About This Book:
From the second century, until the beginning of the thirteenth
century, there was a group of Christians who were prominent
in southern France. I first came across this people when I was
a missionary in the city of Carcossone, France. You will know
them by the name Albigenses or Cathari. I call them by their
French name, Les Cathares.

The castle on the cover of this book is one of the many built
by this people to protect themselves from the Catholic
armies of France and Spain.

I had the privilege of visiting many of them, and of visiting the
Center of Cathare Studies in Carcassone. From these visits
I learned that they are some of our Baptist ancestors.

In this book you will learn where they came from, what they
believed, and why it is important to us today. You will learn
that without this people, there would be no America as we
know it.

It is my hope that this book will give you a better appreciation
of the contribution Baptists made to America. The freedoms we
enjoy have their roots in Baptist principles.

It is my hope that you will find this book both interesting and
informative. My desire is that it give you an appreciation for
who we are as Baptists.