Keepers of the Faith: Illustrated Biographies from Baptist History.

By Jeffery D. Jones. Valley Forge: Judson Press, 1999. 140 pp.

The value of preserving Baptist heritage is something that needs to be impressed upon people starting early in life. If Baptists wish to raise up a generation that understands both the costs of sharing the gospel and the providence of God that has enabled men and women to do so, then books like this one have important roles. Baptist young people (as well as older people) benefit when the sacrificial commitment of Baptist pioneers and leaders is kept before them.

An important use of this book would therefore include demonstrating to children and youth the importance of Baptist history. Keepers of the Faith is written and illustrated in a way that will easily lend itself to be used by such an audience. The book is in part a reissue of "Crusaders of History" cartoons that were featured in the American Baptist magazine The Crusader, revised and rewritten to reach a new audience of young readers.

The format and presentation of this book makes it ideal for use as a basic introduction to Baptist history. Permission to photocopy the illustrations and text is granted for small-group and congregational use. Therefore, the individual biographies, each only a single page, could easily be used as bulletin inserts or handouts at a study session-all of which are recommended by the author as appropriate use of the material.

The biographies selected include a host of Baptist stalwarts, Northern, Southern, and even international. Laypeople as well as clergy make up the selected biographies, demonstrating the long-cherished Baptist commitment to lay involvement in ministry. Leaders from diverse Baptist circles and time periods include business and industry leaders like John' Kraft and John D. Rockefeller; preachers such as Issac Backus, George W. Truett, Richard Furman, and Martin Luther King Jr.; as well as teachers, administrators and missionaries including Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong, William Carey, Walter Rauschenbusch, and Booker T. Washington. Together, they make up a unique and widely representational picture from Baptist life.

This book would make fine reading for a young person who is interested in Baptist history, for parents of young children, or for persons needing a refresher course in the "Hall of Fame" for Baptists. Its greatest value lies in keeping the memories and sacrifices of Baptist leaders in front of a modern audience.-Reviewed by Christopher Beckham, Flemingsburg, Kentucky.