The Baptist Way: Distinctives of the Baptist Church

by R. Stanton Norman

Publisher:

B&H

, 2004

Overview

The greatest contribution of Baptists to orthodox Christianity may well be in the area of ecclesiology. From their earliest beginnings, Baptists have been thoroughly committed to planting and building churches that are completely faithful to the New Testament. At the dawn of a new millennium, Baptists must continue to follow biblical ideals so that Baptist churches will continue to the kingdom outposts for the next generation.

The Baptist Way serves as an introduction to the principles that distinguish Baptists from other Christians and offers ecclesiological distinctions of healthy Baptist churches. Some of these distinctions were once peculiarly Baptist ideas that are now more widely held among other groups. For Stan Norman, healthy Baptist churches intentionally and diligently adhere to their Baptist distinctives, and this book examines their importance.

Contents

Top Highlights

“Baptists assert that any perspective, practice, experience, or tradition that does not have biblical support or is not subordinated to biblical authority must be rejected.” (Page 12)

“Second, the authority of the Bible is independent.” (Page 22)

“Baptists do believe, however, that the Bible is its own best interpreter. We therefore reject the belief that any church council or ecclesiastical leader can claim to be the sole, authoritative interpreter of the revelation of God.” (Page 13)

“First, the Lord’s Supper is a proclamation of the gospel (1 Cor. 11:26)” (Page 147)

“Our distinctive theological identity as Baptists, however, is derived from the New Testament. As Baptists, we recognize the progressive nature of revelation. Progressive revelation is the belief that later revelation builds upon and expands previous revelation.” (Page 24)

Product Details

• Title: The Baptist Way: Distinctives of the Baptist Church
• Author: R. Stanton Norman
• Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 212

About R. Stanton Norman

R. Stanton Norman serves as director for the Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry. He also occupies the Cooperative Program Chair for SBC Studies and serves as Associate Professor of Theology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He resides in Mandeville, Louisiana.