Thoughtful Christianity

Baptists in the nineteenth century grew from a small, struggling denomination to the second-largest Protestant denomination in America. They constructed conventions, schools, churches, and benevolent works. American Baptists transformed from cultural outsiders to insiders. Despite this growth in size, organization, and influence, there is surprisingly few attempts to understand them historically. This is even more true for Northern Baptists as opposed to their Southern counterparts, despite the fact that Northern Baptists, in many respects, were the theological leaders of the denomination. This raises questions about what their theology was, what it was rooted in, and how well it could handle the surplus of challenges that nineteenth-century religion threw at it. Chief among these were the challenges toward biblical and theological authority. Perhaps the brightest star of the Northern Baptist constellation, and doubtless the most well-connected, was Alvah Hovey from Newton Theological Institute in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. This book, the first book-length treatment of this Baptist giant since Hovey’s son published a biography in 1929, chronicles Hovey’s life and career focusing on how he coped with the challenges of biblical criticism and a rapidly changing theological context. Hovey produced a theology he understood as thoughtful Christianity.

"The next revival must be an awakening in the intellect of Christians ready to mark the life of the church and of the broader society with a thoughtful faith." Thoughtful Christianity provides a guide to Christian faith that honors tradition while embracing modern thought and valuing critical reflection. Daniel examines the extreme polarization of Christianity in the last century and argues that American Christians are in need of an awakening of the mind. He suggests a way of life that includes commitment to education, high value placed on curiosity, and instruction from "those with the courage to be corrected." Divided into three parts, the book explores how science can inform faith, the marks of a thoughtful life, and some suggestions for living a thoughtful life. Daniel shows us how we can move forward, unbound by labels, to know and serve God better.

Respected scholars provide thorough yet accessible answers to the deep spiritual questions that most often challenge one's faith and the ability to share it with others.

How to love God with your heart, soul, and mind. Christians are surrounded by differing voices and opinions. How can you be grounded? How can you be sure you think Christianly? In What Does It Mean to be a Thoughtful Christian?, David S. Dockery argues that Christians must be intentional about their thought life. Thoughtful Christians follow guidance from the Bible, possess a consistent worldview, listen to voices of the past, engage with the world, and prioritize faithful community and character development. Learn how thinking well and thinking Christianly is what you, your church, and your culture needs. The Questions for Restless Minds series applies God's word to today's issues. Each short book faces tough questions honestly and clearly, so you can think wisely, act with conviction, and become more like Christ.

The assumption in much of the church is that theology is an obstacle to a vital, growing faith, not an aid to it. Saying that theology is for everyday and every person, this work talks about how a living, thoughtful faith and learning to think about God can launch your faith and make it powerful and alive.

The purpose of this book is to describe a fact and reflect upon it theologically. The fact is, there are thousands of people who believe solely in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior but who have no plans to be baptized or to join the local church. Churchless Christianity is based on research from the early 1980s among non-baptized believers in Christ in Tamil Nadu, India. This revised edition includes all the original text plus five additional chapters and a new foreword.