"An Uncommon Christian" and "Of Intense Brightness" now available as e-books

As of today (January 3, 2014), Uncommon Christian Ministries is pleased to announce that both An Uncommon Christian: James Brainerd Taylor [1801-1829], Forgotten Evangelist in America's Second Great Awakening (University Press of America, December 2007, 255 pages, Foreword by John F. Thornbury) and the edited anthology companion volume Of Intense Brightness: The Spirituality of Uncommon Christian James Brainerd Taylor (University Press of America, June 2008, 168 pages, Foreword by James M. Houston, Epilogue by Peter Adam) are now available on Kindle and Nook.

The e-books are currently 39-45% off the books' retail price, with the Kindle edition offering the "text-to-speech" feature.

To purchase an e-book edition, see here (Kindle) or here (Nook) for An Uncommon Christian, and here (Kindle) or here (Nook) for Of Intense Brightness. "Sneak preview" sample pages of each book are provided on the online retailers' website.

NOTE: The paper and e-book edition of UCM's third book--Uncommon Christian Evangelism with James Brainerd Taylor (or, God's Co-Worker: 21st-century Evangelism with Uncommon Christian James Brainerd Taylor)--is planned for publication in 2015 or 2016. Stay tuned.

King James Version (KJV) Bible, 400th anniversary . . . James Brainerd Taylor (1801-1829) and his "dear little book"

Throughout 2011, churches, seminaries, universities, historical associations and Bible societies throughout the English-speaking world are commemorating the 400th anniversary of the completion of the King James Version (Authorized Version) Bible.

For instance, on November 16, 2011, England's Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the British royal family attended a commemorative event at Westminster Abbey in London. The event was sponsored by the King James Bible Trust.

On the King James Bible Trust's website is a wealth of information and videos about the history and influence of the KJV, including videos from Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II.

No other English translation has had more influence on American and British language and culture than the KJV. It is indeed the book that has changed the world, as this 5-minute video from the New Zealand Bible Society shows:

The 1611 translation was done by 47 scholars, all of whom were members of the Church of England (Anglican Church). The New Testament was translated from Greek and the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew. The 7-year translation work (1604-11) occurred during the time of the famed playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

In 1982, the New King James Version (NJKV) Bible was published by the American publisher Thomas Nelson Inc. It took 7 years for the committee of 130 biblical scholars, pastors and theologians to complete the translation. As with the KJV, so the NKJV also used the Textus Receptus (Received or Majority Text) for its translation of the New Testament.


James Brainerd Taylor, Dr. Peter Parker and Taylor's "dear little book" in China

Peter Parker (1804-1888), missionary to China

The American evangelist James Brainerd Taylor (1810-1829) made much use of his KJV Bible in his effort to be an "uncommon" Christian, defined by Taylor as "an eminently holy, self-denying, cross-bearing, Bible, everyday" Christian.

In God's providence, when James' brother Fitch W. Taylor (1803-1865) was in Canton (Guangzhou), China, serving as a chaplain on the first American naval ship to circumnavigate the globe (May 6, 1838–June 1840), Fitch was surprised to find his late brother’s "dear little book," his morocco-covered pocket KJV Bible.

The Bible was in the possession of the Yale-educated Dr. Peter Parker (1804–1888), the first Protestant medical missionary to China. The Bible was given to Parker by Fitch’s sister-in-law (the wife of brother Knowles Taylor) before Parker left New York City for China.

Fitch remembered seeing James “for hours, and daily, in absorbed and delightful study” with the “identical little volume” that Parker showed him. (As of this writing, the Bible has not been located yet by this biographer on J. B. Taylor.)

See Fitch W. Taylor, A Voyage Round the World, and Visits to Various Foreign Countries, in the United States Frigate Columbia; Attended by Her Consort The Sloop of War John Adams, and Commanded By Commodore George C. Read. . . ., 5th ed., vol. 2 (New Haven: H. Mansfield, and New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1846), page 137. Available online and for free at Google Books.

"O, to be mighty in the Scriptures" (Acts 18:24) . . . Of Intense Brightness excerpts

Below are some excerpts from my second book on Taylor entitled Of Intense Brightness: The Spirituality of Uncommon Christian James Brainerd Taylor (University Press of America, 2008), pages 10-13.

The excepts about J. B. Taylor's spirituality of biblicism are taken from the introductory essay to the 168-page work.

“Next to personal holiness, Mr. Taylor desired to be ‘mighty in the Scriptures’. . . . ‘O to be mighty in the Scriptures’ [Acts 18:24], was his frequent petition at the throne of grace.” (Memoir of James Brainerd Taylor, 2nd Edition, 1833, page 437).

That this desire of Taylor’s was not merely an intellectual one is known from comments by one of his contemporaries:

With constancy he searched the Scriptures—not for subjects of speculation—not as a mere intellectual exercise—but with a strong desire to ascertain what affections ought to be cherished, and what duties performed.

In the Bible, as in a mirror, he looked at himself; and in light of the Bible he contemplated every object that claimed his attention or solicited his affections. He was indeed a Bible Christian. Perhaps no one ever more implicitly subjected his whole being to the inspired word.   (Memoir, page 428.)

In a “Note by a friend,” we learn more about this seemingly “walking concordance” from another of his contemporaries:

Mr. Taylor’s familiarity with the contents of the Bible was observable by all with whom he associated.

It was an interesting trait in his habits of intercourse with friends, that, when the conversation seemed at a stand, he would take out his little pocket Bible, saying, “I guess I can find something here to amuse us;” and then would give a familiar exposition of some passage, and connect with the illustration some anecdote; at the same time repeating, and turning to parallel passages; so that no one could listen to him without being deeply interested.

So peculiarly happy was he in these familiar illustrations, that it was not an unfrequent thing to see those around him smile with delight, and at the next moment weep with deep emotion. There are many, who were often in his society, who will recognize the truth of this remark in their own experience.

He would often speak of his Bible, as “the dear little book.”

I was present at his examination [for a license to preach the gospel, October 7–8, 1828, in East Haddam, Connecticut], and never heard any man quote the Sacred Scriptures with such fluency, for confirmation of his doctrinal views, as the questions were successively proposed to him.   (Memoir, page 43-44 footnote.)

Indeed, the Princeton University and Yale Seminary-educated J. B. Taylor was, as John Wesley (1703–1791) claimed to be, homo unius libri (“a man of one book”).


And, like his deceased theological mentor Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), Taylor was

Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same. (Resolution 28 of Edwards’ 70 Resolutions)

Due to Taylor's frequent usage of Scripture, some verses seemed to have been particularly treasured. These include (and are presented with the NKJV text):

● Deuteronomy 3:27: “Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south, and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan.”

● Joshua 13:1: “There remains very much land yet to be possessed.”

● Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”

● Daniel 12:3: “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”

● Matthew 10:16: “Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”

● John 13:7: “What I [Jesus] am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

● 1 Corinthians 15:10: “By the grace of God I am what I am.”

● 2 Corinthians 12:15: “I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls.”

● 1 Peter 1:8: “Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.”

Taylor hid the Word of God in his heart by memorizing Scripture so that he might not sin against God (Psalm 119:11).

James Brainerd Taylor on the radio . . . book presentations

The two recent James Brainerd Taylor books--An Uncommon Christian and Of Intense Brightness (University Press of America, 2008)--were the topic of discussion during a portion of the March 26 "Todd Ortloff Show" on the Port Angeles, Washington-based KONP News Radio. To listen to the 17-minute interview, click here and go to "Archived Programs--Todd Ortloff Show--3/26/09--Local Biographer." NOTE: the downloadable interview begins at 17:44 and ends at 38:02. Or contact UCM and request the free MP3 audio file.

Sponsored by Uncommon Christian Ministries, 2 upcoming book presenations and signings include the following:

Sunday, April 5, 2009

6:00 p.m.

First United Methodist Church, Port Angeles, Wash.

Wednseday, April 15, 2009

Noon

ASC Conference Room, Peninsula College, Port Angeles, Wash.

--> Co-sponsored by Peninsula College Christian Student Fellowship

These two book presentations and signings are in addition to the 7 presentations or book-related sermons done already:

+ 3/7/09 -- Evangelical Theological Society, Northwestern Regional Annual Meeting, George Fox Evangelical Seminary, Portland, Ore.

+ 1/25/09 -- Quilcene Bible Church, Quilcene, Wash.

+ 11/20/08 -- Evangelical Theological Society, 60th Annual National Meeting, Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, R.I.

+ 8/10/08 -- Lusk Alliance Church, Lusk, Wyo.

+ 7/6/08 -- Calvary Grace Church, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

+ 3/15/08 -- Evangelical Theological Society, Northwestern Regional Annual Meeting, Western Seminary, Portland, Ore.

+ 3/14/08 -- Worldview Center: Institute for International Christian Communication, Portland, Ore.

NOTE: Today (March 29, 2009) marks the 180th anniversary of J. B. Taylor's death.

James Brainerd Taylor in "The Ivy League Christian Observer"

"An Uncommon Christian Is Remembered: New Books Chronicle the Life of Evangelist James Brainerd Taylor" is the title of Eileen Scott's article in the winter 2009 (vol. 8, no. 1) issue (pages 35-36) of The Ivy League Christian Observer. Scott is the Senior Writer for the national quarterly magazine that is published by the campus ministry "Christian Union: Advancing the Kingdom of Jesus Christ in the Ivy League."

Founded by Matt Bennett (B.S., M.B.A., Cornell) in 2002 and based in Princeton, New Jersey, CU's mission is, "by God's power and the help of other ministries . . . to change the world by bringing sweeping spiritual transformation to the Ivy League universities, thereby developing and mobilizing godly Christian leadership for all sectors of society."

Click here to read what has been said about CU in the media, including a May 22, 2005, front page article in The New York Times entitled, "On a Christian Mission to the Top: Evangelicals Set Their Sights on the Ivy League" (click here for article).

The 8 Ivy League Universities--all historically significant private institutions in the Northeastern U.S., most of which have a rich Christian heritage--are Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania (UPenn), Princeton and Yale.

The Connecticut-born James Brainerd Taylor (1801-1829) was a graduate of Princeton University (Class of 1826). He died while a student at Yale Theological Seminary (now called Yale Divinity School). (Though he was not an enrolled student, Taylor died at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. At the time, UTS was located adjacent to Hampden-Sydney College [est. 1775], aptly named "The Princeton of the South.")

In addition to various Ivy League graduates, 5 people with direct ties to the Ivy League endorsed An Uncommon Christian: James Brainerd Taylor, Forgotten Evangelist in America's Second Great Awakening (University Press of America, 2008). Click here (UCM's page) or here (publisher's page) to read what the following said about An Uncommon Christian:

+ Matt Bennett

Founder and President, Christian Union: Advancing the Kingdom of Jesus Christian in the Ivy League

+ William (Bill) Boyce

Affiliated Chaplain and Director, Princeton Evangelical Fellowship

(est. 1931, the spiritual heir to the Philadelphian Society of Nassau Hall [1825-1930], J. B. Taylor, primary founder)

+ Jon Hinkson

Co-Founder, Rivendell Institute of Christian Thought and Learning at Yale University

+ Kelly Monroe Kullberg

Founder, The Veritas Forum (est. 1992 at Harvard University) . . . editor of the Boston Globe bestseller Finding God at Harvard: Spiritual Journeys of Thinking Christians . . . and author of Finding God Beyond Harvard: The Quest for Veritas

+ Josh Moody (Ph.D., Cambridge)

Author . . . former member, Yale Religious Ministries . . . former Senior Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church (near Yale University campus, New Haven, Connecticut) . . . since January 2009, Senior Pastor, Wheaton College Church, Ill.

Also, click here (UCM's page) or here (publisher's page) to read what Princeton University student (Class of 2009) and former (2007) student-president of Princeton Evangelical Fellowship, Jonathan M. Keller, said about the edited anthology Of Intense Brightness: The Spirituality of Uncommon Christian James Brainerd Taylor (University Press of America, 2008).

James Brainerd Taylor memoirs available online . . . FREE viewing, download and searching

Just a reminder that both the Memoir of James Brainerd Taylor (1833) and A New Tribute to the Memory of James Brainerd Taylor (1838) are available online. Both books--which are in the public domain (all pre-1923 books)--are fully searchable and can be viewed and downloaded for free via Google Book Search. Click here for the online Memoir and here for A New Tribute.

Both books were digitalized by Google from copies in the Harvard University Library. The 441-page second edition Memoir was digitalized on February 22, 2008 (Google erroneously states this is the 330-page first edition). The 440-page A New Tribute was digitalized on May 9, 2007. Southern Presbyterian pastors John Holt Rice and Benjamin Holt Rice compiled the Memoir, and Fitch W. Taylor, a younger brother of James, compiled A New Tribute.

This is perfect timing as the first books on Taylor since 1833 and 1838 were released in January and June 2008 (University Press of America): An Uncommon Christian: James Brainerd Taylor, Forgotten Evangelist In America's Second Great Awakening and the edited anthology Of Intense Brightness: The Spirituality of Uncommon Christian James Brainerd Taylor. See Uncommon Christian Ministries' timeline on Taylor for other recent activity.

Relatedly, Harvard University Library's copy of the Sketches of The Religious Experience and Labors of A Layman: With An Appendix by Jeremiah Humphre Taylor was digitalized by Google on December 11, 2007. Written in 1860 by one of James Brainerd Taylor's two older brothers, the 171-page autobiographical account contains information about James's childhood in Middle Haddam, Connecticut, his leadership involvement with an African-American Sunday school in New York City, and his evangelistic efforts in various spiritual revivals.

Also, a copy of volume one and volume two of The Flagship; Or, A Voyage Round The World, and Visits to Various Foreign Countries, in the United States Frigate "Columbia"... by Fitch W. Taylor was digitalized by Google on May 3, 2007. The 1840, 1st edition volumes by James's U.S. Navy Chaplain brother are an eyewitness account of the first U.S. Navy ship to circumnavigate the globe. For the digitalization, Google used copies from the New York Public Library.

For more information on the history and current activity of Google Book Search (est. 2004), see here (wikipedia entry) and here (from Google). FYI: Google just signed a ground breaking legal agreement with U.S. authors and publishers, thus allowing Google Book Search to add even more books to their already 7,000,000-plus online books.

For more online resources on James Brainerd Taylor (1801-1829), see here.

Evangelical Theological Society meeting, Providence, R.I. (and Connecticut churches)

For those in the New England area, I will be presenting a paper/lecture on James Brainerd Taylor at the 60th annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Providence, R.I., on Thursday, November 20, 2008. Under the category of "Historical Theology," the talk will be held in Room 555A at the Rhode Island Convention Center, 3:40 to 4:20 p.m. The talk is titled "James Brainerd Taylor (1801-1829), Forgotten Evangelist In America's Second Great Awakening: Why He Is Needed Today."

The meeting itself is Wednesday to Friday, November 19-21. The plenary sessions are on the theme of "Text and Canon." In addition, about 400 elective papers/lectures will be presented. The elective category topics include Biblical Studies, Evangelism/Missions, Issues in Systematic Theology, American Christianity, Pastoral Theology, Old and New Testament Studies, Baptist Studies, and a host of others. Over 2,000 people are expected to attend.

Formed in 1949, the Evangelical Theological Society is "a professional society of Biblical scholars, teachers, pastors and others involved in evangelical scholarship in order to serve Christ and His Church." Its purpose is "to foster conservative Biblical scholarship by providing a medium for the oral exchange and written expression of thought and research in the general field of the theological disciplines as centered in the Scriptures." ETS publishes a quarterly journal called JETS. (JETS is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. See Pastor-Author John Piper's June 18, 2008, article "2 Birthdays and Biblical Inerrancy.") The society currently has over 4,500 members, with Old Testament scholar Dr. C. Hassell Bullock of Wheaton College (Ill.) serving as 2008 president.

ETS is one of six societies or associations I am a member of. Click here to view my other memberships.

FYI: While visiting family in Connecticut, and on the lone Sunday (Nov. 16) I'm in New England, I plan to worship at Trinity Baptist Church near Yale University in New Haven, Conn. Author and friend Josh Moody (B.A., Ph.D., Cambridge University) is senior pastor of Trinity (1999- ), and creator of the online GodCenteredLife.org. He is 1 of 22 international endorsers of An Uncommon Christian: James Brainerd Taylor, Forgotten Evangelist In America's Second Great Awakening (University Press of America, Jan. 2008). A highly recommended church to attend if in the New Haven area. NOTE: It was just announced that Pastor Josh has accepted the position of Senior Pastor at the historic Wheaton College Church (est. 1861) in Illinois. He succeeds long-time (1979-2006) College Church pastor-author Dr. R. Kent Hughes, and begins the new position January 1, 2009.

Also, on November 17, I plan to meet with Mark E. Given (M.Div., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary), pastor of Christ Episcopal Church in Middle Haddam, Conn. Christ Church (est. 1785) was the childhood/home church (birth to age 15, 1801-1816) of James Brainerd Taylor. One of the 8 stained glass windows in the church is dedicated to Col. Jeremiah Taylor, James's father. Through James's instrumentality, it was during the spring 1822 revival that James's parents and some siblings were converted to Christ. Rev. Given (M.Div., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is 1 of 17 international endorsers of Of Intense Brightness: The Spirituality of Uncommon Christian James Brainerd Taylor (University Press of America, 2008).

Seattle Times book announcements

Both An Uncommon Christian: James Brainerd Taylor, Forgotten Evangelist In America's Second Great Awakening -and- Of Intense Brightness: The Spirituality of Uncommon Christian James Brainerd Taylor were announced by book review editor Michael Upchurch in the "New books by Washington authors, or of local interest" section of the October 30, 2008, edition of The Seattle Times. Click here for the online version. With a weekly readership of over 1.5 million (print and online), The Seattle Times is one of two major newspapers the University Press of America books were submitted to, the other being The Hartford Courant in Connecticut (the birthplace of J. B. Taylor).

Library Purchases, Book #2 (Of Intense Brightness)

Released in June 2008 from University Press of America, some libraries that have purchased Book #2--Of Intense Brightness: The Spirituality of Uncommon Christian James Brainerd Taylor--include the university libraries at Baylor, Chicago, Colorado (Boulder), Drew, Fordham, Georgetown, Georgia, Haverford, Indiana (IUPUI), North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, Pennsylvania (UPenn), Texas Christian (TCU), Virginia Tech, and also Colby College, Duke University Divinity School, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Lancaster Bible College, Princeton Theological Seminary, St. Paul School of Theology (Kansas City, Mo.), Trinity International University/Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and University of Toronto (Canada) and the Bavarian State Library (est. 1558, Munich, Germany). View all libraries at WorldCat.org, "the world's largest network of library content and services." (Relatedly, click here for a list of libraries that have purchased Book #1 so far.)

On another note . . . Book #1--An Uncommon Christian: James Brainerd Taylor, Forgotten Evangelist In America's Second Great Awakening (University Press of America, Jan. 2008)--had an entry in the May 2008 edition of Reference & Research Book News: The Bibliography of New Scholarly Books (Vol. 23, No. 2, page 35). Read here a digitalized version of the entry. Reference & Research Book News "focuses on reference and scholarly works in the social sciences and the humanities. Each quarterly issue carries over 3,000 titles (from several hundred publishers), arranged by subject (according to the Library of Congress classification scheme)." RRBN is an affiliate of Book News, Inc. (est. 1976), a company that "prepares concise, descriptive reviews of new books in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities—for librarians and other buyers of serious books."

Book 2 Released - Of Intense Brightness

Alas, Book 2--Of Intense Brightness: The Spirituality of Uncommon Christian James Brainerd Taylor--is released.

168 pages. 41 photos/halftones. Map. Index. Historical chronology and select bibliography (James Brainerd Taylor). Recommended reading list (Evangelical Protestant spirituality). 17 international endorsements.

Foreword by Canada's James M. Houston (M.A., Edinburgh; D.Phil., Oxford). Epilogue ("A special word to university and seminary students") by Australia's Peter Adam (Ph.D., Durham).

From the UCM website, you can read excerpts, a summary of its contents and its 17 international endorsements.

To view the book's page on the publisher's website (University Press of America [Lanham, Maryland]), click here.

For purchase options in U.S., Canada or overseas, click here.

A special THANKS to all those who partnered with me in this second publishing effort to preserve and reintroduce the Princeton University and Yale Seminary student-evangelist James Brainerd Taylor (1801-1829) and his Bible-based Uncommon Christianity--"eminently holy, self-denying, cross-bearing, Bible, everyday" Christianity--to the 21st-century global church, seminary and university.

Library Purchases, Book #1 (An Uncommon Christian)

Via the international WorldCat database--the world's largest network of library content and services--click here to view public, university, seminary and historical society libraries that have purchased An Uncommon Christian: James Brainerd Taylor, Forgotten Evangelist In America's Second Great Awakening.

So far, and among others, the university libraries at Baylor, Chicago, Drew, Duke, Emory, Fordham, Furman, Georgetown, George Mason, Georgia, Haverford, Indiana, McMaster (Ontario, Canada), North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, Nova Southeastern (Florida), Pennsylvania (UPenn), Samford, Southern Methodist (SMU), Winthrop, and others . . . Andover-Newtown Theological Seminary, Calvin College and Theological Seminary, Dallas Theological Seminary, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Harvard Divinity School, Lancaster Bible College and Graduate School, The Master's Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Yale Divinity School, Berlin State Library (est. 1661, Germany), Connecticut Historical Society, and New York Historical Society . . . have purchased the book.

Also, after it is released in June '08, patrons will be able to locate libraries that hold Book #2--Of Intense Brightness: The Spirituality of Uncommon Christian James Brainerd Taylor--via the WorldCat database. Click here.