The baptist Imagination of James McClendon

Abstract

James McClendon (1924-2000) left behind him a legacy that was both
decidedly ’baptist’,1 and thoroughly imaginative. This essay will explore
how these two attributes (baptistness and imagination) came together to
create a distinctive perspective for McClendon’s theology. To achieve this
task we will first explicate McClendon’s understanding of ‘baptist’ and
then come to a functional understanding of imagination. Finally we will
discuss McClendon’s baptist vision as an exemplification of his distinct
imagination