The Local Church of the New Testament
Years ago, Dr. Richard Clearwaters, the first President of Central Seminary, wrote a small book concerning church polity. His desire was to see rightly ordered churches operating in a way faithful to the New Testament pattern.
In 2001, the book was reformatted in order to assist in making the text more readable. Central Seminary is pleased to offer a free digital copy of the book for all who are interested. In order to receive your copy, please click here.
Baptist Distinctives
When people identify themselves with a label like "Lutheran," "Presbyterian," or "Baptist," they're really identifying themselves with a combination of convictions. The labels help distinguish one set of convictions from another. Dr. Kevin Bauder says, "Increasingly, church members display an astonishing lack of knowledge about just what Baptists believe." In Baptist Distinctives, he not only spells out the beliefs that make Baptists different from others, but also shows the biblical basis, discusses differences between Baptist groups, and explains how the Baptist distinctives affect believers' lives, especially their church life. If biblical Baptist convictions are worth holding, they're worth understanding and standing for. Read Baptist Distinctives for a contemporary look at Baptist beliefs and life.
Part One: The Baptist Distinctives
- The Authority of the New Testament
- Believer Baptism
- Pure Church Membership
- Individual Christian Responsibility
- Congregational Government
- Separation of Church and State
Part Two: New Testament Order
- Baptists and Organizations
- Church Councils
- Landmarkism
- Baptismal Regeneration
- Organizing a Baptist Church
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Heart, Soul, Might
To love God is the first and greatest commandment. Devotion and theology should never be separated. Our devotion is inescapably informed by our theology and our theology fails in its purpose unless it terminates in devotion. This is what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, and might.
When God's people know God deeply and love God rightly, they will be able to articulate and appreciate the gospel's importance for themselves and for others. This book, then, is an expression of Central Seminary's commitment to the church and to the gospel. The essays in this book are sent forth with the prayer that they will enrich the lives of God's people.
To help further the devotional life of the church, the faculty of Central Seminary has collaborated to produce a series of meditations on knowing and loving God. If you would be interested in receiving a copy of this book, please complete this order form and submit to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Five dollars is the suggested price.
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To download the PDF version of the book, please click here.
The Spectrum of Evangelicalism
Four View on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism compares and contrasts four distinct positions on the current fundamentalist-evangelical spectrum in light of the history of American fundamentalism and evangelicalism. The contributors each state their case for one of four views on the spectrum of evangelicalism: -Kevin T. Bauder: Fundamentalism -R. Albert Mohler Jr.: Conservative/confessional evangelicalism -John G. Stackhouse Jr.: Generic evangelicalism -Roger E. Olson: Postconservative evangelicalism Each author explains his position, which is critiqued by the other three authors. The interactive and fair-minded nature of the Counterpoints format allows the reader to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed, personal conclusions.
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