A Catholic reformed theologian
Subtitle: federalism and Baptism in the thought of Benjamin Keach, 1640-1704
By: D.B. Riker ; foreword by Timothy George
Series: Studies in Baptist history and thought -- v. 35; Studies in Baptist history and thought -- v. 35.
Publisher: Paternoster; Authentic Media Word
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Milton Keynes; Colorado Springs
Language: eng
Number of pages: 257
ISBN-13: 9781842275979
Subjects: Criticism and interpretation; Baptists; Doctrines; History; Baptism; Covenant theology
Description: This study demonstrates that Benjamin Keach, the most important Baptist figure of the seventeenth century, was a catholic Reformed theologian. This is done by investigating his relationship with the tradition of the church, his interaction with federalism, and his concept of baptism. Dr Riker presents Keach, and thus the Baptist tradition, in a new way: not as a 'Calvinist' but as a part of the broad Reformed family. Secondly, believers' baptism, the rite from which the Baptists derive their name, is systematically scrutinized over against pedobaptism. In so doing, Riker presents every argument, strong or weak, that was used in the sixteenth and seventeenth-century debates, and their respective refutation by a Baptist.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.