Baptists have been around for a long time in Canada. In fact the congregation where I currently pastor began thirty-four years before Confederation. Baptists in Canada: Their History and Polity tells that story.
The book gives a short history of Baptists in general, talking about where they came from and how they began. It includes some reflection on the relationship between the Baptists and Anabaptists. It also describes the split between the General Baptists and the Particular Baptists.
Although Baptists began in the Netherlands with English members, it soon spread across the world, including Canada. Not surprisingly, they first started in the Maritimes, with the oldest Baptist church in Canada being in Nova Scotia.
Baptists in Canada presents the attempts to build a Baptist presence before Canada became a nation. As Canada developed, so did the Baptists.
Unfortunately, much of the development of Baptists came through church splits. Numerous controversies arose and this often led to new groups of Baptists that sometimes merged and separated again.
This book tells the story of where Canadian Baptists were, where they are and hints of where they are going.
Even though I have been a Baptist for over twenty years, I still learned quite a bit. If you are interested in Baptists in general and Baptists in Canada in particular, this is a great resource.
