Pilgrims Through the Years: a Bicentennial History of First Baptist Church, Savannah, Georgia.

By George H. Shriver. Franklin, Tennessee: Providence House Publishers, 1999. 242 pp.

George Shriver has written a thorough and thought-provoking treatise of the First Baptist Church of Savannah, Georgia. He carefully weaves the specific story of this church's two-century history within the broader story of Baptist life in America. Shriver also manages to craft both-an effective chronological order alongside-thematic development of key congregational beliefs and behaviors. The emerging tapestry is both colorful and compelling.

The book is arranged in two parts. Part One addresses the first century in the life of the Savannah Baptist congregation covering the years from 1800 to 1900. Part Two addresses the years from 1900 to 2000. Each of the two parts is divided into several chapters which flow back and forth between the chronological and thematic pattern.

The reader will find in Part One a candid and concise record of both the triumphs and tribulations these Georgia Baptists experienced. Shriver makes no apology for his examination of the darker side of some aspects of the congregation's story. Of particular interest and importance is his careful treatment of the congregation's practice of church discipline. Equally valuable is the record of numerous tensions and conflicts between pastors and people and the ways in which such conflicts were resolved. These tribulations, together with the trials of hurricanes, an earthquake, a civil war, two world wars, outbreaks of yellow fever, a church split, and denominational strife, will instill a deep appreciation for the triumph of Baptist life and faith in the face of such adversity.

Part Two portrays the strength and stability that came to be the hallmark of this congregation. Pastoral leadership, Christian education, liturgical development, and mission involvement are identified and clarified in this section. Shriver also exposes and explores the growing denominational tensions among Southern Baptists that so scarred Baptist life during the latter twenty years of the twentieth century. Although clearly moderate in his perspective, Shriver maintains an even-handed treatment of the ongoing issues that have so deeply divided Baptists. He seeks to assist readers to understand both these issues and where the First Baptist Church of Savannah has positioned itself within these issues.

Although carefully researched, Shriver does not burden the book with excessive notation or documentation. He willingly acknowledges previous congregational members whose collecting of historical material made his task all the more enjoyable. He notes his sources in the Appendices. These notations make this volume valuable to future historical recorders.

The book is beautifully printed and bound for a church history. It is a coffee-table edition that anyone would be proud to display. The four-color cover of the front of the church is reproduced inside along with several pages of colored photos all grouped together. Additional black-and-white photos have been placed strategically throughout the book. The book has been printed with wide margins that lend a look of spaciousness to it.

This book will obviously be worthwhile reading for members of the First Baptist Church of Savannah, but a wider readership would also benefit from the material prepared by Shriver. Those interested in denominational history, as well as in ecclesiological development among Baptists, would be greatly helped by examining this well-written work.--Reviewed by Douglas W. Crabb, pastor, Winnwood Baptist Church, Kansas City Missouri.