Baptists historically have shared common beliefs, including believer's baptism, congregational governance, and separation of church and state. But Baptists also demonstrate significant variety. This book addresses the question of why Baptists differ in various parts of the world. A central component of the answer lies in part in the variety of cultures where Baptists have planted churches. In order to document the diversities, this study has intentionally sought contributions from Baptist scholars across the world, including Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, and eastern Europe as well as from western Europe and North America where Baptist presence is more common. Each contributor has selected a particular aspect of social context which has affected Baptist practice. The chapters document ways Baptists have encountered both challenges and opportunities presented by the differences in cultures across the world. Contributors include: David Bebbington, Terry Carter, Ivan Dias da Silva, Nathan Finn, Curtis Freeman, Rosalind Gooden, George Hancock-Stefan, Narola Imchen, Wado Kawthoolei, Adina Kelley, Samuel J. Kelley, Melody Maxwell, William L. Pitts Jr., Robert Pope, Constantine Prokhorov, Jake Raabe, David Rathel, Laine Scales, Stuart Sheehan, Malkhaz Songulashvilli, Brian Talbot, Valdis Teraudkalns, John Tucker, and Marina Xiaojing Wang.