A leading exponent of the new moderate Calvinism that brought new life to many Baptists, John Rippon (1751-1836) helped unite Baptists during his lifetime. Reared in the West Country and trained at Bristol Academy, Rippon served for over sixty years at the London church where John Gill had been minister. Through his 'A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors', Rippon exerted a powerful influence on Baptist worship and devotional life. Through his Baptist Annual Register (1790-1802), the denomination's first periodical, Rippon recorded the denomination's growing maturity, encouraged a strong missionary commitment, and promoted links between Baptists in Britain and America. With a keen sense of English Protestant history, which he helped preserve, and an active leadership in many Baptist organizations, Rippon helped conserve the heritage of Old Dissent and stimulated the evangelicalism of the New Dissent.
