Publisher's Synopsis
Baptists exist because they refused to be associated with those who changed the meaning and purpose of baptism. From the second century until sometime after the Reformation, Baptists stood separate from the apostasy of those churches which later became the Catholic or Universal Church. Sometime after the Reformation, they became protestantized and over time accepted the false doctrine of the "universal church." If the "true church" is the "universal body of Christ" how could Baptists maintain this separation? If we all are part of one great universal church, shouldn't we all join together in the work of Christ under the authority of the Catholic Church? In this book I look at why this doctrine is important, how the word "ecclesia" is used in the New Testament, the passages used to support the doctrine of the universal church and how they fall short, and finally we will look at the consequences of this doctrine and the negative effect it has on the work of Christ.
