Seminary Hill Press releases 40th anniversary edition of ‘Baptists and the Bible’

A 40th anniversary edition of Baptists and the Bible, a scholarly work that proved Baptists’ historical commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture as Southern Baptists passionately debated the issue, has been published by Seminary Hill Press, the publishing arm of The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The book was authored by Southwestern alumni and then-faculty L. Russ Bush and Tom J. Nettles.

“Few books stand the test of time. Baptists and the Bible is that rare kind of work that has not only stood the test of time, but is as relevant today as the day it first appeared in 1980,” says Southwestern Seminary President Adam W. Greenway in the book’s foreword. “Indeed, it might be argued that this classic in scholarship by Tom J. Nettles and the late L. Russ Bush about the total truthfulness, inerrancy, inspiration, and authority of God’s Word is even more relevant in 2020 as these matters again find debate amongst some evangelicals.”

This new edition is the first entry in the Legacy Series of Seminary Hill Press, which features historic content of enduring significance to Southwestern Seminary with the goal of edifying Southern Baptists and other faithful Christians today.

The main text of the book is drawn from the 1999 edition, with minor changes to reflect SHP style. New material for the 40th anniversary edition includes Greenway’s foreword, a new preface by Nettles, and tributes to both of the authors. In addition, Nettles authored a new section addressing the 2000 edition of the Baptist Faith and Message.

L. Russ Bush (1944-2008) was a noted professor, philosopher, apologist, and author, who most recently served as academic dean at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Tom J. Nettles is senior professor of historical theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Both earned their Master of Divinity and Ph.D. degrees from Southwestern Seminary and then served for a time on Southwestern’s faculty.

Bush and Nettles write in the book’s introduction, “Historically, Baptists have built their theology from a solid foundation. Holy Scripture was taken to be God’s infallible revelation in words. What God said, Baptists believed. … Scripture has been the cornerstone, the common ground, the point of unity.

“With assurance that God’s blessing will fall on the one who not only reads the Bible but also believes it, and with a prayer that this volume may contribute to that end, the authors send it forth to lift up that preacher who stands to proclaim the Word of God, to encourage that theologian who humbly bows before the Word of God, and to challenge that critic who scoffs at the Word of God.”

In his foreword, Greenway notes that this book was “born out of” the authors’ “special friendship as well as a deep concern for the Southern Baptist Convention and other Christian communions who were failing to appreciate and defend the inspiration and authority of the Bible.”

He continues, “The depth and breadth of the research painstakingly carried out by Bush and Nettles convincingly answered critics who questioned the legitimacy of inerrancy as a theological commitment common among Baptists. There can be little doubt that Baptists and the Bible was the critical intellectual foundation for those who would eventually prevail in the SBC’s long-fought battle for the Bible now remembered as the Conservative Resurgence.”

John D. Wilsey, associate professor of church history at Southern Seminary, was among Bush’s final Ph.D. students before Bush’s death. In his tribute to Bush in the book, Wilsey writes that his former mentor “was masterful at showing the deep connection between the saints who have died with the saints who are alive today. Those who once struggled, suffered, and failed were once like us, but now they behold the face of Christ. We struggle, suffer, and fail today, but one day, we will be like them in the presence of the Savior. We learn humility as we remember the words of the medieval motif of the memento mori—‘as you are now, I once was. As I am now, you will one day be.’ We also learn that we are not the only Christians in space and time—we have spiritual fellowship in Christ with generations of saints who have gone before us, and we will hand down the Christian faith and tradition to those who come after us, those who are even yet unborn.”

A tribute to Nettles is also included, authored by Gregory A. Wills, research professor of church history and Baptist heritage and director of the B.H. Carroll Center for Baptist Heritage and Mission at Southwestern Seminary. He writes that Nettles “is one the finest scholars Baptists have ever produced. His teaching has endeared him to the thousands of students who profited from his insight, conviction, and authenticity in the classroom. His dozens of books and articles published have carefully explained and winsomely advanced orthodox evangelical Baptist convictions.”

Of the significance of Baptists and the Bible, Wills writes that the “careful scholarship” of the work “played a critical role in the success of the movement to establish belief in the Bible’s inerrancy as a requirement for all seminary professors. It played a critical role in preventing the Southern Baptist Convention from following the course of mainline American Protestantism and suffering the same consequences.”

In the book’s new preface, Nettles reflects, “Forty years after this book was first published, it is a great blessing to me—and a continuing tribute to Russ—that there are those who still find the work helpful. There is no doubt that contending for the total truthfulness, inerrancy, and authority of God’s Word is a never-ending task. I pray this new edition will be a useful tool as a new generation of Southern Baptists and other evangelicals continue this task for the edification of Christ’s church, the extension of His Kingdom, and the glory of God.”

The book was to be featured at a Southwestern Seminary conference of the same name in April, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Baptists and the Bible – 40th Anniversary Edition ($24.99) is available for order at SeminaryHillPress.com. Discounts for bulk orders are available.