Building on a Common Foundation

Those who are in danger of losing their memory struggle to make sense of the present or find direction for the future. Brian Talbot's many-sided and admirably researched history of the 150 years of the Baptist Union of Scotland will be an invaluable resource, enabling Baptists in Scotland to reinforce or recover their collective memory, and hence to discern with more profound wisdom the leading of God for mission in the years that lie ahead. --Brian Stanley, University of Edinburgh Brian Talbot's book is impressive. He tells the story of the Baptist Union against the background of national events and the changing face of Christian Scotland. As always he has mastered the sources, and by carefully selecting details he brings to life the history of our Baptist people. --Derek Murray, author of The First Hundred Years: The Baptist Union of Scotland The best movements tell their story often and tell their story well. The Baptist churches in Scotland are privileged to have Brian Talbot as a leading storyteller, highlighting the work of God's Spirit in our movement through many generations and causing us to reflect on what faithful discipleship and Christ-centered church means for us today. --Martin Hodson, General Director, Baptist Union of Scotland For many, Scottish history is Presbyterian history. But, as Brian Talbot ably shows, in the past century and a half there has been a rich tradition of Baptist life in Scotland, marked by a deep piety, love for the Scriptures, catholicity, and missionary zeal. But Dr. Talbot does not shy away from the challenges of Scottish Baptist life and he has thus given us a denominational history that has rich lessons, both positive and negative, for Baptists, indeed Christians worldwide. --Michael A. G. Haykin, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary