Why I Am a Baptist by Tom J. Nettles and Russell D. Moore

There have been a number of books by this name over the years. So what makes this new one so special? The answer might be found in its contributors. Some of those include Carl. F.H. Henry, Roger Nicole, R. Albert Mohler Jr., Geoffrey Thomas, Paige Patterson and many others in a veritable Who's Who of Baptists from around the world. But names are not enough to explain the value of Why I Am a Baptist.

Perhaps the power of this book is found in its theology. Issues such as believer's baptism, congregational church polity, and adherence to the innerancy of Scripture are dealt with by many of the contributors to this work. From Isaac Backus to Tom Elliff, four hundred years of Baptist thought on these subjects is presented in a succinct and easy to read format. But theology is not enough to explain the value of this book.

The real genius of Why I Am a Baptist is its personal nature. In chapter after chapter, Baptist from a number of backgrounds are allowed to share their personal journeys of faith. It may surprise some that Baptist have such an appreciation for non-Baptists. Fred Malone and Donald Whitney, for example, share their pilgrimage from Baptist to Presbyterian and back. Geoffrey Thomas expresses his deep gratitude to Martyn Lloyd Jones and the Puritans. Baptists are not the isolationists many want to make of us.

This is a book that is hard to explain because it has so many contributors. If you want to understand the heart of a Christian who has felt compelled to express that as a Baptist, read this book! Give it time and you may find yourself agreeing with A.T. Robertson, "Give a man an open bible, a conscience in good working order, and he will have a hard time to keep from being a Baptist."

Why I Am a Baptist by Tom J. Nettles and Russell D. Moore (Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001) paper, 257 pages.