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400 Jahre Baptisten: Feier in Amsterdam im Juli 2009

Anfang des 17. Jahrhunderts versammelte sich eine Gruppe von religiösen Flüchtlingen aus England im Hinterraum einer Amsterdamer Bäckerei, um zu beten und gemeinsam Bibel zu lesen. Um 1609 hatte eine Gruppe von ihnen das beschrieben, was wir heute als Kern baptistischer Überzeugungen verstehen: Die Notwendigkeit einer Gemeinschaft aus Glaubenden, losgelöst von staatlicher Kontrolle, die die Glaubenstaufe ausüben. Von diesen bescheidenen Anfängen her verbreiteten sich die Baptisten über England, Nordamerika, Europa und darüber hinaus zu einer weltweiten Bewegung mit heute mehr als 100 Millionen Anhängern.

Vom 24. bis 26. Juli 2009 feiern Europas Baptisten in Amsterdam den 400. Jahrestag (www.amsterdam400.org). Aus Anlass des Jubiläums erschien nun im Neufeld Verlag das englische Buch: „Communities of Conviction: Baptist Beginnings in Europe“ des renommierten britischen Historikers Ian M. Randall, herausgegeben von der Europäischen Baptistischen Föderation.



„Ian Randall has given us the most comprehensive overview of Baptist life in Europe since the classic study of J. H. Rusbrooke in 1923. Born amidst persecutions and struggle, the Baptist movement has grown over the centuries into a diverse but vibrant expression of the Christian faith. A story masterfully told by a superb historian.“ Timothy George (Founding Dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama/USA, and a senior editor of Christianity Today)

„This fascinating volume is more than a compilation of the stories of the regional beginnings of the one European Baptist family; it is a testimony of the enduring grace and goodness of God to a missionary people called Baptist.”
David Coffey (President of the Baptist World Alliance)

„The more we are aware of our deep roots, the wider we can spread our wings to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. Easy to read and yet hard to digest when we realise just how rich and how challenging our heritage is, Ian Randall’s book is more than a review of our past – it points to our current responsibility and our future calling as Baptists within the whole church of Jesus Christ.“ Regina Claas (General Secretary of the Union of Evangelical Free Churches (Baptists) in Germany)


Ian M. Randall, who comes from the north of Scotland, studied Economics and History at Aberdeen University, where he met and married Janice, who is a language teacher. After university, Ian worked in human resource management. He later trained at Regent’s Park College, Oxford, and became a Baptist pastor. Since 1992 he has taught and has supervised research at Spurgeon’s College, London, and at the International Baptist Theological Seminary, Prague. He has published several books, including What a Friend we have in Jesus, The English Baptists of the Twentieth Century and Spiritual Revolution: The Story of OM. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.