Dr Brian Talbot is the Minister of Broughty Ferry Baptist Church in Dundee, Scotland. In addition to his role at IBTS, Dr Talbot serves as Tutor and Examiner for the Greenwich School of Theology (UK) in partnership with North-West University South Africa.
My research interests would be focused on modern church history. They have included a range of comparative studies in themes in Baptist history in the English-speaking world from the seventeenth century to the present day; to overseas missionary work engaged in by Baptists from the United Kingdom over the last two centuries. I have also produced studies of individual Baptists in the United Kingdom for the British Particular Baptist series, with a particular focus on the witness of Baptists in Scotland. My most recent major volume was the 150th anniversary history of the Baptist Union of Scotland 1869-2019 published in 2021.
The Search for a Common Identity: The Origins of the Baptist Union of Scotland, 1800-1870 Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 2003
A Brief History of Central Baptist Association, 1909-2002 Glasgow: Baptist Union of Scotland, 2005
Standing on the Rock: A History of Stirling Baptist Church, 1805-2005 Stirling: Stirling Baptist Church, 2005
A Man sent from God The Life and Ministry of John T. Hamilton 1916-1999 Centre for
Baptist History and Heritage, Volume 7; Oxford: Regent’s Park College, 2011
Edited and wrote two chapters in A Distinctive People: Aspects of the Witness of Baptists in Scotland in the Twentieth Century Milton Keynes: Paternoster Press, 2014.
The ‘Fellowship of Trial’: Religious Rhetoric in World War One: The Sermons and
Poetry of Revd Walter Mursell Helensburgh: United Board History Project, 2017
Building on a Common Foundation: The Growth and Development of the Baptist Union of Scotland 1870-2000 2019 (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2021
Brian Talbot & Chance Faulkner (eds), Under the Mulberry tree: The correspondence
of Andrew Fuller and Christopher Anderson (West Lorne, Ontario: H & E Publishing, 2023
(Including Book Chapters)
‘The Scotch Baptists in Scotland and Wales, 1765-1842', in R. Pope (ed.), Religion and National Identity: Wales and Scotland c.1700-2000, Cardiff; University of Wales Press, 2001.
‘Baptists and the Scottish Commission of Enquiry on Religion, 1836-1838', Baptist Quarterly, 39.8, October 2002.
‘John Saffery 1763-1825', in M.A.G. Haykin (ed.), The British Particular Baptists 1638-1910, Vol.3, Springfield, Missouri: Particular Baptist Press, 2003.
‘“A Sharp Shrewd Scotchman”: David McLaren (1785-1850)’, Baptist Quarterly, 41.2, April 2005.
‘Forgotten in the Glory of God’: The Vision of George Barclay 1774-1838, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology, 23.1 (Spring 2005).
‘Fellowship in the Gospel’ a brief survey of Baptist relationships, in Baptist History and Heritage (U.S.A.), 40.1, Winter 2005.
‘Catching the Infection of his zeal’: Francis Johnston and the mid- Nineteenth Century Scottish Evangelical debate on the work of the Holy Spirit’, Pacific Journal of Baptist Research, April 2006.
‘United in Christ?’ Scottish Baptists and their Relationships with other Christian Churches, 1900-1945, American Baptist Quarterly, XXV.1, Spring 2006.
‘George Barclay (1774-1838), the founder-pastor’, in R. & D. Polland (eds) The History of Irvine Baptist Church, Irvine: Irvine Baptist Church, 2006.
Fellowship in the Gospel: Scottish Baptists and their Relationships with other Christian Churches, Evangelical Quarterly Vol.78, No.4, October 2006.
‘Unity and Diversity? Success and Failure amongst Baptists in Scotland prior to 1870’, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology, Vol.25, No.2, Autumn 2007.
‘The Fields are White unto Harvest but the Labourers are Few’: Baptists and Home Mission in the Nineteenth Century, primarily in the USA and the British Empire’, in A.R. Cross & I.M. Randall (eds), Baptists and Mission, Proceedings of ICOBS IV conference, Paternoster Press, 2008.
‘Writing the History of a Scottish Baptist Church, illustrated by the bicentenary history of
Stirling Baptist Church’, Scottish Archives, 14 (2008) The Journal of the Scottish Records Association
‘Competing Voices: Three Contrasting Approaches to the Development of a Distinctive Evangelical Identity amongst Baptists in Nineteenth Century Scotland’, a chapter in M. Smith (ed.), British Evangelical Identities, Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 2008.
‘Preserved from Erroneous Views?’ The Contribution of Francis Johnston as a Baptist voice in the Scottish Evangelical debate, in the mid-Nineteenth Century, on the work of the Holy Spirit’, in D.W. Roberts (ed.), Revival, Renewal and the Holy Spirit, Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 2009
‘William Quarrier: Philanthropist and Social Reformer’, Records of the Scottish Church History Society, Vol. XXXIX, 2009.
‘Baptists and other Christian Churches’, Perichoresis, 7.2 (2009). This is the theological journal of Emmanuel University of Oradea, Romania.
‘“Rousing the Attention of Christians”: Scottish Baptists and the Baptist Missionary Society prior to the Twentieth Century’, a chapter in J.H.Y. Briggs & A.R. Cross (eds), Baptists and the World: Renewing the Vision, papers from the Baptist Historical Society Conference, IBTS, Prague, 16-19 July 2008, (Oxford: Centre for Baptist history and Heritage, 2011).
‘The King James Bible: A Reflection on 400 Years of its history’, Evangelical Review of Theology, October 2011.
‘Baptists and other Christian Churches in the first half of the twentieth century’, in D.W. Bebbington & A.R. Cross (eds), Interfaces (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2013), the proceedings of the ICOBS V ‘Baptists and Others’ conference Melbourne, Australia.
‘The King James Bible and Baptists over 400 years’, American Baptist Quarterly, Vol. XXX No’s 1-2 (Spring-Summer 2011) – published March 2013.
‘Confronting the Powers: Baptists in Scotland and the Commonwealth Government’, a chapter in Anthony R. Cross and John H.Y. Briggs (eds), Freedom and the Powers: Perspectives from Baptist History marking the 400th Anniversary of Thomas Helwys' The Mystery of Iniquity (Didcot: The Baptist Historical Society, 2014)
‘Scottish Baptists and the First World War’, in Larry Kreitzer (ed.), Baptists and World War One (Oxford: Regent’s Park College, 2014).
‘Scottish Christian Commitment to the Great Commission: with a particular focus on Scottish Baptist missions in the early twentieth century’ Baptistic Theologies, 6.2 (2014), the proceedings of the Convictional Theologies Conference, International Baptist Theological Seminary, Amsterdam.
‘‘Seeing through a glass darkly’: Contrasting Interpretations of Scottish Baptist Identity in Nineteenth-Century Scotland’ in D. Weaver (ed.), “Mirrors and Microscopes: Historical Perceptions of Baptists.” (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2015).
‘Spreading the good news from Scotland: Scottish Baptists and Overseas Mission in the first three decades of the twentieth century’, a chapter in I.M. Randall, Peter Morden & Anthony R. Cross (eds), Pathways and Patterns in History: Essays to honour David Bebbington, Didcot: Baptist Historical Society & Spurgeon’s College, July 2015.
The King James Bible and Baptists over 400 years’, in Eron Henry (ed.), Baptist Faith and Witness Book 5: Paper of the Commission on Mission, Evangelism and Theological Reflection of the Baptist World Alliance 2010 to 2015 (2016)
“A larger outpouring of the Spirit of God”: British Baptists and the “1859 Revival”, with a particular focus on Scotland’ in W. Pitts (ed.), Baptists and Revival (Mercer University Press 2018)
‘Andrew Gifford (1700-1784)’ a chapter in Michael A.G. Haykin & Terry Wolever (eds), British Particular Baptists 1638-1910 Volume 4, 2018.
‘The Struggle for spiritual values': Scottish Baptists and the Second World War, article for Perichoresis 16.4 (Winter 2018), pp. 73-94; The Theological Studies Journal of Emmanuel University, Romania, December 2018.
‘George Barclay (1774-1838)’ a chapter in Michael A.G. Haykin & Terry Wolever (eds), British Particular Baptists 1638-1910 Volume 5, due out February 2020.
‘Archibald McLean (1733-1812)’ a chapter in Michael A.G. Haykin & Terry Wolever (eds), British Particular Baptists 1638-1910 Volume 5, due out February 2020.
‘Can Baptists be identified in the Twenty-first Century?’ in Joseph Early (ed.) A Festschrift In Honor Of Karen O’Dell Bullock Baptist History and Heritage Vol. LV No.1 (Spring 2020).
Brian R. Talbot, ‘Scottish Baptists and Temperance, 1829-1929’, in William L. Pitts Jr, (ed.), Baptists, Gospel, and Culture: Papers from the Eighth International Conference on Baptist Studies (2021)
‘Brian R. Talbot, ‘“Ideal Manhood”: The Early Twentieth-Century Perspective of Walter Mursell of Paisley, Scotland’ in Melody Maxwell & Laine Scales (ed.) Baptists and Gender (Mercer University Press forthcoming in 2023)
‘Baptists in Scotland and their publications in the long 20th Century’, for a volume in the online Religions Journal, a periodical of Samford University, Alabama, in the June 2022 issue ‘Christianity in Scotland in the 20th Century’ volume, Religions 2022, 13 (6), 564; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13060564
Brian R. Talbot, ‘Broughty Ferry Baptist Church’, in Graham Wightman (ed.), The Churches of Broughty Ferry (Broughty Ferry: BFCG, 2023)
‘Brian R. Talbot, ‘“Ideal Manhood”: The Early Twentieth-Century Perspective of Walter Mursell of Paisley, Scotland’ in Melody Maxwell & Laine Scales (ed.) Baptists and Gender (Mercer University Press, 2024)
’The Courage of Duty’: A contribution towards a Christian interpretation of the events of World War One from the sermons and poetry of Revd Walter Mursell, Minister of Thomas Coats Memorial Baptist Church, Paisley’ in Nonconformists, War and Peace in the Twentieth Century edited by Andrew Chandler and David Ceri Jones (Ashgate, due in 2024)
Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (2012 - present)
International Conference on Baptist Studies (Continuation Committee member, 2018 - present)
Monographs in Baptist History (Editorial Board, 2014 - present)
Pickwick Publications, Wipf & Stock (Editorial Board, 2014 - present)
American Baptist Historical Society
Baptist Historical Society (UK)
Baptist History and Heritage (USA)
Congregational History Society
Ecclesiastical History Society
Scottish Church History Society
Scottish Evangelical Theological Society
Strict Baptist Historical Society
United Reformed Church History Society
Current Projects
‘Scottish Baptists and their Sunday Schools’ for the ICOBS X conference July 2024
Scottish Baptists and overseas mission in the late twentieth century
The early stages of a proposed chapter in a volume on Baptist heritage and identity
Conference Papers Presented
June 2014 ‘Spreading the Good News from Scotland’ Conference on Modern British History, St Andrews University 10-11 June 2014.
October 2014 ‘Writing the History of a Scottish Baptist Church’, visiting lecturer, Glasgow University to trainee archivists, on 7 October 2014.
November 2014 ‘Scottish Christian Commitment to the Great Commission: with a particular focus on Scottish Baptist missions in the early twentieth century’ Convictional Theologies Conference, International Baptist theological Seminary, Amsterdam, 2-6 November 2014
November 2014 ‘Scottish Baptists prior to 1765’ at the Scottish Baptist History Project, Cupar, 15 November 2014
July 2015 ‘“A Larger Outpouring of the Spirit of God” Baptists in Scotland and the 1859 Revival’, at the International Conference on Baptist Studies, Manchester, 15-19 July 2015
October 2015 ‘“Maist horibill and absurd” or a genuine expression of the Christian faith? Baptists in Scotland prior to 1765’, for the Scottish Church History Society, Edinburgh
October 2016 ‘Writing the History of a Scottish Baptist Church’ to trainee archivists,
Glasgow University on 4 October 2016
October 2016 ‘The Fellowship of Trial’ Religious Rhetoric in World War One: The sermons of Revd Walter A Mursell of Thomas Coats Memorial Baptist Church, Paisley; for the Scottish Church History Society Conference Edinburgh
November 2016 ‘Go into all the World’: The Home Mission Strategies of Baptists in Scotland from the 1790s to 1870 at the Scottish Baptist History Project in Lochgilphead
Sept 2017 ‘The Fellowship of Trial’ Religious Rhetoric in World War One: The sermons of Revd Walter A Mursell of Thomas Coats Memorial Baptist Church, Paisley, the John Howard Shakespeare lecture for the United Navy, Army and Air Force Board, 2017
March 2018, ‘A Time to Advance: The Baptist Union of Scotland, 1869-1889’ for the Scottish Church History Society Spring Conference in Glasgow.
April 2018 ‘Branching Out: The Baptist Union of Scotland, 1890-1914’ for the Scottish Baptist History Project, Spring Day Conference, Edinburgh, April 2018.
July 2018 ‘The baneful effects of intoxication’: Scottish Baptists and the temperance movement in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, ICOBS 18-21 July, Baylor University, Texas.
November 2018 ‘Adjusting to a Changing World: Baptists in Scotland 1945-1960’ Scottish Baptist History Project St Andrews
March 2019 ‘Christian witness in an age of religious crisis: Scottish Baptists in the 1960s and 1970s’, Scottish Church History Society Dundee Conference.
July 2019 ‘Shoots of Recovery? Baptists in Scotland 1980 to1994’ Baptist Historical Society Summer Conference Birmingham England
October 2019 ‘Shoots of Recovery? Baptists in Scotland 1980 to1994’, Christianity and History Forum Edinburgh
November 2021 ‘Ideal Manhood’: The Early Twentieth Century Perspective of Walter Mursell of Paisley, Scotland, Scottish Church History Society online conference 13 November 2021