Baptist Political Theology

Religious liberty was not invented in Philadelphia. That argument was made in 1612, one hundred seventy-nine years before the First Amendment was ratified in 1791. And the man who made it died in an English prison for making it. His name was Thomas Helwys. If that name means nothing to you, consider this: some of the most consequential ideas in American political life did not come from politicians at all. They came from Baptists.

That is the story this book tells. If you have followed our Political Theology series, you already know that Christians cannot avoid politics. The only question before us is whether we will think about politics biblically, historically, and theologically. That is precisely why Baptist Political Theology matters, and why it matters right now.

Understand what this book is not. It is not a devotional, and it is not a partisan manifesto. Edited by Thomas Kidd, Paul Miller, and Andrew Walker, it is nearly eight hundred pages in which leading Baptist historians, theologians, and ethicists trace Baptist political thought from the Reformation to the present moment.

The structure of the volume is itself an argument. The first half is history: Thomas Helwys, Roger Williams, John Leland, Isaac Backus, Andrew Fuller, Carl F. H. Henry, Martin Luther King Jr., and many others. The book tells the truth about Baptist failure as well as Baptist faithfulness. The chapters on slavery, segregation, and the Civil War pull no punches, and the account of the Christian Right is candid about both its achievements and its abuses.

The second half turns to our own moment and asks the urgent question. How should Baptist convictions shape Christian public engagement now? These essays take up natural law, religious liberty, bioethics, sexuality and gender, environmental stewardship, political economy, just war, and Baptist identity in an increasingly post-Christian culture.

Here is what I found most valuable. This book refuses simplistic answers. The contributors do not agree with one another at every point, but they share a common commitment: political engagement must be grounded in biblical theology rather than partisan instinct. The reader is summoned to think, not merely to react to the latest news cycle.

But a caution is in order. This is not an introductory work. Some chapters assume a substantial background in history and theology, which means the volume is best suited to pastors, seminary students, and serious lay readers rather than to someone coming to political theology for the first time.

If you want to understand why Baptists have mattered in the public square, and why they still do, this is the book to read. I expect it will remain the standard Baptist reference on political theology for years to come.

Publisher's Overview

Baptist ideals like the separation of church and state have indelibly shaped Western democracies, and Baptist thinkers continue to influence public policy and political engagement today. Yet the historical contours, enduring commitments, and current contributions of Baptist political thought are little understood. 

Baptist Political Theology, edited by scholars Thomas Kidd, Paul Miller, and Andrew Walker, introduces readers to the full sweep of Baptist engagement with politics. Part 1 reviews the life, writings, and political activity of important figures in Baptist history, as well as Baptist involvement in key historical eras and episodes. Part 2 presents a collective effort at applied political theology, with essays relating Baptist principles to a range of contemporary issues. This monumental volume sheds light on the history and contemporary practice of Baptists in the public square, offering context and clarity for Baptist political thought in the years to come.

Table of Contents

Introduction – by Thomas S. Kidd, Paul D. Miller, and Andrew T. Walker

Part One
1. The Reformation and Early Development of Baptist Political Theology – Dustin Bruce
2. British Baptist Origins: From Thomas Helwys to Andrew Fuller – Michael A. G. Haykin
3. Roger Williams – James Calvin Davis
4. The Baptists and John Locke – Malcolm Yarnell
5. Baptists and the American Revolution – Kristina Benham and Thomas S. Kidd
6. John Leland – Casey Hough
7. Isaac Backus – Brandon J. O'Brien
8. Baptist Theology and Politics in the Early Nineteenth Century – Tom J. Nettles
9. “They That Wait”: Baptists, Slavery, and Segregation – Eric M. Washington
10. Baptists and the Civil War – Gregory A. Wills
11. Progressive Baptists: The Activist Faith of Walter Rauschenbusch, Henlee Barnette, and James Dunn – Aaron Douglas Weaver
12. The African American Baptist Tradition – Kenneth Reid
13. The Political Theology of Martin Luther King Jr. – Daniel Lee Hill
14. Carl F. H. Henry – Jason G. Duesing and Jesse M. Payne
15. Contemporary Baptist Political Theology: Billy Graham, Charles Colson, Richard Land, Albert Mohler, Russell Moore, and Jonathan Leeman – Cory D. Higdon
16. The Christian Right: From Reagan to Trump – Nathan A. Finn
17. Baptist Witness in a Post-Christian Culture – Karen Swallow Prior

Part Two
18. Baptists in Babylon: On the Role of Politics in Modern Baptist Life – Jonathan Leeman
19. The Natural Law Tradition and Baptist Public Ethics – Andrew T. Walker
20. Baptists and the Contemporary Challenge to Religious Liberty – R. Albert Mohler Jr.
21. Baptist Perspectives on Bioethics and Human Dignity – C. Ben Mitchell
22. Sexuality and Gender in Baptist Perspective – J. Alan Branch
23. Stewardship and Environmentalism – Andrew Spencer
24. The Necessity of Humility in Determining the Connection between Political Economy and Neighbor Love: Reflections on Baptist Political Economy – Hunter Baker
25. Just War and Baptist Political Theology – Paul D. Miller
26. Baptists and American Evangelical Identity – Barry Hankins