A Catholic Reformed Theologian: Federalism and Baptism in the Thought of Benjamin Keach, 1640 - 1704 (Studies in Baptist History and Thought)

This study demonstrates that Benjamin Keach, the most important Baptist figure of the 17th century, was a catholic Reformed theologian. This is done by investigating his relationship with the tradition of the church, his interaction with federalism, and his concept of baptism. Riker presents Keach, and thus the Baptist tradition, in a new way: not as a Calvinist tradition but as part of the broad Reformed family. Second, believer's baptism, the rite from which the Baptists derive their name, is systematically scrutinized against pedobaptism. In so doing, Riker presents every argument, strong or weak, that was used in the 16th- and 17th-century debates and their respective refutation by a Baptist.