March 2022
Under God, Over the People
The Calling & Accountability of the Civil Government
A Confessional Perspective
We are thrilled that our new title Under God, Over the People is now available for pre-order this month. This new book demonstrates the confessional Baptist perspective on the relationship between church and state found in chapter 24 of the Second London Confession. It is written in a pastoral tone, having been meticulously transcribed from a series of talks he gave to his church considering the recent Covid-19 pandemic. This book will be made available internationally with distributors in the UK and US.
About the Book
When the government first imposed legal restrictions of all kinds over the local church and its worship, Oliver, alongside the other elders of Trinity Grace Church, turned to the Second London Baptist Confession for biblical guidance and instruction. Under God, Over the People is the fruit of that study as he, alongside others, sought to lead the local church to a biblical stance on the role of the state and how it relates to churches.
About the Author
Oliver Allmand-Smith is married to Alison, and they have been blessed with six children. He is also a trustee of International Reformed Baptist Seminary (IRBS), Reformation Today and African Pastor’s Conferences. He has been a pastor at Trinity Grace Church, Ramsbottom, for over twenty years.
What Others Have to Say…
“This is an excellent piece of work; I have much enjoyed reading it because of its relevance and the way it uses the Confession in subjection to Scripture.”
– Dr Robert Oliver
“In this short book, Oliver Allmand-Smith calls believers to show reverence to Christ before all, especially in a day when others seek to place themselves on His royal throne.”
– Dr James Renihan
“I recommend this relevant study, not only because it establishes God’s intentions with which every Christian ought to be conversant as we all live under such government, but also because it clearly directs us as to our attitude towards any future and increasing overreach.”
– Keith Underhill
“This book is of immense value to anyone unsure of the relationship between civil authorities with all its anomalies and Christian faith and practice. Much of the author’s work is based on the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith applied and made relevant to the twenty-first century.”
– Les Yates
The Particular Baptist Podcast Interview
This month pastor and author Oliver Allmand-Smith was interviewed by The Particular Baptist about his new book, Under God, Over the People. In this episode, the host, Daniel Vincent, discusses with Oliver the relationship between the church and state from a confessional Baptist perspective. The Particular Baptist is a Reformed Baptist ministry that seeks to promote biblical, confessional content based in the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA. The team is comprised of four members: Daniel Vincent, Travis Rogers, Andrew Warrick, and Sean Cheetham. All of them are members of Covenant Reformed Baptist Church in Warrenton, VA, USA and two of them are deacons. The ministry’s two main components are The Particular Baptist Podcast, where different theological topics are discussed, and the blog found at https://theparticularbaptist.net.
Deity & Decree by Samuel Renihan provides clarity on God’s being and purposes as summarised in the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. This is an exposition, expansion and explanation of two glorious doctrines; God and his decree. This content, matched with a meticulously considered interior design, makes the book a valuable read to any believer seeking clarity on these foundational doctrines of the faith.
Recently, the author spoke to us, saying, “I published Deity & Decree because, in my experience, the doctrine of God is an area in our theology that is of extreme importance but is sadly insufficiently studied or explained…I thought there was a need for a more primer level introductory book that would lay out the arguments about the doctrine of God and his decree more simply or completely than just focusing on one attribute of God.”
What do Others have to Say?
UK Confessional Baptist Association
Discussion Meeting
Once again, we were privileged to attend the latest UK Confessional Baptist Association meeting. This month it was hosted by Christ Church Loughborough. The meeting was introduced by Nick Pollock, an elder at the host church, before giving a summary of Christ Church Loughborough. Next, Oliver Allmand-Smith delivered a brief overview of seven features of the ‘spirit of the age’ that confessional Christianity helps fight. These features included: Hyper-Individualism, The Cult of Personality, Pragmatism, Superficiality, Historical Ignorance, Sentimentalism and Selfishness.
Later, Robert Strivens spoke regarding five observations of confessional Baptist worship as taught in Chapter 22 of the Second London Confession: 1) We worship God. 2) We worship God in the way that he instructs. 3) We worship God with order and simplicity. 4) We worship God in weekly gatherings on the Lord’s Day. 5) We worship God with mind and heart. Strivens concluded that these observations demonstrate the delights of biblical worship.
Those who represented their churches conferred on various aspects of forming a UK Confessional Baptist Association throughout the day. Attendees covered a significant amount of ground and made vital progress in working toward formalising an association.
Finally, the time was concluded in group prayer led by Josh Williamson.
We continue to pray that the Lord would be pleased to use our meagre efforts to help encourage a biblically vibrant confessional Christianity in the UK and abroad.
