The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies is hosting a conference this week on the campus of Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. The theme is “The English Baptists of the 17th Century” and features well-known Baptist historians and theologians such as Tom Nettles, Michael Haykin, Stan Fowler Jim Renihan and Malcolm Yarnell as well as some who are students and younger scholars.

It looks to be a wonderful conference. Andrew Fuller is one of my heroes and a Baptist statesman who is worthy of the kind of honor and respect that Center (under Michael Haykin’s direction) bestows. Certainly modern Baptists have much to learn from our forefathers in the faith, such as those who will be the focus of this year’s gathering.

I couldn’t help but notice that Dr. Jerry Vines will be speaking in chapel on Tuesday during the conference. He has publicly expressed his opinion that, based on his research, the 17th century London Baptist confessions do not explicitly teach the five points of Calvinism. His words, to be exact, were,

…the London confessions, Philadelphia confession, New Hampshire Confession…these confessions bear a close resemblance to some of the five points although there is no clear cut evidence that Baptists in their confesssions of faith ever truly subscribed to everything that the five points of Calvinism would teach.”

Perhaps the conference will provide opportunities to explore this and other related doctrinal/historical theses related to 17th century Baptist beliefs. Check out the line up below. Hopefully, mp3s of the presentations will be made available in the near future.

Monday, August 25

7:30 – 8:45 AM Breakfast and Registration

9:00 AM An Opening Word Dr. Michael Haykin, Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies

9:10 AM Plenary Session 1: “The English Calvinistic Baptists of the 17th Century–An Overview” Dr. Malcolm Yarnell (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary)

10:25 AM Plenary Session 2: “John Spilsbury and the Beginning of the Baptists” Dr. Tom Nettles (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

11:40 AM Plenary Session 3: “Hanserd Knollys (1599-1691) and the Interpretation of Revelation” Dr. Barry Howson (Heritage Theological Seminary)

12:45 PM Lunch

2:45-3:25 PM Parallel Session 1:

Room A: “Henry Jessey (1601-1663): his Life and Though” Jason Duesing (PhD candidate, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary)

Room B: “‘A Poor and Despised People’: Abraham Cheare and the Calvinistic Baptists at Plymouth.” Dr. Jeff Robinson (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

Room C: “Baptist Associations in the 17th century” Dr. Stan Fowler (Heritage Theological Seminary)

3:35-4:15 PM Parallel Session 2:

Room A: “Benjamin Keach’s Doctrine of Justification” Tom Hicks (PhD candidate, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

Room B: “The Role of Metaphor in the Sermons of Benjamin Keach” Chris Holmes (PhD candidate, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

Room C: “Turks, Jews, & God’s Plan for His People: Hanserd Knollys’ Understanding of Abraham’s Other ‘Descendants'” Dr. Dennis Bustin (Atlantic Baptist University)

4:30 – 5:00 PM Tour of Archives of the James P. Boyce Centennial Library (Optional)

7:00 PM – Dinner

8:30 PM Plenary Session 4: “The Importance of Baptist Confessionalism” Dr. Albert Mohler (President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

Tuesday, August 26

7:30 – 8:30 AM – Breakfast

8:45 AM Plenary Session 5: “The Strange Case of Thomas Collier” HERITAGE HALL Dr. James Renihan (Dean, The Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies)

10:00 AM – SBTS Chapel – Chapel Speaker: Dr. Jerry Vines

11:30 AM Plenary Session 6: “Benjamin Keach and the Protestant Cause Under Persecution” Austin Walker (Pastor, Maidenbower Baptist Church, Crawley, UK)

12:30 PM – Lunch

2:20 – 3:00 PM – Parallel Session 3:

Room A: “Thomas Wilcox and his A Choice Drop of Honey from the Rock Christ” Dr. Stephen Yuille (Toronto Baptist Seminary)

Room B: “Hercules Collins and The Temple Repair’d: Baptists and Theological Education” Steve Weaver (PhD candidate, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

3:10 – 3:50 PM – Parallel Session 4:

Room A: “The Prison Epistles of Thomas Hardcastle” Dr. Peter Beck (Charleston Southern University)

Room B: “17th century Baptists and the Perseverance of the Saints” Jay Collier (PhD candidate, Calvin Seminary)

4:00 PM Plenary Session 7: “William Kiffin (1616-1701)–His Life and Thought” Dr Larry Kreitzer (Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford)

5:00-5:10 PM A Closing Word, Dr. Michael Haykin (Director, The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies)