So, for my history thesis, I'm tracing the connection between the prominence of metaphors in (Reformed) Baptist theology and the seventeenth century Baptists' involvement in the rise of the novel in England. John Bunyan, I'm looking at you. Anyways, researching this topic, which I might add is a wild goose chase because apparently nobody else has thought to write about Baptist literature, has led me to the figure of Benjamin Keach, otherwise known as the Reformed Baptist star of the late 1600's. He casually helped write the 1689 in addition to scandalizing everyone by saying we should sing hymns (in addition to psalms) in worship. He also had a crazy son, whose story will never cease to entertain me. You just can't make some of this stuff up.
Have you ever had one of those moments where you've just met someone, and after five minutes of talking, you realize you have everything in common? I'm kind of going through this with Keach. Not so much biographically, because, well, I'm not a male pastor-theologian from the 17th century. It's more that his collected works basically deal with all the big things I'm interested in studying: literature as a means of discussing theology, typology, covenant theology, poetry & worship.....I could go on, but I think that conveys the general idea. It's slightly weird to come across someone born 350 years before you who seems to have been on the same wavelength. Like you're playing a game of chess, and they're always one step ahead of you, but you're actually both on the same side anyways. He is now on my list of people I wish I could have a dinner party with. But since I can't have that any time soon, I kind of just want to go read everything he's written. You know, basic stuff.
The struggle is real. But really, it actually is, because I'm supposed to be writing my thesis right now, and I'm procrastinating by blogging. So the struggle is really real, and, well, you can see how that's going. 15 days before I walk....not that I'm counting or anything.
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