The stories of the women have often stayed in the shadows of Canadian Baptist history. The writers of this book have sought out neglected primary source materials to reveal the lives and work of an array of Baptist women in Canada's history. Read here about the Acadian Mary Lore hungrily reading her French Bible and welcoming the message of Baptist missionaries in Lower Canada, Jane Gilmour leaving her home in Britain to minister with her husband in Montreal and the wilds of Upper Canada, a group of remarkable black Baptist women in southern Ontario in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Isabel Crawford from Niagara becoming an advocate for the Kiowa people of Oklahoma, Miriam Ross from Nova Scotia ministering in the Congo, Lois Tupper, pioneer female Baptist theological educator, and, more generally, the work of Baptist women in the Maritimes in the nineteenth century and western Canada in the first half of the twentieth century. Empowered by their Baptist faith, these Canadian women did remarkable things, and their stories deserve to be told and read.

Baptists arrived in what would become Canada in the mid-eighteenth century, and from those early arrivals Baptists from a wide variety of backgrounds planted churches in every region of the vast nation. This book traces that history of Baptists in Canada, and provides historical antecedents and theological rationales for their church polity. Written in a generous spirit, it recognizes what Baptists share with other Christian communities and how they differ among themselves on some matters. It places Baptists in Canada in the larger historical and global context, and concludes with commentary on opportunities and challenges ahead.

Courage and Hope: The Stories of Ten Baptist Women Ministers is a collection of essays about Baptist women who have each served in the ministry for over thirty years. Among these women are pastors, church staff members, missionaries, mission organization leaders, and professors. Many of the stories were written by the women, and each story offers insight into its subject's calling, ministry experiences, obstacles, and the mentors and encouragers who supported her.

ÒIn this age of hi-tech, impersonal living, our individual identities are in danger of being submerged and our collective past is easily forgotten. History is therefore more important now than it has been in any previous time. It is a corrective that insists we are not defined as a number in a data bank, but as people who have lived in relation to time and circumstances. Our roots lie not in a code but in interactions with other people and in the flow of daily events. ÒCanadian Baptists have eagerly awaited the day that someone would produce a comprehensive, candid and faithful report of who we are and what major events helped shape our identity. This book can only strengthen Canadian Baptist relationships, as it brings to mind our common or similar beginnings. ÒThe author of this history, Dr. Harry A. Renfree, has done us an immense service by giving us a history worth reflecting upon and one which ought to spur us on to glorify God in His church's mission. Well qualified to share his gifts as writer and interpreter, Dr. Renfree is a Canadian Baptist who has given lifelong leadership in the cause of Christ in this country. ÒMy hope is that the readers of this book will come to understand how Canadian Baptists have sought to serve Christ throughout their history and right up to the present day. May God's leading in this historic endeavour cause us to grieve over the errors of the past, to rejoice in the grace of God that has marked our joyful times and to firmly resolve to go forth in this day in our land to honour the Baptist name through true humility and servanthood.--R. C. CoffinGeneral SecretaryÐTreasurerCanadian Baptist Federation

Celebrated religious and social historian Rodney Starktraces the extraordinary rise of Christianity through its most pivotal andcontroversial moments to offer fresh perspective on the history of the world’slargest religion. In The Triumph of Christianity, the author of God’sBattalions and The Rise of Christianity gathers and refines decadesof powerful research and discovery into one concentrated, concise, and highlyreadable volume that explores Christianity’s most crucial episodes. The uniqueformat of Triumph of Christianity allows Stark to avoid densechronologies and difficult back stories, bringing readers right to the heart ofChristian history’s most vital controversies and enduring lessons.

As long as there have been Baptists in America, there have been female Baptist ministers and preachers. Unfortunately, some Baptist denominations have not always been kind to these women. Due to theological debate, often the existence of these female ministers has been ignored, and their words have nor been recorded. This book of sermons seeks to record the words, insights, and experiences of several women ministers and preachers so as not to become part of the lost generations of women who have gone before them. Even when the denomination and some churches have looked unfavorably on women preachers and ministers, God has consistently called their daughters to ministry and service. It is hoped that others can be inspired by die wisdom and creativity of these women and be challenged by fresh perspectives on biblical texts. The women who contributed sermons to this book represent a wide variety of ministerial roles and vocations. Among the writers are denominational leaders such as Carolyn Weatherford Crumpler (former executive director of Woman's Missionary Union and former moderator or the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship), Pamela Durso (executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry), and Colleen Burroughs (executive vice president of Passport Camps, Inc.). College and seminary professors include Helen Lee Turner (Furman University), Libby Bellinger (Baylor University), and Tracy Hartman (Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond). Pastors include Mimi Walker (Druid Mills Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia) and Sarah Jackson Shelton (Baptist Church of the Covenant, Birmingham, Alabama). Book jacket.

A fundamental and well-illustrated reference collection for anyone interested in the role of women in North American religious life.