Baptists
and the Bible by L. Ron Bush and Tom J.
Nettles
We
are always hesitant to label
a book as a "must have". Too many books
that sit on the shelves of Christian book stores in
our day will not stand the test of the ages much less
the coming year. This is not one of those books. L.
Russ Bush and Tom J. Nettles have done a masterful
job of presenting the beliefs of Baptists from John
Smith in the 1600's to the present day. Truly, this
is a "must have" and will stand the test
of time.
Bush
and Nettles focus on the basic views various Baptists
held and how those views have effected the church.
There is also a good section of the many Baptist confessions
which have been written through the years. Chapter
17 is good companion to our own Distinctive/Confessions
section.
Their
concluding chapters are very helpful in understanding
what is really meant by literal interpretation of
Scripture. No Baptist, who is serious, about their
faith and heritage should be without Baptists and
the Bible. These words from the preface of the
1980 edition says it all:
"Baptists
have had their share of battles over the Word of God;
not all of then have ended yet. But when such "evil
befalls the faith," it seems appropriate to call
our Baptist leaders together to hear their wise counsel.
Our forefathers "being dead yet speak,"
and we shall do well to hear them." (p. xv)
Baptists
and the Bible (Broadman and Holman Publishers,
1999).
L.
Ron Bush - Academic Dean of Southeastern Baptist Theological
Seminary and professor of Christian Philosophy and
Apologetics.
Tom.
J. Nettles - Professor of Church History and Historical
Theology at The Southern Baptist
Theological
Seminary.
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The
Second London Baptist Confession
is "plain that the Scripture is incapable of error-
that is, it is infallible - because it is inspired by
God." (p.51)
"John
Bunyan
knew that the Bible, all the Bible,
must stand. He desired to throw some Scriptures away,
but the apostles appeared to him and said, 'All of our
words are truth, one of as much force as another' ...
I quaked at the apostles, I knew their words were true,
and that they must stand forever." (P. 74)
"Let
us stop
the beginnings of departure from the teaching of God's
Word." John
A. Broadus (p. 207)
"We
who believe
the Holy Scripture to be the inspired truth of God cannot
have fellowship with those who deny the authority from
which we deliver our teaching ... We go to our pulpits
to save a fallen race ... how can we profess brotherhood
with those deny the fall of man, and hold out to him
the hope of another probation after death?" Charles
Spurgeon (p. 225)
"Obedience
to this biblical statement (James 1:27), and others
like it, produces Spurgeon's orphanages, Wayland's opposition
to slavery, William's advocacy of the rights of Indians,
and multitudinous hospitals, nursing homes, rescue missions,
and emergency relief funds ... Obedience to the divine
Word of God demands it." (p. 420)
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