Where Baptists Stood: Early Baptists, Slavery, and the Price of Freedom

What did early Baptists believe about slavery?
Before the American Revolution, Baptists were a persecuted minority. They were jailed, fined, and whipped for refusing to submit to state churches. They were poor, scattered, and far removed from political power. Yet in a world increasingly shaped by slavery, they maintained a clear focus: preaching the gospel and defending liberty of conscience.

In this groundbreaking historical study, veteran pastor and author Marvin McKenzie takes you on a journey through over two centuries of Baptist history (1600–1845). You’ll discover how early Baptists navigated persecution, poverty, and cultural pressures, and how their outsider status preserved them from slavery’s moral compromises—until influence and acceptance after the Revolution brought new challenges.

This book explores:

✅ The convictions that set Baptists apart: believer’s baptism, soul liberty, and separation from state churches.
✅ Their ministry to poor whites and enslaved Africans, even while avoiding political entanglements.
✅ Why early Baptists focused on gospel purity over social reform—and how this stance safeguarded their witness for generations.
✅ How post-Revolution prominence drew many Southern Baptists into compromise, ultimately leading to the split of 1845.
✅ Timeless lessons for Christians today on staying faithful in a world of cultural and political pressure.

With clarity and pastoral insight, McKenzie celebrates the courage of early Baptists and calls readers to consider the cost of gospel purity in their own time.

Whether you are a student of Baptist history, a pastor seeking context for your heritage, or a believer wrestling with the church’s relationship to culture, Where Baptists Stood offers an honest, inspiring account of faithfulness and failure—and the grace of God that sustained a movement.

👉 Discover the convictions that shaped a people. Scroll up and get your copy today.