When Christians Disagree: Lessons from the Fractured Relationship of John Owen and Richard Baxter (Cooper)

Description

Two Oppositional Figures in Church History Shed Light on Division in the Church Today

Our current culture seems to be increasingly divided on countless issues, including those affecting the church. But for centuries, theological disagreements, political differences, and issues relating to church leadership have made it challenging for Christians to foster unity and love for one another.

In this book, author Tim Cooper explores this polarization through the lives of two oppositional figures in church history: John Owen and Richard Baxter. Cooper highlights their individual stories while showing how their contrasting life experiences, personalities, and temperaments led to their inability to work together. After exploring these lessons from the past, readers will gain insights into their own relationships, ultimately learning how to love and live in harmony with their fellow believers despite their disagreements. 

• Timely: In today’s deeply divided culture, this book offers past examples to help spur unity among believers today
• Historical: Biographical examination of two Puritan writers from the 17th century: John Owen and Richard Baxter
• Accessible: Short format and crisp writing style offer an engaging story with no background knowledge required

Contents

Foreword: Michael A. G. Haykin
Introduction

Chapter 1: Two Good Men
Chapter 2: Experience
Chapter 3: Personality
Chapter 4: Theology
Chapter 5: Contact
Chapter 6: Collision
Chapter 7: Memory

Conclusion
Chronology
Glossary
Further Reading
General Index
Scripture Index

Endorsements

“We live in an extremely politicized and polarized age with many big personalities out in front. But this isn’t exactly a new phenomenon. Tim Cooper’s wonderful little book gives us realistic historical reflections that then generate relevant practical advice for us. He encourages us to look back in order that we might learn from (flawed) heroes of the past even as we seek to navigate our own (flawed) engagement in the present. This is a genuinely helpful volume.”
Kelly M. Kapic, Professor of Theological Studies, Covenant College; author, You’re Only Human

“In When Christians Disagree, Tim Cooper investigates the impact of personality and pride, history and hostility, and experience and environment on the tragic breakdown of peace between two giants of the Puritan movement—John Owen and Richard Baxter. Demonstrating that every believer (and pastor) has blind spots, struggles with sin, and wrestles with pride, Cooper draws practical implications for Christians striving to cultivate unity and humility in the body of Christ. The reflections of this insightful, balanced, and accessible work are invaluable for pastoral ministry, historical analysis, and practical Christian living. Above all, the failures that Cooper highlights in the lives of Owen and Baxter should encourage us to boast alone in the one perfect man—the spotless Lamb of God whose glories these men rejoiced to proclaim.”
Joel R. Beeke, Chancellor and Professor of Homiletics and Systematic Theology, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary; Pastor, Heritage Reformed Congregation, Grand Rapids, Michigan

“In an age of increasing tribalism, this little book gives us an important lesson in wisdom. While well written, it is a painful read, for as Cooper describes it, it is like watching a car crash in slow motion to see the clash between Baxter and Owen, two godly but human giants of seventeenth-century English Christianity. There is much here for us to learn: the complexity of factors, prejudices, and (potentially distorting) filters that make for disagreements between Christians. May God use this volume to increase our humility and our prudence as we navigate disagreements today and strive for healthy unity in the gospel.”
Michael Reeves, President and Professor of Theology, Union School of Theology, United Kingdom

“Disagreements in the family of God are rarely dispassionate affairs because they are born out of the most deeply held convictions of complex creatures. Tim Cooper masterfully illustrates this dynamic in his account of the tragic feud between John Owen and Richard Baxter. This volume represents the best kind of church history—personal, probing, and directly applicable to contemporary Christian life.”
Rhyne R. Putman, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Williams Baptist University; Professor of Theology and Culture, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; author, When Doctrine Divides the People of God

About the Author

Tim Cooper (PhD, University of Canterbury) serves as professor of church history at the University of Otago in New Zealand. He is the author of John Owen, Richard Baxter and the Formation of Nonconformity and an editor of the Oxford University Press scholarly edition of Baxter’s autobiography.