Religious developments in the latter part of the Seventeenth Century form a neglected phase of English history. This may be due in part to the feeling that the people of this period were not greatly concerned with religion. In 1947 G.M. Trevelyan held that "after 1660, the reaction against Puritanism took the form not of Anglican devotionalism, but of indifference to religion." In 1950 G.R. Cragg maintained that the general works on the religious developments from 1660 to 1700 were old and that very few could claim to be satisfactory. Cragg wrote concerning the changes in thought within the Anglican Movement, whereas this is a study of the developments in the Baptist Movement as reflected in the work and thought of Benjamin Keach. The first section of this introduction gives a statement of the purpose of this study, the method of procedure used in the acquisition and presentation of the material, and the scope of this dissertation. It is the purpose of this study (1) to give an analytical survey of the Baptist Movement from 1612 to 1640 which serves as a background; (2) to show the development of Keach in his relation to the Baptist Movement from 1640 to 1689; (3) to present Keach as a pioneer and leader of the Baptist Movement from 1689 to 1704; and (4) to make a critical estimate of the work and thought of Benjamin Keach in the light of the Baptist Movement. Knowing the purpose, the next aspect is the method of procedure.

In the period 1800 to 1827 there were three streams of Baptists in Scotland: Scotch, Haldaneite and 'English' Baptists. Scotch Baptists were distinguishable by their belief in the plurality of elders and a desire for unanimity in doctrine and practice. Haldaneite Baptists were a network of churches that came into being, in the period 1808 to1810, after Robert and James Haldane adopted Baptist principles in 1808.1laldaneites, like the 'English' Baptists who had close ties to English Particular Baptists, normally held to a 'sole pastor and deacons' model of church leadership. A strong commitment to home evangelisation brought these three bodies closer together, leading to a merger of their home mission societies to form the Baptist Home Missionary Society for Scotland (B.H.M.S.). The B.H.M.S. was a marked success, with workers over much of rural Scotland, especially the Highlands and Islands, leading some Scottish Baptists to view the society as a 'Baptist Union' prior to 1869. The majority of Scottish Baptists, however, felt the need for a separate union of churches, but disagreement over the aims and objectives of a union led to three unsuccessful merger attempts. The first Baptist Union was an exclusively Calvinistic body, but it foundered due to personal conflict between its leaders. The second attempt, 1835 to 1842, attracted only a small proportion of churches, mainly small Highland congregations. The next Baptist Union, 1843 to 1856, began on an inclusive basis and prospered until 1847. Its leader, Francis Johnston, influenced by militant Morisonians, moved to an exclusive Arminian Union by 1850, excluding the majority of the churches. Failure was inevitable, and acknowledged as early as 1852. The successful union, formed in 1869, was preceded by an association of individual Baptists which rebuilt trust between the church leaders. The decisive factor, in the late I 860s, that ensured the completion of this vision, was the presence of a large number of ministers trained in Spurgeon's College, London. They had seen the success of the newly formed London Baptist Association and inspired their colleagues in Scotland to form a similarly practical and inclusive body. The 1869 Baptist Union prospered in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

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This dissertation examines the hymns of Particular Baptist hymn-writer, Anne Steele, as found in John Rippon's hymnal, A Selection of Hymns, from the Best Authors, including a Great Number of Originals; Intended to be an Appendix to Dr. Watts's Psalms and Hymns, first published in 1787. Through his Selection of Hymns, John Rippon disseminated the hymns of the golden age of Baptist and evangelical hymnody. By engaging in a theological analysis of the fifty-two hymns and Psalm paraphrases of Anne Steele included in the various editions of Rippon's phenomenally successful hymnal, this dissertation argues that Steele played a significant theological and spiritual role in British Baptist faith and life from the 1780s to the 1830s. Anne Steele's hymnody as mediated through Rippon's Selection of Hymns nurtured through song the revival in the English Particular Baptist community that occurred in the closing decades of the eighteenth century and continued through the first decades of the nineteenth century. Rippon's Selection of Hymns, a central vehicle of sung theology and piety in the Baptist context, especially within the revival and expansion of Particular Baptist faith and piety from the 1780s to the 1830s, met specific theological, pastoral, and devotional needs among the British Baptist community. Steele's inclusion in the Selection of Hymns was a key part of this influence and its impact on the person in the pew. Chapter 1 introduces the English Hymn and considers recent scholarship on Anne Steele and John Rippon's Selection of Hymns. Chapter 2 offers a biographical sketch of Steele. Chapter 3 examines the cultural and religious setting of both Anne Steele's hymns and Rippon's popular and successful hymnal. Chapter 4 considers Anne Steele's approach to her craft as a hymn-writer. Chapter 5 examines the fifty two hymns of Steele found in Rippon's hymnal, especially as they demonstrate the theology of the Second London Confession and illustrate the characteristics of Evangelicalism. Chapter 6 summarizes the picture of Steele that emerges from a consideration of her hymns in Rippon's hymnal and considers her influence on the revival of the Particular Baptist community.

Drawing on ethnographic research conducted with a Southern Baptist congregation in Atlanta, this thesis analyzes members’ experiences of becoming born-again Christians and their engagement with prayer to explore the affects that permeate the practice of developing a personal relationship with Jesus.

African American Baptist churches are not known as bastions of sexual equality. The dominance of males in the pulpit and the conservative and literal interpretation of the Bible often support this idea. African American women, however, were influential in building and expanding the role of the African American church as well as their role within the church, and they remain the greatest percentage of the congregation. African American women, particularly those with a high level of religious commitment, utilize their religious beliefs to construct their ideas of womanhood and those religious beliefs may be shaped by an underlying womanist ideology. This dissertation offers insight into understanding the tension between the perceived sexism in the African American church and women’s continued work in their congregations and utilization of their religious beliefs. Twenty women between the ages of 25 and 55 were encouraged to tell their stories about their experiences with religion in interviews. Each woman’s interview focused on her religious beliefs and church involvement past and present, how her beliefs and activities affected how she felt about herself, and her opinion of women’s influence in the church. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed for perceptions of self, inequality, power and a connection with womanism. In speaking to each woman could be found the tenets of womanism wrestling with conservative religious beliefs. Despite their church’s conservative environment, the participants attributed their positive self-regard to their faith. Strength, independence, leadership, independent thinking and being community minded were attributes these women sought to emulate and pass on to others. While the participants understood themselves to be equal to men and capable of wielding the power of influence, at the same time there is contentment with or tolerance for the current male dominant structure of their church. This is due to a belief in a hierarchical system of control at home and church, referred to as the ‘God-head hierarchy’. God controls all, man answers to God and woman answers to man. The complexity of womanhood shows as they try to negotiate and interpret their religious ideas with their personal experiences.

Thesis (D.Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes abstract and prospectus. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 153-162).

Project Thesis (D. Min.)--Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1991. / Appendix includes coursework pamphlets mounted on numbered leaves. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 179-196).

Thesis (D. Ed. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-122).