How are Baptists distinctive as a Christian denomination? Canadian Baptists, confronted with the question of discovering a common identity from the welter of strands of influence that make up their heritage, may infer several answers from the essays in Memory and Hope. Focussing on Baptist history in central and western Canada, Memory and Hope discusses individuals, institutions and issues that have stirred Baptists in North America for two centuries, including confessionalism and eucharistic theology and fundamentalism vs. modernism. Recurring themes include the Baptist role in education in Canada, the establishment of new churches, overseas missions and social responsibility. Essayists also examine the powerful forces that have influenced Baptist history: immigration, theology and society. Studies of missionary Samuel Stearns Day, fundamentalists Aberhart, Maxwell and Shields and social gospellers Sharpe and Shaw illustrate the diversity of ideas and personalities that have shaped and been shaped by the Baptist Church. Memory and Hope is an important resource for the history of the Baptist Church in Canada. In the issues it raises on the role of churches in the twenty-first century, it will also make a significant contribution to the study of religion in general.

Baptists are a major group of Christians with a worldwide presence. Originating in the English Puritan-Separatist tradition of the 17th century, Baptists proliferated in North America, and through missionary work from England, Europe, and North America, they have established churches, associations, unions, missions, and alliances in virtually every country. They are among the most highly motivated evangelists of the Christian gospel, employing at present in excess of 7,000 domestic and overseas missionaries. Important characteristics of the Baptists across their history are: the authority of the Scriptures, individual accountability before God, the priority of religious experience, religious liberty, separation of church and state, congregational independence, and a concern for the social implications of the gospel. Baptists recognize a twofold ministry (deacons and pastors) or a threefold order (deacons, elders, pastors). Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Third Edition expands upon the second edition with an updated chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important events, doctrines, and the church founders, leaders, and other prominent figures who have made notable contributions.

With 110 million members worldwide, Baptists are surpassed only by Roman Catholic and Orthodox groups as the largest segment of Christians. The term 'Baptist' has its origins with the Anabaptists, the denomination historically linked to the English Separatist movement of the 16th century. Although Baptist churches are located throughout the world, the largest group of Baptists lives in the Southern United States, and the Baptist faith has historically exerted a powerful influence in that region of the country. The A to Z of the Baptists relates the history of the Baptist Church through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important events, doctrines, and the church founders, leaders, and other prominent figures who have made notable contributions. This volume commemorates the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Baptist movement in 1609.

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