(Part 1)

JBTM Book Reviews
143
every pastor, church leader, and church member could benefit.
The volume has some undeniable strengths. The essays develop arguments in support
of key Baptist themes such as the importance of the local church, believer’s baptism, and
regenerate church membership. Also, the intended balance among biblical, systematic,
historical, and missional theology permits the book to address ecclesiology from various
perspectives, each of which sheds light on the topic in fresh and helpful ways.
Even so, the book suffers from some defects common to the anthology genre. The articles
vary in depth and quality, and sometimes there is overlap as different authors circle back to
shared themes. I am also not sure that the heavy emphasis on biblical theology leaves room
for a full statement of the other perspectives. What is more puzzling is the absence of several
issues of debate within Baptist (and especially Southern Baptist) circles. For example, there
is no discussion of the current debate on elder-led Baptist churches (versus a more direct
congregationalism). There are two brief mentions of elder-led churches, but no attempt is
made to show what this implies about current polity debates. Terms like congregationalism
and polity are mentioned only in the chapter on the history of the doctrine. Also, there is no
mention of what was, in my Baptist youth, one of the pillars of Baptist distinctiveness: the
autonomy of the local church. How the church relates to larger bodies (whether denomination,
convention, or association) is a matter of some significance. Despite brief mention in the
introduction, issues like the ordinances, ecumenism, and church discipline are discussed in
passing rather than in depth.
For some, the lack of any sustained discussion of eschatological views in the church
might be problematic as well. The millennium and millennial views are mentioned directly
only on a single page (189). Also, there is no discussion of the church’s role in the future.
For that reason, it seems there is a tilt toward amillennialism in the book, whether intended
or not. In addition, there is a consistent refrain in most chapters that the church replaces
Israel (see Wellum’s essay in particular). Although this is a nuanced supercessionism, it is
one nonetheless. This is, of course, a contested issue (and one with which I disagree). While
those conclusions do not necessarily detract from the book’s helpful insights, I suspect
this trajectory will make the book less useful or attractive to some readers. A slightly more
nuanced approach in a few places might have broadened its reach.
These criticisms do not mean the book is of no value, but they do suggest limits on its use
as a primary text on ecclesiology, even (or perhaps especially) within a Baptist context. Given
the dearth of emphasis on serious and thoughtful ecclesiology within evangelicalism, we
should welcome and value every contribution, even when we could hope for more. For those
willing to mine the book for the insights throughout, this is a helpful first step in growing our
understanding of and love for the church.
- Carl Sanders, Lancaster Bible College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania