congregationalist church. In an era where most Christians are not aware of their history, anyone who is a baptistic congregationalist would benefit from this work. The authors make a theologically and logically consistent case for faith and practice for a believers' church on topics like Bible reading, the ordinances, holiness, and missions.

[Pat Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought this was a really nice, clear, concise offering explaining baptists distinctions. The book was both somewhat apologetic, yet also catholic, in nature. I would certainly start with “The Baptist Tradition” for a brief story of the baptists, but then go a little deeper into “Baptists and the Christian Tradition“, which is a little deeper dive.

“Take up and Read” - Saint Augustine

[Josh Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve loved this book! Get this to every Baptist or Baptistic church in America!

Seriously though, these were very helpful rehashes through the historical and Biblical justifications of the Baptist faith. One that is often overlooked and demeaned by other traditions, and undervalued for baptists whom inherited the theology.

This book is very readable and helpful. Highly recommend.

[Trevor Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really helpful summary of the Baptist vision and its coherence.