The Search for a Common Identity

'The Search for a Common Identity' explores the process by which Scottish Baptists came to recognize the need for a union of Baptist churches in Scotland prior to 1869. This book identifies the major leaders in each of the three main Baptist streams in the early nineteenth century and shows how they came to the conviction that it was important for them to establish a common identity. At the heart of their unity was an enthusiasm for evangelism. The Baptist Home Missionary Society was formed in 1827. Its early successes demonstrated the wisdom of cooperation between the different Baptist agencies in Scotland. There had been three attempts to form a union of churches that failed because differences of perspective could not be reconciled. The principal achievement of the 1869 Baptist Union was in enabling Baptists with different theological opinions to come together to promote common practical objectives. In short, a shared sense of purpose led to the growth and establishment of the Baptist Union of Scotland. Thorough research has enabled Brian Talbot to lay bare how the Baptists in Scotland, few and divided in 1800, grew over seventy years into a sizable and united denomination. -- David Bebbington, University of Stirling Groundbreaking historical research is characterized by two things in particular: focused concentration on the primary sources and close attention to details. This new work by Brian Talbot on the origins of the Scottish Baptist Union has both in abundance. Moreover, in locating this important event in the larger framework of British Baptist history, he shows why this event is significant not only for Scottish Baptists but for others impacted by them in the British Isles and places further afield like Canada. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of Dissent in the British Isles. -- Michael Haykin, Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College Brian Talbot, by discovering much new material and reinterpreting what was known, sheds light on the struggle for union among Scottish Baptists before 1869, and convincingly challenges several assumptions. He deftly weaves together history, biography and theology and asserts the importance of the several varieties of Baptists in the life of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Scotland. -- Derek B. Murray, University of Edinburgh Brian R. Talbot is the minister of Cumbernauld Baptist Church in Scotland. He has written a number of articles on various aspects of Baptist history, most recently on the life of English Baptist minister John Saffery (1763-1825).