Ebook
How did the gospel survive in an age fraught with rationalism and High Calvinist theology that frowned upon preaching salvation to all? What shifts in preaching were evident that could have signaled that the preaching of the day was straying from the heritage of the past? Who was Benjamin Wallin and why should this once-famous but now-forgotten preacher be studied yet again? Benjamin Wallin seeks to answer these questions as it reintroduces the modern reader to this remarkable Particular Baptist preacher who remained steadfast in his insistence that the gospel be preached to all.
“Studies on the eighteenth-century Particular Baptist community have tended to focus on a few individual figures, such as John Gill, and interpreted that world through the eyes of these figures. As this fresh and original study of the London Baptist Benjamin Wallin reveals, that is a capital mistake. Joshua Cook ensures that Wallin, an industrious author, is cited in future monograph studies on the world of the British Particular Baptists. A fine study of a neglected figure.”
—Michael A. G. Haykin, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“I owe Joshua Cook a debt of gratitude for introducing me to Benjamin Wallin. This work has warmed my heart, challenged my mind, encouraged my preaching, and stirred my soul. The clear, gentle way that this steadfast evangelical pastor taught his congregation and engaged others is a masterclass in pastoral leadership, theological clarity, and Christian charity. Wallin’s example is as desperately needed in the twenty-first century as it was in the eighteenth.”
—Hershael W. York, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Joshua Cook writes an informative and enjoyable biography that acquaints the reader with a Baptist minister relatively unknown to us. This work serves well the student of history, the scholar, and everyone in between, providing a broad and compelling picture of Benjamin Wallin’s life and ministry while also assessing critically his teaching, preaching style, and positions on some of the important issues of his day.”
—Ryan Hanley, University of the Cumberlands
“Joshua Cook provides an equal parts historical and theological analysis of Benjamin Wallin, the most comprehensive and complete to date. His quality and pace of writing serve to showcase the eighteenth-century Baptist’s twin emphases on divine sovereignty and the free offer of the gospel in salvation, motivating the confident and promiscuous spread of the good news of Jesus Christ to all.”
—Andrew S. Ballitch, pastor of preaching and ministries, Westwood Alliance Church
Joshua Cook is the senior pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church (LC-MS) in Louisville, Kentucky. He has combined his interests in Reformation history and homiletics to study influential-but-forgotten preachers of the past. He holds a PhD in Christian preaching from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.