Select Works of Isaac Backus (9 vols.)
Overview
Considered part of the “pulpit of the American Revolution,” and a leading advocate of the separation of church and state in Revolutionary-era America, Baptist pastor Isaac Backus was a pillar of early American evangelical thought. His works such as Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty and Government and Liberty Described and Ecclesiastical Tyranny Exposed open a valuable window into early America and the development of the ideals of religious liberty. Also an important historian, Backus wrote on the rise of Baptists in New England religious traditions. This collection samples a variety of his writings with treatises, histories, and theological works, along with a memoir of his life by Alvah Hovey.
In the Logos edition, the Select Works of Isaac Backus is enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
Continue your study—check out more classic Baptist works from Dan Taylor and Benjamin Keach.
The two volumes of A History of New England will be downloaded as a single resource.
Key Features
- Samples the writings of American Baptist pastor Isaac Backus
- Sheds light on early American Separatist church movements
- Examines New England religious history
- Includes a biography of Backus
Product Details
- Title: Select Works of Isaac Backus
- Author: Isaac Backus
- Volumes: 9
- Pages: 1,955
- Christian Group: Baptist
- Resource Type: Topical; Histories
- Topic: Theology; United States History
Partially includedReviews
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Michael Lyman
10/13/2016
Backus’s Crusade ~ From the "On This Day" devotional. October 14 George Whitefield had just finished preaching in Norwich, Connecticut, when a young man stepped up to shake his hand. Isaac Backus, heir of a family fortune, had been deeply moved, and he soon gave his life to Christ, was baptized, and became a pastor, church planter, and Baptist evangelist. As a home missionary, Backus made over 900 trips in colonial America, covering over 68,000 miles on horseback. He is best known, however, as a champion of religious liberty. From the beginning of his ministry, Backus fought doggedly for separation of church and state in the American colonies. When he entered his ministry, a tax in Massachusetts supported the “state church”—the Congregational Church in New England. Backus refused to pay it, was imprisoned, and when released, mounted a tireless campaign to abolish the state-supported church system. In 1774, when the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, Backus was there, lobbying the representatives. On October 14, 1774 he and his fellow ministers arranged a meeting with the Massachusetts representatives to the Congress and presented a petition requesting full religious liberty. The politicians were irritated. John Adams insisted that taxes collected to support the Congregational Church did not impinge on the freedom of other religious groups, and he ended the four-hour meeting saying, “Gentlemen, if you mean to try to effect a change in Massachusetts laws respecting religion, you may as well attempt to change the course of the sun in the heavens!” Backus determined to take his petition to John Hancock, then before the entire Continental Congress, but John Adams was always working to frustrate his efforts. Yet his ideas took root, and 27 years after Backus’s death, the last state church in Massachusetts was finally disestablished. More than any other man, Isaac Backus is credited with formulating and publicizing the evangelical position of church and state that ultimately prevailed in America.
