For the Vindication of the Truth: Baptist Symbolics, Volume 1; A Brief Exposition of the First London Baptist Confession of Faith
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Overview
In this scrupulously researched and carefully argued book, Professor Renihan uncovers the faith that lies behind the most famous of the Particular Baptist confessions and shows why it matters today. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the roots of the Particular Baptist movement and the contribution it has made to the formation of Reformed theology. Crawford Gribben | Professor of Early Modern British History, Queen’s University Belfast.
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- Uncovers the faith behind the most famous Particular Baptist confessions
- Shows why this historical faith matters today
- Provides essential reading for understanding the roots of the Particular Baptist movement
- Foreword
- Introduction
- The Basics
- The Introduction: Article 1
- The Doctrine of God: Articles 2–6
- Scripture: Articles 7–8
- The Doctrine of Christ: Articles 9–20
- The Blessings of Salvation: Articles 21–32
- The Church: Articles 33–47
- The Civil Magistrate: Articles 48–52
- The Resurrection: Article 52 and Conclusion
- Appendix A: The Title Pages and Prefaces to the Editions of the First London Confession
- Appendix B: Heart Bleedings for Professors Abominations
- Appendix C: John Spilsbery’s Confession of Faith
- Appendix D: Robert Steed, A Plain Discovery of the Unrighteous Judge and False Accuser
- Appendix E: ‘BOUND TO KEEP THE FIRST DAY’: Covenant Theology, the Moral Law and the Sabbath among the first English Particular Baptists
- Appendix F: Covenant Theology in First London Confession
- Appendix G: An Examination of the Possible Influence of Menno Simons’ Foundation Book upon the Particular Baptist Confession of 1644
- Bibliography
- Scripture Index
Dr. James Renihan has produced a masterly commentary on the First London Baptist Confession of Faith. Anyone with an interest in Baptist history or theology will enjoy and benefit from this work. Dr. Renihan’s exposition of the text of the confession draws on his deep immersion in the theology and writings of Baptists and others of the time, but this volume provides far more than that: by exploring the sources used by the framers of the confession, as well as the different editions through which it passed, the reader is introduced to the historical context in which the Confession was produced, which in turn helps to understand it and its role in the development of Baptist life and thought in the seventeenth century. Dr. Renihan’s work is a most valuable contribution to the recovery of Baptist theology and heritage, so needed in our day.
—Robert Strivens | Pastor, Bradford on Avon Baptist Church
It is a happy combination that brings together Jim Renihan (one of the premier historians of seventeenth-century Baptists) and the First London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1644/46 (the warm and Christ-centered formal expression of the faith of seven young Particular Baptist Churches in London). The conjunction of Jim’s scholarship with this important document makes for an extremely insightful historical and theological investigation into the early history of Calvinistic Baptists. Renihan has provided us with an exposition of the 1644 Confession that explores its historical context, its confessional and literary sources, its delights as well as its deficiencies, its reception and its critics, its revisions, and its relationship to the later and fuller Second London Baptist Confession of 1677/1689. The appendices add to the historical value of the book and, with the body of the text, render the volume not only a study in historical theology but also a mini course in biblical and systematic theology. This study is worthy of the attention of all who are interested in Baptist history and theology. I highly recommend it.
—Terry A. Chrisope | Former Professor of History and Bible, Missouri Baptist University, Legacy Baptist Church of Northwest Arkansas
I have longed to see a critical exposition of the First London Confession of Faith in print, one that provides a detailed examination of the provenance, structure, theology, editions, and impact of this notable text. This is that! As I read through this new work by Professor Renihan, it was obvious that here was a scholar who had mastered this area of Baptist history, had long pondered the nooks and crannies of its terrain, and was able to compact all his study of this text within the scope of a monograph such as this. In sum: this is a fine work, one that is eminently judicious in its conclusions and, I trust, will be eminently useful for the people of God.
—Michael A. G. Haykin | Chair & Professor of Church History, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary