Christians in general have understood and shaped Jesus in different fashion with different results. They have shaped Jesus with meta- physical and theological speculation and affirmation, through historical-critical investigation and judgment, and by artistic and literary imagination. One particular way of shaping Jesus does not validate or invalidate other ways of shaping Jesus. Different shapings allowed different ways of mapping Jesus to the world, different ways of mapping human experience to the divine, and different ways of confessing Jesus as Lord.

For Baptists, Jesus is the focal point of a religious narrative rooted in the New Testament and continually expressed and re-expressed in congregational life and individual faith. More than four centuries of Baptists have focused on Jesus in their preaching, writing, confessing, witnessing, and living.

Renowned New Testament scholar Edgar McKnight traces the story of Jesus in Baptist life in an insightful and thoughtful fashion that scholars, ministers, and laity alike will find compelling. He demonstrates that in addition to drawing upon the testimony of the early church, Baptists have shaped Jesus in ways unique, creative, and diverse. Baptists and Their Contribution to the Shaping of Jesus speaks to the heartbeat of the Baptist faith.