A Piety Above the Common Standard: Review
I have read about 85% of this book and I would definitely say that A Piety Above the Common Standard is, aside from a few minor issues, a very well written and informative book (e-kudos to you). And while I can't say that it's ever been very high on my interest list concerning books, it wasn't a bore either (much appreciated).
The book starts out going into the history of what exactly the key elements were in preparing Mr. Jesse Mercer for his life to come as one of the biggest impactors ever, of the Baptist faith. Mr. Jesse Mercer was born into a "Baptist" home that actually wasn't. The form or Protestantism that his family was party to believed in was pre-Baptist Baptistism (word?):
1. Baptism of believers only
2. A regularly gathering church family
3. The freedom to participate in the religion of your choice
It was pointed out that many people began to think that Jesse Mercer would occasionally soften his ideas about being a 5 point Calvinist and the sovereignty of God
because of how he was all for Baptist education, creating a unified Baptist church/faith, and missions to the people of the world who hadn't heard the Gospel, "Although he was a 5 point Calvinist who promoted the doctrines of grace...
Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Ch...
John Calvin
National Baptist Evangelical Life and Soul Saving ......he was often accused of softening his views on the sovereignty of God in salvation." (apparently people said that since God predestined us concerning our salvation, trying to evangelize was infringing on God's plans for everyone).
Now, I am not a 5 point Calvinist, if anything I am more of Armenianistic than Calvinistic, but if I were a 5 point Calvinist I could easily argue both for and against Mercer's ideas about evangelizing and religion...