On this episode of As You Go, we offer our first of hopefully many episodes digging into the history, beliefs, and practices of specific Christian denominations, in this case, the Baptists. Whether or not you consider yourself a Baptist, or affiliate in any way with a Baptist church, understanding the unique aspects of this roughly 400-year-old denominational tradition can help shed some light on our modern expressions of the Christian faith, from the way we organize church leaders, our views on the separation of church and state, and our perspectives regarding global mission efforts.

Bo sits down with senior pastor and long-time Baptist seminary professor Dr. Allen Jackson as well as lifelong Baptist and associate pastor Allen Taliaferro (the two Allens!) to review the basic history of the Baptist expression of faith, and examine the specific theological views that make up the core beliefs of Baptists today. They touch on a lot of things, from the purpose of baptism, to the Southern Baptist Convention's roots in American slavery, to why those Westboro Baptist Church jerks get to call themselves "Baptist."

If you have questions about this episode, or would like to share an experience of your own regarding the Baptist denomination (good or bad), you can contact us at podcast@dbc.org, through Twitter at @asyougopodcast, or via Facebook at facebook.com/asyougopodcast. We would love to hear from you and respond.