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'''Baptists''' are a [[Christian]] denomination. Their largest organization, the [[Southern Baptist Convention]], has 16 million members and is an influential social and political group:<ref>http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/default.asp</ref>
+
'''Baptists''' are a [[Christian]] denomination. Their largest association, the [[Southern Baptist Convention]], is an influential social and political organization.<ref>http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/default.asp</ref>
 +
 
 
==History==
 
==History==
Historically, '''Baptists''' are descended primarily from the work of [[John Smyth]] (1554-1612) in [[England]]<ref>http://levellers.wordpress.com/2007/08/28/john-smyth-1570-1612-puritan-separatist-baptist-mennonite/</ref>  He fled to [[Holland]] due to persecution of the [[Anabaptists]], of which he was part.<ref>http://www.exlibris.org/nonconform/engdis/anabaptists.html</ref>  Baptists arrived in the American colonies, and became especially numerous in New England and Virginia. After 1800 the denomination grew rapidly. It split in 1845 over the issue of slavery. Many slaves were Baptists and at the end of the Civil War they withdrew from white churches and set up their own network of Baptists churches.
+
'''Baptists''' are descended primarily from the work of [[John Smyth]] (1554-1612) in [[England]]<ref>http://levellers.wordpress.com/2007/08/28/john-smyth-1570-1612-puritan-separatist-baptist-mennonite/</ref>  He fled to [[Holland]] due to persecution of the [[Anabaptists]], of which he was part.<ref>http://www.exlibris.org/nonconform/engdis/anabaptists.html</ref>  Baptists arrived in the American colonies and became especially numerous in New England and Virginia. After 1800 the denomination grew rapidly  but split in 1845 over the issue of slavery. Many slaves were Baptists and at the end of the Civil War they withdrew from white churches and set up their own network of Baptist churches.
  
The Baptist Bible Union was started in 1923 by prominent Fundamentalists including W. B. Riley, pastor of First Baptist Church, Minneapolis, T. T. Shields, Canadian Baptist pastor, and J. Frank Norris, of First Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas. Riley said the Union was founded to give "open, determined opposition to menacing modernism" in the
+
==Beliefs==
Northern and Southern Baptist Conventions. The union was of "inspirational character" for those who sought to purge liberalism from Baptist denominations.<ref>Leonard (1987) p. 506</ref>  
+
The following acrostic backronym, spelling BAPTIST, represents a useful summary of Baptists' distinguishing beliefs; this acrostic was created by Dr. L. Duane Brown.<ref>http://baptistbulletin.org/?p=13598</ref>
  
 +
* Biblical authority (Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
 +
* Autonomy of the local church (Matt. 18:15–17; 1 Cor. 6:1-3)
 +
* Priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:5-9; 1 Timothy 5)
 +
* Two ordinances (Believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper) (Acts 2:41–47; 1 Cor. 11:23-32)
 +
* Individual soul liberty (Romans 14:5–12)
 +
* Separation of Church and State (Matthew 22:15–22)
 +
* Two offices of the church (Pastor-elder and deacon) (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1–2)
  
== Baptist Denominations ==
 
Baptists generally lack a religious hierarchy, tradition, or texts other than the [[Bible]], and they stress [[evangelical]] work.
 
  
Baptist denominations include the more [[liberal]] [[American Baptist Churches]], based in northern states, and the much larger [[conservative]] [[Southern Baptist Convention]] (SBC). It is the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., and has churches in every stateSince its founding in 1845, the SBC has grown to over 16 million members in more than 42,000 churches in the United States.  The SBC sponsors about 5,000 home missionaries serving the United States, Canada, Guam and the Caribbean, as well as another 5,000 foreign missionaries at work in 153 countries.
+
Many Baptists consider the [[Bible]] to be inerrant and the literal word of God. Baptists are often opposed to [[gambling]] and the use of [[tobacco]] and [[Alcoholic drink|alcoholic beverages]].<ref>http://www.abpnews.com/2885.article</ref>  
  
Most African Americans belong to the National Baptist Convention, with 7.5 million members, or to the smaller but more liberal Progressive National Baptist Convention, with over 2000 churches and a total membership of 2.5 million.
+
With baptism, the individual acquires authority to determine matters of religion and [[faith]] for himself, or as part of a local congregation of believers. Although each Baptist is free to define his own beliefs, a revised collection of common principles held by Baptists was set forth by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000.<ref>http://www.sbc.net/bfm/</ref>
  
There are numerous smaller bodies, usually with long histories, such as the Calvinistic Baptists, General Baptists, Primitive Baptists, Old Regulars, Two Seeders, Independents, Lamarkeans, and Seventh Day Baptists.<ref> Leonard (2005)</ref>
+
Baptists differ from other Christian denominations doctrinally. The most obvious difference is that Baptists practice "Believer's Baptism," the belief that only born-again believers, not infants, can get baptized. In practice children are baptised at the age of 5 to 10.<ref>see Strategic Information and Planning Section, ''2001 Annual Church Profile Statistics:
 +
Number of Baptisms by Age Divisions'' (Nashville: LifeWay Christian Resources, April 22, 2002).</ref> This belief in "adult" baptism is also held by some other prominent Protestant churches, although the baptism of infants is customary in such Protestant bodies as the Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and Lutheran churches.
  
In addition many churches are independent; the independent Fundamentalist Baptists tend to be more conservative than either of these groups. Most independent churches were created in reaction to "worldliness, modernism, apostasy and compromise," often by a charismatic leader. They generally maintain a loose confederation of local congregations, promoting and funding independent missionaries and "church-planters, periodicals and Bible schools."<ref> Leonard (1987) p. 507 </ref>  
+
Another distinguishing characteristic is to be found in the area of church government. Baptists believe that Christ and only Christ is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23). There is no man who has the oversight of groups of Baptist churches. Baptists have no denomination in the sense of an organization that controls local congregations. Each local church is autonomous and accountable only to Christ, who is its Head. Finally, Baptists have always stood by the belief that the church should not be state controlled.<ref>[http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Believer's%20Corner/why_baptists_are_not_protestants.htm  Why Baptists are not Protestants by Dr. Vernon C. Lyons]</ref>
  
==Beliefs==
+
Some Baptists believe that the King James Version of the Bible is the only true word of God in the English language. This is because other versions, such as the New International Version, are based on corrupted manuscripts, and some verses are reworded in a way that changes the meaning or are omitted altogether.
They practice adult [[baptism]] which is done by immersion.<ref> In practice children are baptised at the age of 5 to 10; see Strategic Information and Planning Section, ''2001 Annual Church Profile Statistics:
+
Number of Baptisms by Age Divisions'' (Nashville: LifeWay Christian Resources, April 22, 2002). </ref> With that baptism, the individual acquires authority to determine matters of religion and [[faith]] for himself, or as part of a local congregation of believers.  Many Baptists consider the [[Bible]] to be inerrant and the literal word of God. Baptists are often opposed to [[gambling]] and the use of [[tobacco]] and [[Alcoholic drink|alcoholic beverages]].<ref>http://www.abpnews.com/2885.article</ref> 
+
  
Though each Baptist is free to define his own beliefs, a revised collection of common principles held by Baptists was set forth by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000.<ref>http://www.sbc.net/bfm/</ref>
+
== Baptist Denominations ==
 +
Baptists generally lack a religious hierarchy, tradition, or texts other than the [[Bible]], and they stress [[evangelical]] work.
 +
 
 +
Baptist denominations include the more [[liberal]] [[American Baptist Churches]], based in northern states, and the much larger [[conservative]] [[Southern Baptist Convention]] (SBC). It is the largest non-Catholic denomination in the U.S. and has congregations in every state.  Since its founding in 1845, the SBC has grown to over 16 million members in more than 42,000 churches in the United States.  The SBC sponsors about 5,000 home missionaries serving the United States, Canada, Guam and the Caribbean, as well as another 5,000 foreign missionaries at work in 153 countries.
 +
 
 +
More African-Americans belong to the National Baptist Convention, with 7.5 million members, than to any other church body. Others are members of the smaller but more liberal Progressive National Baptist Convention, which has over 2000 churches and a total membership of 2.5 million.
 +
 
 +
There are numerous smaller bodies, usually with long histories, such as the Calvinistic Baptists, General Baptists, Primitive Baptists, Old Regulars, Two Seeders, Independents, Landmarkeans (named after landmarks of doctrine), and Seventh Day Baptists.<ref>Leonard (2005)</ref>
 +
 
 +
The Baptist Bible Union was started in 1923 by prominent Fundamentalists including W. B. Riley, pastor of First Baptist Church, Minneapolis, T. T. Shields, Canadian Baptist pastor, and J. Frank Norris, of First Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas. Riley said the Union was founded to give "open, determined opposition to menacing modernism" in the Northern and Southern Baptist Conventions.  The union was of "inspirational character" for those who sought to purge liberalism from Baptist denominations.<ref>Leonard (1987) p. 506</ref>  
  
 +
In addition, many congregations are independent.  The independent Fundamentalist Baptists tend to be more conservative than any other of these groups.  Most independent churches were created in reaction to "worldliness, modernism, apostasy and compromise," often by a charismatic leader. They generally maintain a loose confederation of local congregations, promoting and funding independent missionaries and "church-planters, periodicals and Bible schools."<ref>Leonard (1987) p. 507</ref>
  
 
== Protestantism ==
 
== Protestantism ==
Baptists are generally grouped together with Protestants. This is used to mean that they are "non-Catholic". When used in this sense, it is true. However, Protestant Churches are limited only to Churches which separated from the Roman Catholic Church during the [[Protestant Reformation]], starting in 1517. Some Baptists (called Landmarkeans)  believe that Baptist history extends all the way back to the apostolic Church.<ref>[http://www.empirebaptistministries.org/church/articles/protestant.htm Jarrell's Baptist Perpetuity]</ref> [[Charles Haddon Spurgeon|C.H. Spurgeon]] told the story of Baptist minister, Peter of Bruys, who suffered martyrdom in 1124.<ref>[http://www.baptistbanner.net/baptist_history/baptist_history.html ''Baptists are Ancient''] by C.H. Spurgeon appeared in the August 1868 The Sword and the Trowel.</ref>[[The Waldensian Confession of Faith]] of 1120 A.D. is distinctively Baptist.<ref>[http://www.pbministries.org/History/Goodwin_&_Frazier/churches_02.htm ''Baptist Churches In All Ages'' by Paul Goodwin and Bob Frazier]</ref>  Few historians agree, and most scholars argue that Baptists originiated in England in the 17th century.
+
Baptists are generally considered to be Protestants. This normally means that they are "non-Catholic" Christians. When used in this sense, it is true. However, Protestant Churches are limited to Churches which separated from the Roman Catholic Church during the [[Protestant Reformation]], starting in 1517. Some Baptists (called Landmarkeans)  believe that Baptist history extends all the way back to the apostolic Church.<ref>[http://www.empirebaptistministries.org/church/articles/protestant.htm Jarrell's Baptist Perpetuity]</ref> [[Charles Haddon Spurgeon|C.H. Spurgeon]] told the story of Baptist minister, Peter of Bruys, who suffered martyrdom in 1124.<ref>[http://www.baptistbanner.net/baptist_history/baptist_history.html ''Baptists are Ancient''] by C.H. Spurgeon appeared in the August 1868 The Sword and the Trowel.</ref>[[The Waldensian Confession of Faith]] of 1120 A.D. is allegedly Baptist in tone.<ref>[http://www.pbministries.org/History/Goodwin_&_Frazier/churches_02.htm ''Baptist Churches In All Ages'' by Paul Goodwin and Bob Frazier]</ref>  Few historians agree with this historical theory, and most scholars argue that the Baptists originated in England during the 17th century.
  
Baptists also differ from most Protestants doctrinally. The most obvious being that Baptists only practice "Believer's Baptism", the belief, that only born-again believers, not infants, can get baptized. The other distinguishing belief is in the area of church government. Baptists believe that Christ and only Christ is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23). There is no man who has the oversight of Baptist churches. Baptists have no denomination in the sense of an organization that controls local congregations. Each local church is autonomous and accountable only to Christ, who is its Head. Finally Baptists have always stood by the belief that the church should not be state controlled.<ref>[http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Believer's%20Corner/why_baptists_are_not_protestants.htm Why Baptists are not Protestants by Dr. Vernon C. Lyons]</ref>
+
===Europe===
 +
European Baptist Federation (EBF) is a regional arm of the Baptist World Alliance. EBF has more than 800,000 Baptist members in 51 unions or conventions from Portugal to Russia. In 2009 it sponsored "Amsterdam 400," celebratting 400 years of Basptist history in Europe.
  
== Baptist Distinctives ==  
+
== Baptist Distinctives ==
 
Baptists have traditionally held to a set of beliefs that have developed into the Baptist Distinctives. The eight distinctives form the acrostic ''BAPTISTS''.
 
Baptists have traditionally held to a set of beliefs that have developed into the Baptist Distinctives. The eight distinctives form the acrostic ''BAPTISTS''.
  
Line 38: Line 54:
 
*''Two Ordinances'': The local church should practice the ordinance of baptism and the ordinance of the Lord's supper.
 
*''Two Ordinances'': The local church should practice the ordinance of baptism and the ordinance of the Lord's supper.
 
*''Individual Soul Liberty'': Every person has the liberty to choose what he believes is right in the religious realm. Religious persecution has always been opposed by Baptists. This does not, however, exempt exempt one from responsibility to the Word of God or from accountability to God Himself.
 
*''Individual Soul Liberty'': Every person has the liberty to choose what he believes is right in the religious realm. Religious persecution has always been opposed by Baptists. This does not, however, exempt exempt one from responsibility to the Word of God or from accountability to God Himself.
*''Saved, Baptized Church Membership'': Every member of a Baptist Church must be saved by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, and have publicly proclaimed their faith through believer's baptism.
+
*''Saved, Baptized Church Membership'': Every member of a Baptist church must be saved by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, and have publicly proclaimed their faith through believer's baptism.
 
*''Two Offices'': Baptists believe there are two offices in the church, Pastor and Deacon.
 
*''Two Offices'': Baptists believe there are two offices in the church, Pastor and Deacon.
 
*''Separation of Church and State'': God has established both government and the church. They fulfill two separate roles in society. The Church should not control the government, and likewise the government should not control the Church. This does not mean that individual Christians are prohibited from participating and influencing government toward righteousness.
 
*''Separation of Church and State'': God has established both government and the church. They fulfill two separate roles in society. The Church should not control the government, and likewise the government should not control the Church. This does not mean that individual Christians are prohibited from participating and influencing government toward righteousness.
  
== Baptist Music ==  
+
== Baptist Music ==
  
The music often heard in Baptist churches tends to be uplifting and hopeful, rather than the meritative mood often set in more liberal churches.  The lyrics also tend to focus on the afterlife (Heaven), putting one's life in God's hands, or the world after the return of [[Jesus Christ]].  Popular Baptist hymns include:
+
The music often heard in Baptist churches tends to be uplifting and hopeful, rather than the meritative mood often set in more liberal churches.  The lyrics also tend to focus on the afterlife (Heaven), putting one's life in God's hands, Christ's blood sacrifice on the cross, or the world after the return of [[Jesus Christ]].  Popular Baptist hymns include:
 
* "The Old Rugged Cross"
 
* "The Old Rugged Cross"
 
* "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms"
 
* "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms"
 
* "Amazing Grace"
 
* "Amazing Grace"
 
* "This Little Light of Mine"
 
* "This Little Light of Mine"
The most common instrumentation is piano and organ, often placed on either side of the church at the front, so that each play may see the other and the choir director at the same time.  If the organ console is not facing the place where the choir director stands, then a mirror will be installed so that the organist can see.  Occasionally, for special events, other instruments will be brought in.  These are usually classical instruments like strings, woodwinds, or brass (especially trumpet).  Electric guitars, basses, and drum sets are rare.  Larger churches, like First Baptist Dallas, will regularly include a small symphony orchestra with the piano and organ, but smaller churches simply use the two keyboard instruments.
+
The most common instrumentation is piano and organ, often placed on either side of the church at the front, so that each play may see the other and the choir director at the same time.  If the organ console is not facing the place where the choir director stands, then a mirror will be installed so that the organist can see.  Occasionally, for special events, other instruments will be brought in.  These are usually classical instruments like strings, woodwinds, or brass (especially trumpet).  Electric guitars, basses, and drum sets are rare.  Larger churches, like First Baptist Dallas, will regularly include a small symphony orchestra with the piano and organ, but smaller churches simply use the two [[Keyboard Instruments|keyboard instruments]].
 +
 
 +
Many Baptists are opposed to modern "worldly" music inside or outside of the church even if the lyrics mention God or Jesus Christ, and some Baptist colleges like [[Pensacola Christian College]] prohibit students from listening to any music other than traditional church music or classical music.<ref>http://www.pcci.edu/pathway/</ref> However, many moderate and left-leaning churches do accept Christian rock and some forms of secular music.
 +
 
 +
==Controversies==
 +
When [[Harvard University|Harvard's]] first president Henry Dunster abandoned Puritanism in favor of the Baptist faith in 1653, he provoked a controversy that highlighted two distinct approaches to dealing with dissent in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The colony's Puritan leaders, whose own religion was born of dissent from mainstream Church of England, generally worked for reconciliation with members who questioned matters of Puritan theology but responded much more harshly to outright rejection of Puritanism. Dunster's conflict with the colony's magistrates began when he failed to have his infant son baptized, believing, as a newly converted Baptist, that only adults should be baptized. Efforts to restore Dunster to Puritan orthodoxy failed, and his apostasy proved untenable to colony leaders who had entrusted him, in his job as Harvard's president, to uphold the colony's religious mission. Thus, he represented a threat to the stability of society. Dunster exiled himself in 1654 and moved to nearby Plymouth Colony, where he died in 1658.<ref>Timothy L. Wood, "'I Spake the Truth in the Feare of God': the Puritan Management of Dissent During the Henry Dunster Controversy," ''Historical Journal of Massachusetts'' 2005 33(1): 1-19,</ref>
  
 
==Famous Baptists==
 
==Famous Baptists==
Line 57: Line 78:
 
*[[Billy Graham]]
 
*[[Billy Graham]]
 
*[[Jimmy Carter]]
 
*[[Jimmy Carter]]
 +
*[[Bill Clinton]]
 +
*[[Buck Hatfield]]
 +
*[[Fred Phelps]] (denounced by most Baptist churches due to doctrines that conflict with mainstream Baptist beliefs)
 +
*[[Steven Anderson]]
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
Line 63: Line 88:
 
* [[Second Great Awakening]]
 
* [[Second Great Awakening]]
 
* [[Third Great Awakening]]
 
* [[Third Great Awakening]]
 +
* [[Liberty University]]
 +
* [[Pensacola Christian College]]
  
 
==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
Line 92: Line 119:
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
  
== External Links ==
+
== External links ==
 
* [http://www.baptisthistory.org/ Baptist History and Heritage Society]
 
* [http://www.baptisthistory.org/ Baptist History and Heritage Society]
 
* [http://www.abpnews.com/ Associated Baptist Press] - An Independent Baptist news agency
 
* [http://www.abpnews.com/ Associated Baptist Press] - An Independent Baptist news agency
Line 101: Line 128:
 
[[Category:Fundamentalism]]
 
[[Category:Fundamentalism]]
 
[[Category:Revivals]]
 
[[Category:Revivals]]
 +
[[Category:Baptists]]

Revision as of 02:33, December 4, 2017

Baptists are a Christian denomination. Their largest association, the Southern Baptist Convention, is an influential social and political organization.[1]

History

Baptists are descended primarily from the work of John Smyth (1554-1612) in England[2] He fled to Holland due to persecution of the Anabaptists, of which he was part.[3] Baptists arrived in the American colonies and became especially numerous in New England and Virginia. After 1800 the denomination grew rapidly but split in 1845 over the issue of slavery. Many slaves were Baptists and at the end of the Civil War they withdrew from white churches and set up their own network of Baptist churches.

Beliefs

The following acrostic backronym, spelling BAPTIST, represents a useful summary of Baptists' distinguishing beliefs; this acrostic was created by Dr. L. Duane Brown.[4]

  • Biblical authority (Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
  • Autonomy of the local church (Matt. 18:15–17; 1 Cor. 6:1-3)
  • Priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:5-9; 1 Timothy 5)
  • Two ordinances (Believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper) (Acts 2:41–47; 1 Cor. 11:23-32)
  • Individual soul liberty (Romans 14:5–12)
  • Separation of Church and State (Matthew 22:15–22)
  • Two offices of the church (Pastor-elder and deacon) (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1–2)


Many Baptists consider the Bible to be inerrant and the literal word of God. Baptists are often opposed to gambling and the use of tobacco and alcoholic beverages.[5]

With baptism, the individual acquires authority to determine matters of religion and faith for himself, or as part of a local congregation of believers. Although each Baptist is free to define his own beliefs, a revised collection of common principles held by Baptists was set forth by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000.[6]

Baptists differ from other Christian denominations doctrinally. The most obvious difference is that Baptists practice "Believer's Baptism," the belief that only born-again believers, not infants, can get baptized. In practice children are baptised at the age of 5 to 10.[7] This belief in "adult" baptism is also held by some other prominent Protestant churches, although the baptism of infants is customary in such Protestant bodies as the Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and Lutheran churches.

Another distinguishing characteristic is to be found in the area of church government. Baptists believe that Christ and only Christ is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23). There is no man who has the oversight of groups of Baptist churches. Baptists have no denomination in the sense of an organization that controls local congregations. Each local church is autonomous and accountable only to Christ, who is its Head. Finally, Baptists have always stood by the belief that the church should not be state controlled.[8]

Some Baptists believe that the King James Version of the Bible is the only true word of God in the English language. This is because other versions, such as the New International Version, are based on corrupted manuscripts, and some verses are reworded in a way that changes the meaning or are omitted altogether.

Baptist Denominations

Baptists generally lack a religious hierarchy, tradition, or texts other than the Bible, and they stress evangelical work.

Baptist denominations include the more liberal American Baptist Churches, based in northern states, and the much larger conservative Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). It is the largest non-Catholic denomination in the U.S. and has congregations in every state. Since its founding in 1845, the SBC has grown to over 16 million members in more than 42,000 churches in the United States. The SBC sponsors about 5,000 home missionaries serving the United States, Canada, Guam and the Caribbean, as well as another 5,000 foreign missionaries at work in 153 countries.

More African-Americans belong to the National Baptist Convention, with 7.5 million members, than to any other church body. Others are members of the smaller but more liberal Progressive National Baptist Convention, which has over 2000 churches and a total membership of 2.5 million.

There are numerous smaller bodies, usually with long histories, such as the Calvinistic Baptists, General Baptists, Primitive Baptists, Old Regulars, Two Seeders, Independents, Landmarkeans (named after landmarks of doctrine), and Seventh Day Baptists.[9]

The Baptist Bible Union was started in 1923 by prominent Fundamentalists including W. B. Riley, pastor of First Baptist Church, Minneapolis, T. T. Shields, Canadian Baptist pastor, and J. Frank Norris, of First Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas. Riley said the Union was founded to give "open, determined opposition to menacing modernism" in the Northern and Southern Baptist Conventions. The union was of "inspirational character" for those who sought to purge liberalism from Baptist denominations.[10]

In addition, many congregations are independent. The independent Fundamentalist Baptists tend to be more conservative than any other of these groups. Most independent churches were created in reaction to "worldliness, modernism, apostasy and compromise," often by a charismatic leader. They generally maintain a loose confederation of local congregations, promoting and funding independent missionaries and "church-planters, periodicals and Bible schools."[11]

Protestantism

Baptists are generally considered to be Protestants. This normally means that they are "non-Catholic" Christians. When used in this sense, it is true. However, Protestant Churches are limited to Churches which separated from the Roman Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation, starting in 1517. Some Baptists (called Landmarkeans) believe that Baptist history extends all the way back to the apostolic Church.[12] C.H. Spurgeon told the story of Baptist minister, Peter of Bruys, who suffered martyrdom in 1124.[13]The Waldensian Confession of Faith of 1120 A.D. is allegedly Baptist in tone.[14] Few historians agree with this historical theory, and most scholars argue that the Baptists originated in England during the 17th century.

Europe

European Baptist Federation (EBF) is a regional arm of the Baptist World Alliance. EBF has more than 800,000 Baptist members in 51 unions or conventions from Portugal to Russia. In 2009 it sponsored "Amsterdam 400," celebratting 400 years of Basptist history in Europe.

Baptist Distinctives

Baptists have traditionally held to a set of beliefs that have developed into the Baptist Distinctives. The eight distinctives form the acrostic BAPTISTS.

  • Biblical Authority: The Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. The Bible is inspired by God and bears the absolute authority of God Himself.
  • Autonomy of the Local Church: The local church is an independent body accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ. The church is autonomous, or self-governing. No religious hierarchy outside the local church may dictate a church's beliefs or practices.
  • Priesthood of the Believer: Every believer is a priest of God and may enter into His presence in prayer directly through our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. No other mediator is needed between God and people.
  • Two Ordinances: The local church should practice the ordinance of baptism and the ordinance of the Lord's supper.
  • Individual Soul Liberty: Every person has the liberty to choose what he believes is right in the religious realm. Religious persecution has always been opposed by Baptists. This does not, however, exempt exempt one from responsibility to the Word of God or from accountability to God Himself.
  • Saved, Baptized Church Membership: Every member of a Baptist church must be saved by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, and have publicly proclaimed their faith through believer's baptism.
  • Two Offices: Baptists believe there are two offices in the church, Pastor and Deacon.
  • Separation of Church and State: God has established both government and the church. They fulfill two separate roles in society. The Church should not control the government, and likewise the government should not control the Church. This does not mean that individual Christians are prohibited from participating and influencing government toward righteousness.

Baptist Music

The music often heard in Baptist churches tends to be uplifting and hopeful, rather than the meritative mood often set in more liberal churches. The lyrics also tend to focus on the afterlife (Heaven), putting one's life in God's hands, Christ's blood sacrifice on the cross, or the world after the return of Jesus Christ. Popular Baptist hymns include:

  • "The Old Rugged Cross"
  • "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms"
  • "Amazing Grace"
  • "This Little Light of Mine"

The most common instrumentation is piano and organ, often placed on either side of the church at the front, so that each play may see the other and the choir director at the same time. If the organ console is not facing the place where the choir director stands, then a mirror will be installed so that the organist can see. Occasionally, for special events, other instruments will be brought in. These are usually classical instruments like strings, woodwinds, or brass (especially trumpet). Electric guitars, basses, and drum sets are rare. Larger churches, like First Baptist Dallas, will regularly include a small symphony orchestra with the piano and organ, but smaller churches simply use the two keyboard instruments.

Many Baptists are opposed to modern "worldly" music inside or outside of the church even if the lyrics mention God or Jesus Christ, and some Baptist colleges like Pensacola Christian College prohibit students from listening to any music other than traditional church music or classical music.[15] However, many moderate and left-leaning churches do accept Christian rock and some forms of secular music.

Controversies

When Harvard's first president Henry Dunster abandoned Puritanism in favor of the Baptist faith in 1653, he provoked a controversy that highlighted two distinct approaches to dealing with dissent in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The colony's Puritan leaders, whose own religion was born of dissent from mainstream Church of England, generally worked for reconciliation with members who questioned matters of Puritan theology but responded much more harshly to outright rejection of Puritanism. Dunster's conflict with the colony's magistrates began when he failed to have his infant son baptized, believing, as a newly converted Baptist, that only adults should be baptized. Efforts to restore Dunster to Puritan orthodoxy failed, and his apostasy proved untenable to colony leaders who had entrusted him, in his job as Harvard's president, to uphold the colony's religious mission. Thus, he represented a threat to the stability of society. Dunster exiled himself in 1654 and moved to nearby Plymouth Colony, where he died in 1658.[16]

Famous Baptists

See also

Bibliography

  • Harrison, Paul M. Authority and Power in the Free Church Tradition: A Social Case Study of the American Baptist Convention Princeton University Press, 1959.
  • Heyrman, Christine Leigh. Southern Cross: The Beginnings of the Bible Belt (1997).
  • Isaac, Rhy. "Evangelical Revolt: The Nature of the Baptists' Challenge to the Traditional Order in Virginia, 1765 to 1775," William and Mary Quarterly, 3d ser., XXXI (July 1974), 345–68. in JSTOR
  • Johnson, Charles A. The Frontier Camp Meeting: Religion's Harvest Time (1955) online edition
  • Leonard, Bill J. Baptist Ways: A History (2003), comprehensive international history
  • Leonard, Bill J. Baptists in America. (2005), general survey and history by leading Southern Baptist
  • Leonard, Bill J. "Independent Baptists: from Sectarian Minority to 'Moral Majority'". Church History. Volume: 56. Issue: 4. 1987. pp 504+. online edition
  • Rawlyk, George. Champions of the Truth: Fundamentalism, Modernism, and the Maritime Baptists (1990), on Baptists in Canada.
  • Spain, Rufus. At Ease in Zion: Social History of Southern Baptists, 1865-1900 (1967)
  • Spangler, Jewel L. "Becoming Baptists: Conversion in Colonial and Early National Virginia" Journal of Southern History. Volume: 67. Issue: 2. 2001. pp 243+ online edition
  • Stringer, Phil. The Faithful Baptist Witness, Landmark Baptist Press, 1998.
  • Torbet, Robert G. A History of the Baptists, Judson Press, 1950.
  • Underwood, A. C. A History of the English Baptists. London: Kingsgate Press, 1947.
  • Wills, Gregory A. Democratic Religion: Freedom, Authority, and Church Discipline in the Baptist South, 1785–1900, (1997) online edition

Race

  • Gavins; Raymond. The Perils and Prospects of Southern Black Leadership: Gordon Blaine Hancock, 1884–1970 Duke University Press, 1977.
  • Harvey, Paul. Redeeming the South: Religious Cultures and Racial Identities among Southern Baptists, 1865–1925 University of North Carolina Press, 1997. online edition
  • Pitts, Walter F. Old Ship of Zion: The Afro-Baptist Ritual in the African Diaspora Oxford University Press, 1996.

Primary sources

  • McBeth, H. Leon, (ed.) A Sourcebook for Baptist Heritage (1990), primary sources for Baptist history.
  • McGlothlin, W. J. (ed.) Baptist Confessions of Faith. Philadelphia: The American Baptist Publication Society, 1911.
  • Underhill, Edward B. (ed.). Confessions of Faith and Other Documents of the Baptist Churches of England in the 17th century. London: The Hanserd Knollys Society, 1854.

References

  1. http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/default.asp
  2. http://levellers.wordpress.com/2007/08/28/john-smyth-1570-1612-puritan-separatist-baptist-mennonite/
  3. http://www.exlibris.org/nonconform/engdis/anabaptists.html
  4. http://baptistbulletin.org/?p=13598
  5. http://www.abpnews.com/2885.article
  6. http://www.sbc.net/bfm/
  7. see Strategic Information and Planning Section, 2001 Annual Church Profile Statistics: Number of Baptisms by Age Divisions (Nashville: LifeWay Christian Resources, April 22, 2002).
  8. Why Baptists are not Protestants by Dr. Vernon C. Lyons
  9. Leonard (2005)
  10. Leonard (1987) p. 506
  11. Leonard (1987) p. 507
  12. Jarrell's Baptist Perpetuity
  13. Baptists are Ancient by C.H. Spurgeon appeared in the August 1868 The Sword and the Trowel.
  14. Baptist Churches In All Ages by Paul Goodwin and Bob Frazier
  15. http://www.pcci.edu/pathway/
  16. Timothy L. Wood, "'I Spake the Truth in the Feare of God': the Puritan Management of Dissent During the Henry Dunster Controversy," Historical Journal of Massachusetts 2005 33(1): 1-19,

External links