1 The Baptist Way: Distinctives of a Baptist Church. By R. Stanton Norman. Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 2005, vii + 212 pp., $16.99 paper. -- Reviewed by J. D. Payne, National Missionary, North American Mission Board and Director, Church Planting Center and Associate Professor of Church Planting and Evangelism, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville Kentucky. Within the Church, ecclesiology is now a hot issue for the early twenty-first century. As the Church wrestles with matters related to cultural and moral shifts, Kingdom expansion, and the attempt to maintain a biblical response to the question, What is the Church?, Norman s work has arrived at just the right moment. The author serves as director for the Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry and as Associate Professor of Theology at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. This work is actually the second phase of Norman s writings on Baptist disctinctives. Following his publication of More Than Just a Name: Preserving Our Baptist Identity, where he examined historical writings on Baptist distinctives, The Baptist Way is an attempt to identify and describe the distinctive traits of Baptists and thus is more prescriptive than descriptive in nature (9). The author is quick to note that this work has three limitations. First, since the focus of the work is on the theological tenants that have been historically regarded as Baptist characteristics, this book is not a full-fledged ecclesiology (10). Second, though the work does contain numerous citations from scholarly sources, Norman confesses that he has written this work for the Church and not the academy. He readily admits that his book is more of a primer than a detailed analysis. Finally, though this work will appeal to a wide audience, Norman
2 notes that his primary audience are those individuals affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The heart of this work consists of eight chapters, each addressing a clear distinctive of Baptist churches. Though Norman notes that other Churches will find some agreement with many of these eight distinctives, he particularly attempts to address how each of these beliefs are uniquely Baptist. For him, To misrepresent or modify the tenets that historically have distinguished the Baptists is to belittle the labor and sacrifice of those who have preceded us. In addition, to redefine the essence of our Baptist identity destroys the foundation of the association of our Baptist churches (9). In chapter one, he discusses the tenant of biblical authority. Here he explains the different sources for religious authority that can be found in a variety of non-christian and Christian circles. For Baptists, the Scriptures are supposed to stand above Church tradition and human wisdom as the source of authority. Chapter two addresses the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Here Norman examines the heritage of the sovereignty of Christ and its relationship upon Baptist ecclesiology. Chapter three explains the belief of a regenerate church membership. Norman shows the connection between this biblical teaching and believer s baptism. Chapter four addresses church discipline. The occasion, procedure, and purpose for discipline are discussed. Chapter five is dedicated to congregational polity, the way a local church organizes and administrates its ministries in the quest of its mission (85). Norman explains what is meant by the fact that a Baptist church is democratic, and the connection between the priesthood of the believer and local church autonomy and pastoral leadership. The unique contribution of
3 chapter six, Related Church Concerns, is Norman s explanation of the local church covenant in Baptist identity. Chapter seven examines the two ordinances of a Baptist church, baptism and the Lord s Supper. Finally, chapter eight addresses religious liberty and its connection with soul competency, the belief that people have an inalienable right of direct access to God. There are several strengths to this work, but space will only allow for me to list a few. First, this work offers an excellent overview of what it has historically meant to be a Baptist. It is indeed a primer to Baptist distinctives. One is pressed to find another easyto-read, yet, concise work that offers both quantity and substance related to the Baptist heritage. Second, Norman offers clear biblical evidence for each of the Baptist distinctives. He shows that historically Baptists have believed as they do because of certain biblical prescriptions rather than Church tradition or human speculation. Third, he attempts to show the communal nature of the ekklesia, and how the practice of contemporary radical individualism in our churches is contrary to the Scriptures. Fourth, and closely related to the aforementioned strength, is the fact that Norman shows how the belief in the priesthood of all Christians is connected to ecclesiology and to be practiced primarily in the context of the Body of Christ, rather than as an excuse for not being faithful to one s local church membership. Despite the numerous strengths of this work, there were a couple of limitations. First, in Norman s attempt to show the Baptist connection to the New Testament for authority, he appears to de-emphasize the value of the Old Testament to a negative degree. He states, The New Testament is for Baptists the sole authority and preeminent
4 standard. This conviction serves as the essential distinctive for our theological identity. The ultimate test for any teaching in Christianity is its agreement with the revelation of the New Testament because in it Christ s authority is most clearly revealed (25). Granted, the New Testament has more information regarding ecclesiological issues, but the reader must not forget that a healthy New Testament theology can only be constructed upon the foundation of a healthy Old Testament theology. A theology professor may assume this latter statement, but the non-theologically trained reader will probably fail to see the connection. Second, in his chapter on religious freedom, Norman fails to discuss the biblical paradigm for lasting societal transformation, preaching the gospel to unbelievers. Rather, he emphasizes three prominent Baptist leaders in colonial America (John Clarke, Isaac Backus, John Leland) and their approaches to fighting for religious liberty. The methods of these men were labeled as three models for cultural engagement. Though he shows how historically Baptists have stood up for their rights and religious liberty (and should continue to do so), readers need to be reminded that the weight of the biblical evidence is upon the Church taking the gospel of the Kingdom to unbelievers for enduring societal transformation. Evangelism is the primary political activity for cultural engagement and lasting transformation. I believe that his overemphasis for a Backus-Leland approach has the strong tendency to sidetrack many contemporary Baptists with the politics of the kingdom of the United States, believing that the common U. S. political action methodology offers a more excellent way to transform society.
5 I highly recommend this work to those interested in Baptists distinctives. It will appeal to both the theologically and non-theologically trained. Norman has written an excellent work that will be of value to many, and the Southern Baptist Convention in particular. I plan to recommend his work to my students. This review first appeared in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 49 #4 (December 2006): 881-883.