The Church: A Critique of the Universal Church Theory
By Roger W. Maslin
This thesis is
dedicated in memory of my father,
Robert M. Maslin, now gloriously
promoted to the heavenly realms,
"absent from the body, but present
with the Lord."
PREFACE
The following pages embody the research, observations and reflections of the author on the difficult problems of ascertaining the nature of the church.
It will be obvious to the reader that the author is a Baptist and writes mainly from his own point of view, and that of many Baptists, in the past and in the present. In treating a problem so complex and which requires a re-thinking of many relevant doctrines, the writer is conscious that This work is not without imperfections.
The writing of this work has proven to be a difficult and delicate task — so I dare not hope that it is without error. I have done my best, however, to make this a factual and objective study while still seeking to offer a positive solution to the problem.
To Dr. Jesse B. Thomas whose strong intellect and resistless logic exhibited in his book, The Church and the Kingdom; to Dr. F. J. A. Hort, the great Anglican theologian and his classical work, The Christian Ecclesia; to Dr. E. J. Fish and his excellent volume, Ecclesiology, together with the many other theologians and historians who have furnished a deeper insight into the nature of the church, the author is extremely grateful.
To Dr. George Humphrey and Dr. John Newport, professors of Bible of Baylor University, who have guided me in the preparation of this theses, I express sincere gratitude. To Mrs. Lois Douglas of the Baylor English Department, whose gracious assistance was given in preparation of the format, I am indeed thankful.
May, 1951.
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