Transcript The Baptists

BAPTIST HERITAGE
Introduction:
Distinctives
Polity
Focuses
Origins
Copyright 2007 NOBTS, Rex D. Butler and Lloyd A. Harsch
Baptist Distinctives
Baptist Distinctives
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Authority of the Bible
 Foundational
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Regenerate church membership
 Membership

authority for all matters of faith
is for believers only
Baptism by immersion
 The
local expression of one’s conversion is
believer’s baptism by immersion
Baptist Distinctives

Congregational polity
 Each
congregation is autonomous in
choosing its leaders and stating its beliefs
 No congregation can dictate the practice or
beliefs of another congregation
Baptist Distinctives
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Priesthood of the believer (soul competency)
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Religious freedom
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One can go directly to God without any human
mediator
Faith cannot be forced and the state should not
dictate matters of faith
Lordship of Christ

He rules objectively in the world and subjectively in
the lives of believers
Baptist Distinctives

Ordinances, not sacraments
A sacrament is a means by which God’s grace is
conveyed to you
 We follow in believer’s baptism and observe the
Lord’s Supper because God has ordained that we do so,
not because we receive a special measure of God’s grace
through participation in these activities
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Polity
Models

Hierarchical
Power and decisions flow from the top down
 Any decision made at a higher ecclesiastical level is
binding on all levels below it
 Examples are: Episcopal & Catholic Structures

Models

Representative
Congregation sends delegates to presbytery, which in
turn chooses delegates to the synod, etc.
 Any decision made at a higher ecclesiastical level is
binding on all levels below it
 Example: Presbyterian Denominations

Models

Congregational
Congregations voluntarily join together in
associations
 Decisions made by associations and/or conventions
are not binding on any congregation
 Example: Baptists & Congregationalists

Cooperative Methods Among
Baptists

Society
Made up of individuals whose membership is
based solely upon their contributions to the society
 Organized around a single issue or mission


Convention
Made up of individuals sent by financially
contributing churches
 No official connection to other entities (state
conventions are separate organizations from
associations or SBC)

Southern Baptist
Convention
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Associations
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State Conventions
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Composed of congregations which send
messengers
Composed of messengers sent by congregations
SBC

Composed of messengers sent by congregations
Focuses in Baptist Life
Focuses in Baptist Life
Doctrine – ultimate concern is correct
belief
 Experience – ultimate concern is how
one lives one’s faith
 While both of these two areas are
important to the Christian life,
individuals and groups tend to
emphasize one area more than the other
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Baptist Origins
Four Theories of Baptist Origins
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Succession Theories
Baptist Successionism
 Spiritual Kinship


Non-succession Theories
Outgrowth of English Separatism
 Anabaptist Influence or Dual Ancestry

Background
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Heated debate in mid-19th century
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Landmarkists
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Church of Christ claimed that it was the only true church
Many Baptists defected to Church of Christ, which was
becoming fastest growing Protestant denomination in America
Countered with claims that Baptists originated in first century
– even before Pentecost
There was an unbroken chain of organic succession from 1stcentury church to modern Baptist churches
W.H. Whitsitt

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President of Southern Seminary & church historian
Refuted Landmarkist claims; developed theory of Baptist
descent from English Separatism & was fired
Baptist Successionism
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Theory
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There has been unbroken succession of organized Baptist
churches from NT to present
Affirms that earlier Dissenters were Baptists under other names
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Donatists (4th century)
Cathari (11th century)
Waldensians (12th century)
Anabaptists (16th century)
Called “JJJ” Theory
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“Jesus-Jordan-John”
Baptists originated with John the Baptist; Jesus was baptized in the
Jordan; Jesus formed the first Baptist church & promised that it would
never vanish (Matt. 16:18)
Baptist Successionism

Advocates
Adam Taylor: 1818, The History of the English General
Baptists, identified John the Baptist as founder of
Baptist denomination
 G.H. Orchard: 1838, insisted that unbroken
successionism of Baptist churches is essential to
their validity today
 J.R. Graves (1823-93), leader of Landmarkism:
adopted this theory as hallmark of this movement
that portrayed Baptist church as only true
denomination
 J.M. Carroll (brother of B.H. Carroll, founder of
SWBTS): 1931, Trail of Blood popularized this theory

Baptist Successionism
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Problems
No evidence to support it
 Highly polemical; developed during intense
competition between denominations
 Claimed succession from groups that advocated
similar doctrines but differed in significant ways;
some groups were heretical
 No major contemporary historian supports this
theory
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Spiritual Kinship
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Theory
There has been a continuity of Baptist forms of
faith through the centuries
 Not an unbroken succession of organized Baptist
churches, but a continuity of Baptist teachings
 Dissenting groups outside the Roman Catholic
Church maintained teachings of New Testament in
an unbroken chain
 These teachings have always been similar to modern
Baptist faith and practice

Spiritual Kinship
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Advocates

Thomas Crosby: 1738-40, History of the English
Baptists, 4 vols.

Traced Baptist lineage through Celtic church, John
Wycliffe & Lollards
Joseph Ivimey in England; David Benedict in
America (both early 19th century)
 A.H. Newman of SWBTS

Spiritual Kinship
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Critique
These historians are on more solid ground than
successionists: Evangelicals did arise intermittently
through history of church
 However, supporters of both organic & spiritual
successionism “have wattled together twigs of any
kind to fill up remote chasms” (Robert Robertson,
Ecclesiastical Researches, 1792)
 The dissenting groups cited as Baptist churches
demonstrate little or no connection to Baptist faith
and practice
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Outgrowth of English Separatism
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Theory
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Modern Baptists emerged from English Separatism
in early 1600s
Separatists became Baptists as a result of reading the
English Bible & taking Separatist views to their logical
conclusion
 Founders of both General & Particular Baptists (John
Smyth & John Spilsbury) came from Separatism

Outgrowth of English Separatism
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Theory
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This theory highlights differences with Anabaptists
& minimizes their influence
Anabaptist influence/presence in England before 1600
was minimal
 Early Baptist leaders denied that they were Anabaptists,
rejecting their pacifism, opposition to government service
& their Christology
 It can be acknowledged that there was a connection
between Anabaptists & General Baptists, but General
Baptists did not constitute majority of early English
Baptists
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Outgrowth of English Separatism
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Advocates
W.H. Whitsitt (1841-1911) stirred up “Whitsitt
Controversy” with his discovery that English
Baptists began immersion in 1641; was fired as
president of Southern Seminary
 W.W. Whitley & Winthrop Hudson developed this
theory further
 Barry R. White & Robert A. Baker are more
recent advocates
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Anabaptist Influence or Dual Ancestry
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Theory
Supporters agree that Baptists emerged from
English Separatism
 But they also believe that Anabaptism prepared the
way for Separatism both in England and on the
continent
 Anabaptist refugees settled in London as evidenced
by persecution under Henry VIII & “Bloody Mary”
 Anabaptists influenced English Separatists by input
into teachings of Henry Barrow & Robert Browne

Anabaptist Influence or Dual Ancestry

Theory
John Smyth did not adopt believer’s baptism until
1609, after he came into contact with Mennonites in
Amsterdam
 Richard Blunt went to Netherlands in 1641 to
recover baptism by immersion from Mennonites
 Mainly, Anabaptists influenced General Baptists
directly & Particular Baptists only indirectly

Anabaptist Influence or Dual Ancestry

Advocates
A.C. Underwood: 1947, A History of the English
Baptists, said General Baptists represent sober
Mennonite form of Anabaptism
 Ernest A. Payne (1902-80), former General
Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain
 William R. Estep (1920-80), SWBTS
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Two Non-Succession Theories
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Critique
These two theories are very similar, disagreeing only
on the extent of Anabaptist influence on Baptist
origins
 Barry White & William Estep agree that English
Baptists descended from English Separatism
 They disagree on the extent of Anabaptists’
presence & influence in England after the 16th
century
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