What does it truly mean to be a Baptist today-and does the tradition live up to its own ideals?

In this candid, wide-ranging conversation, activist filmmaker and ordained minister Ellin Jimmerson and radical pastor Jeff Hood examine the six core principles of Baptist life-soul competency, the priesthood of believers, the sufficiency of scripture, the autonomy of the local church, the separation of church and state, and baptism-and ask a pointed question: do Baptist churches actually practice what they preach?

Drawing on their own journeys through civil rights activism, LGBTQ ministry, liberation theology, and confrontations with denominational power, Jimmerson and Hood reveal both the liberating promise and the troubling failures of Baptist distinctives. From sexual abuse scandals shielded by "local church autonomy," to post-9/11 nationalism seeping into Sunday worship, to the silencing of ministers who dare to follow their conscience, this book is a frank reckoning with a tradition that has too often betrayed its own revolutionary roots.

Honest, prophetic, and often funny, Southern Baptist Distinctives is essential reading for anyone wrestling with what progressive, justice-oriented faith looks like in the American South-and beyond.