Southern Baptists: A History of a Confessional People

Birthed in nineteenth century America, the Southern Baptist denomination formed over their objections to abolition, splitting from mainline Baptists during the time of slavery. While the Southern Baptist theology about slavery and human rights issues has changed as cultural and societal developments occurred, one thing that never changed was their zeal for evangelism. They eventually grew to become the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. In the last two decades of the twentieth century, a major controversy over resources and direction in the late twentieth century pitted conservative Baptists against moderates over the Civil Rights movement. Conservatives won the battle, and many moderates left the fold for greener pastures. This work fills a gap, presenting both sides of the history of this controversy. viewed as either a conservative renaissance or a fundamentalist takeover. Readers will understand from this how Southern Baptists work, think, grow, argue, and have changed over time. They have weathered the ups and downs of history to reveal an ever-growing heritage.