Why I Am a Baptist

by Clarence Larkin

Publisher:

American Baptist Publication Society

, 1902

Overview

Designed for young converts and those desiring to know the distinctive principles of the Baptists, this concise volume provides a short history of the Baptist denomination and provides key information on the doctrinal differences between Baptists and other Protestant denominations. Contents include:

• Origin of the Baptists
• History of the Baptists
• Standing and Number of the Baptists
• The Doctrines of the Church
• Baptism
• Baptisteries
• Infant Baptism
• The Lord's Supper
• The Church
• Baptism in the New Testament

Contents

Top Highlights

“Thomas Jefferson had much to do in shaping the government of Virginia, and of the United States. He was not a Baptist, but he was brought up in close relations to them; and about ten years before the Revolution, he attended, for several months, the meetings of a small Baptist church near Monticello, his country seat, and became much interested in their church government; and declared that it was the only true democracy existing in the world; and that he believed it would be the best plan of government for the American Colonies.” (Page 12)

“Christ had intended us to sprinkle, he would have used the Greek word ‘rantizo’; if to pour, the word ‘cheo.’” (Page 19)

“The little word ‘eis’ is a strange word. It will take a man into a country, into a city, into a house, into a ship, into hell, into heaven—into any place in the universe, except the water.’” (Page 20)

“Baptists do not believe that baptism is essential to salvation, for baptism is mentioned in the New Testament as distinct from the gospel of salvation.” (Page 23)

“John’s baptism was ‘unto repentance’; Christian baptism was ‘after repentance,’ and was in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Page 22)

Product Details

• Title: Why I Am a Baptist
• Author: Clarence Larkin
• Series: Clarence Larkin Collection
• Publisher: American Baptist Publication Society
• Publication Date: 1902
• Pages: 53

About Clarence Larkin

Rev. Clarence Larkin (1850–1924) was an American Baptist pastor, Bible teacher, and author whose writings on dispensationalism had a great impact on conservative Protestant visual culture in the 20th century. His intricate and influential charts provided readers with a visual strategy for mapping God's action in history and interpreting complex biblical prophecies. Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, Larkin experienced conversion at the age of nineteen. He received a college degree in mechanical engineering and had worked as a draftsman, a teacher of the blind, and a manufacturer, but felt called to ministry. After World War I broke out, God laid it on his heart to prepare a work on dispensational truth. Larkin spent three years of his life designing and drawing the charts and preparing the text. It was received to favorable acclaim both in the United States and abroad. During the last five years of his life, the demand for Larkin’s books made it necessary for him to give up his pastorate and devote his full time to writing. His other works include Rightly Dividing the Word; The Book of Daniel; Spirit World; Second Coming of Christ; and A Medicine Chest for Christian Practitioners, a Handbook on Evangelism.