Baptists are a group of Christian denominations Worldwide, Christians are divided, often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and another are defined by doctrine and church authority. Issues such as the nature of Jesus, the authority of apostolic succession, and papal primacy separate one denomination from another, churches, and individuals who subscribe to a theology Theology is the study of a god or, more generally, the study of religious faith, practice, and experience, or of spirituality of believer's baptism Believer’s baptism is the Christian practice of baptism as this is understood by many Protestant churches and those that descend from the Anabaptist tradition. A person is baptized on the basis of his or her profession of faith in Jesus Christ and as admission into a local community of faith. It may be contrasted to infant baptism (pedobaptism (as opposed to infant baptism Infant baptism or christening is the Christian religious practice of baptising infants or young children. In theological discussions, the practice is sometimes referred to as paedobaptism or pedobaptism from the Greek pais meaning "child." The practice is sometimes contrasted with what is called "believer's baptism", or), salvation through faith alone Sola fide , also historically known as the doctrine of justification by faith, is a Christianity theological doctrine that distinguishes most Protestant denominations from Catholicism, Eastern Christianity and some in the Restoration Movement, Scripture alone Sola scriptura is the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness. Consequently, sola scriptura demands that only those doctrines are to be admitted or confessed that are found directly within or indirectly by using valid logical deduction or valid deductive reasoning from scripture. However, sola scriptura as the rule of faith and practice, and the autonomy of the local church. They generally practice baptism by immersion (as opposed to affusion Affusion is a method of baptism where water is poured on the head of the person being baptized. The word "affusion" comes from the Latin affusio, meaning "to pour on" . Affusion is one of three methods of baptism, in addition to the greater wetting of total immersion and sprinkling, used by Christians. Christian denominations or sprinkling) and disavow authoritative creeds A creed is a statement of belief—usually religious belief or faith—often recited as part of a religious service. The word derives from the Latin: credo for "I believe" . A creed is sometimes referred to as a symbol (Greek: σύμβολο[ν], sýmbolo[n]), signifying a "token" by which persons of like beliefs might. Baptist churches are Protestant Protestantism is one of the four major divisions within Christianity together with the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Roman Catholic Church. The term is most closely tied to those groups that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation, and some churches or individuals further identify with evangelicalism Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian theological stream which began in Great Britain in the 1730s. Most adherents consider its key characteristics to be: or fundamentalism Fundamentalist Christianity, also known as Christian fundamentalism or fundamentalist evangelicalism, is a movement that arose mainly within British and American Protestantism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among conservative evangelical Christians, who, in a reaction to liberal theology, actively asserted that the following ideas were. Baptists recognize two ministerial offices, pastor-elders and deacons, but not bishops. Diverse from their beginning, those identifying as Baptists today differ widely from one another in what they believe, how they worship, their attitudes toward other Christians, and their understanding of what is important in Christian discipleship.^[1]

Historians trace the earliest Baptist church back to 1609 in Amsterdam, with English Separatist English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries John Smyth John Smyth was an early Baptist minister of England and a defender of the principle of religious liberty. Historians consider John Smyth as a founder of the Baptist denomination as its pastor.^[2] In accordance with his reading of the New Testament, he rejected baptism of infants and instituted baptism only of believing adults.^[3] Baptist practice spread to England. Here, the General Baptists considered Christ's atonement to extend to all people, while the Particular Baptists believed that it extended only to the elect.^[4] In 1639, Roger Williams established the first Baptist congregation in the American colonies.^[4] In the mid-1700s, the Great Awakening The Great Awakening refers to one of several period of rapid and dramatic religious revival in American religious history. They were characterized by widespread revivals led by evangelical Protestant ministers, a shart increase in interest in religion, a profound sense of guilt and redemption on the part of those affected, a jump in evangelical increased Baptist growth.^[4] Baptist missionaries have spread the church to every continent.^[3]

The Baptist World Alliance The Baptist World Alliance is a worldwide alliance of Baptist churches and organizations, formed in 1905 at Exeter Hall in London during the first Baptist World Congress reports more than 37 million members in more than 150,000 congregations.^[5] In 2002, there were over 100 million Baptists and Baptistic group members worldwide and over 33 million in North America.^[3] The largest Baptist association is the Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based, Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the US with over 16 million members and more than 42,000 churches, with over 16 million members.^[4]

Etymology

The term Baptist comes from the Greek Greek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical ancient Greek literature and the New Testament of word βαπτιστής (baptistés, "baptist," also used to describe John the Baptist John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River. John was an historical figure who followed the example of previous Hebrew prophets, living austerely, challenging sinful rulers, calling for repentance, and promising God's justice. John is regarded as a prophet in), which is related to the verb βαπτίζω (baptízo, "to baptize, wash, dip, immerse"), and the Latin Latin or sometimes Roman is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Although often considered a dead language, in view of the fact that it has no native, fluent speakers, Latin continues to be taught in schools and has been, and currently is, used in the process of new word production in modern languages from many baptista.

The term Baptist as applied to Baptist churches is a modification of the term Anabaptist Anabaptists (Greek ανα +βαπτιζω (baptize), thus "re-baptizers") are Christians of the Radical Reformation. This article describes the Anabaptists of 16th-century Europe and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Hutterites, and Mennonites (which means rebaptizer),^[6] and was used into the 19th century as a general epithet for churches which denied the validity of infant baptism, including the Campbellites, Mennonites The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders. The teachings of the Mennonites were founded on their belief in both the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ, which they held to with great and Schwarzenau Brethren or German Baptists The German Baptists have roots in Anabaptist theology and practice, generally speaking. German Baptists are not to be confused with Primitive, Separate, Southern, Particular, and all other mainline Baptist denominations who, although generally unified on rudimentary doctrines such as baptism, would have conflicting views in other areas, such as, who are not identified with modern day Baptists.^[7] The English Anabaptists were called Baptists as early as 1569.^[8] The name Anabaptist continued to be applied to English and American Baptists, even after the American Revolution.^[9]

Origins

Baptist Historian Bruce Gourley outlines four main views of Baptist origins, including the modern scholarly consensus that the denomination traces its origin to the 17th century via the English Separatists English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, as well as the view that it was an outgrowth of Anabaptist traditions, the perpetuity view which assumes that the Baptist faith and practice has existed since the time of Christ, and the successionist view which argues that Baptist churches actually existed in an unbroken chain since the time of Christ.^[2]

Outgrowth of English Separatism

The predominant view of Baptist origins is that Baptists came along in historical development in the century after the rise of the original Protestant denominations.^[10] It was a time of considerable political and religious turmoil. Both individuals and churches were willing to give up their theological roots if they became convinced that a more biblical "truth" had been discovered.^[11]

The Baptist faith originated from within the English Separatist English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries movement. Prior to the Protestant Reformation The Protestant Reformation was the European Christian reform movement that established Protestantism as a constituent branch of contemporary Christianity. It began in 1517 when Martin Luther published The Ninety-Five Theses, and concluded in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia that ended one hundred and thirty-one years of consecutive European, the Church of England The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches. The Church also extends to the Isle of Man via the Diocese of Sodor and Man, while the Channel Islands form part of the (Anglicans) had broken away from the Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with more than a billion members. The Church's leader is the Pope who holds supreme authority in concert with the College of Bishops of which he is the head. A communion of the Western church and 22 autonomous Eastern Catholic churches (called. Then came the mainstream Reformation.^[2] There were some Christians who were not content with the achievements of the mainstream Protestant Reformation.^[1][12] There also were Christians who were disappointed that the Church of England had not made corrections of what some considered to be errors and abuses. Of those most critical of the Church's direction, some chose to stay and try to make constructive changes from within the Anglican Church. They became known as "Puritans The Puritans were a significant grouping of English-speaking Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1559, as an activist movement within the Church of England. The designation "Puritan" is often" and are described by Gourley as cousins of the English Separatists English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Others decided they must leave the Church because of their dissatisfaction and became known as the Separatists.^[2]

Historians trace the earlist Baptist church back to 1609 in Amsterdam, with John Smyth John Smyth was an early Baptist minister of England and a defender of the principle of religious liberty. Historians consider John Smyth as a founder of the Baptist denomination as its pastor.^[2] Even prior to that, in 1606, John Smyth John Smyth was an early Baptist minister of England and a defender of the principle of religious liberty. Historians consider John Smyth as a founder of the Baptist denomination, a Fellow of Christ’s College, Cambridge, had broken his ties with the Church of England. Reared in the Church of England, he became "Puritan, English Separatist English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, and then a Baptist Separatist," and ended his days working with the Mennonites.^[11]:p.23 He began meeting in England with 60-70 English Separatists English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, in the face of "great danger."^[13] The persecution of religious nonconformists in England led Smyth to go into exile in Amsterdam Amsterdam (pronounced /ˈæmstərdæm/; Dutch [ɑmstərˈdɑm] ) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. The city, which had a population (including suburbs) of 1.36 million on 1 January 2008, comprises the northern part of the Randstad, the sixth-largest metropolitan with fellow Separatists from the congregation he had gathered in Lincolnshire, separate from the established church (Anglican). Smyth and his lay supporter, Thomas Helwys Thomas Helwys , an Englishman, was one of the joint founders, with John Smyth of the Baptist denomination, together with those they led, broke with the other English exiles because Smyth and Helways were convinced they should be baptized as believers. In 1609 Smyth first baptized himself and then baptized the others.^[12][14] In 1609, while still there, Smyth wrote a tract titled "The Character of the Beast," or "The False Constitution of the Church." In it he expressed two propositions: first, infants are not to be baptized; and second, "Antichristians converted are to be admitted into the true Church by baptism."^[11]:p.24 Hence, his conviction was that a scriptural church should consist only of regenerate believers who have been baptized on a personal confession of faith. He rejected the Separatist English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries movement's doctrine of paedobaptism.^[15][16] Shortly thereafter, Smyth left the group, and layman Thomas Helwys took over the leadership, leading the church back to England in 1611.^[2] Ultimately, Smyth became committed to believers' baptism as the only biblical baptism. He was convinced on the basis of his interpretation of Scripture that infants would not be damned should they die in infancy.^[11]:p.25

Smyth, convinced that his self-baptism was invalid, applied with the Mennonites The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders. The teachings of the Mennonites were founded on their belief in both the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ, which they held to with great for membership. He died while waiting for membership, and some of his followers became Mennonites. Thomas Helwys and others kept their baptism and their Baptist commitments.^[11]:p.25

The modern Baptist denomination is an outgrowth of Smyth's movement.^[12] Baptists rejected the name Anabaptist when they were called that by opponents in derision. McBeth writes that as late as the eighteenth century, many Baptists referred to themselves as "the Christians commonly—though falsely—called Anabaptists."^[17]

This view of Baptist origins has the most historical support and is the most widely accepted.^[2] Representative writers include William H. Whitsitt, Robert G. Torbet, Winthrop S. Hudson, William G. McLoughlin and Robert A. Baker. This position considers the influence of Anabaptists upon early Baptists to be minimal.^[2]

Influence of Anabaptists

This view holds that although Baptists originated from English Separatists English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, some early Baptists were influenced by some Anabaptists. According to this view, the Dutch Mennonites (Anabaptists) shared some similarities with General Baptists (believer's baptism, religious liberty, separation of church and state, and Arminian views of salvation, predestination and original sin). However, there were significant differences between Anabaptists and Baptists. Anabaptists tended towards extreme pacifism. They promoted communal sharing of earthly goods,^{[citation needed]} did not practice baptism by immersion, an unorthodox optimistic view of human nature^{[citation needed]}. Therefore, few Baptists hold to this theory of Baptist origins. Representative writers include A. C. Underwood and William R. Estep. Gorley writes that among some contemporary Baptist scholars who emphasize the faith of the community over soul liberty, the Anabaptist influence theory is making a comeback.^[2]

The relations between Baptists and Anabaptists were early strained. In 1624 the then five existing Baptist churches of London issued an anathema against the Anabaptists.^[18]. Today there is little dialogue between Anabaptist organizations (such and the Mennonite World Conference The Mennonite World Conference is a global community of Christian churches that facilitates community between Anabaptist-related churches and relates to other Christian world communions and organizations) and the Baptist bodies.^{[citation needed]}

Baptist belief in perpetuity

Prior to the 20th century, Baptist historians generally wrote from the perspective that Baptists had existed since the times of Christ.^[19] The Baptist perpetuity view considers the Baptist movement to have always been historically separate from Catholicism and in existence prior to the Protestant Reformation The Protestant Reformation was the European Christian reform movement that established Protestantism as a constituent branch of contemporary Christianity. It began in 1517 when Martin Luther published The Ninety-Five Theses, and concluded in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia that ended one hundred and thirty-one years of consecutive European.^[20] The historians who advocate this position consider Baptists and Anabaptists as one and the same people and point out that many Reformation era historians and apologists considered the Anabaptists to pre-date the Reformation.^[21]

Baptist historian John T. Christian (1854–1925), in the introduction to his history of the Baptist, wrote: "I have throughout pursued the scientific method of investigation, and I have let the facts speak for themselves. I have no question in my own mind that there has been a historical succession of Baptists from the days of Christ to the present time."^[22]

The perpetuity view is often identified with The Trail of Blood, a successionist pamphlet by J.M. Carrol published in 1931^[23] Other Baptist writers holding the perpetuity view are Thomas Crosby, G.H. Orchard, J.M. Cramp, William Cathcart, Adam Taylor and D.B. Ray^[24][25] This view was also held by English Baptist preacher, ^[26] as well as Jesse Mercer, the namesake of Mercer University.^[27]

Baptists in the UK

In 1612, Thomas Helwys established a Baptist congregation in London, consisting of congregants from Smyth's church.^[3] A number of other Baptist churches sprang up, and they became known as the General Baptists.^[3] The Particular Baptists were established when a group of Calivinist Separatists adopted believers' Baptism.^[3] The Baptists emphasized the autonomy of each congregation, with no spiritual authority recognized above a congregation's minister.^[3] The congregations maintained relations through associations, which continue to be vital to Baptist Church life.^[3]

Baptist numbers increased over the centuries, more than keeping pace with the rise in population.^[3] There still exist today in areas such as Plymouth Plymouth ( /ˈplɪməθ/ ) is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about 190 miles (310 km) south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound. Since 1967 the City of Plymouth has included the suburbs of Plympton and Plymstock, which very traditional Baptist sects, known as the strict baptists.

Baptists in North America

Both Roger Williams Roger Williams was an English theologian, a notable proponent of religious toleration and the separation of church and state and an advocate for fair dealings with Native Americans. In 1644, he received a charter creating the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, named for the principal island in Narragansett Bay and the Providence and John Clarke, his compatriot in working for religious freedom, are variously credited as founding the earliest Baptist church in North America.^[28] In 1639, Williams established a Baptist church in Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, and one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the estimated second or third largest citya[›] in the New England region. Despite the city proper only having an estimated population of 171,557 as of 2008, it, and Clarke began a Baptist church in Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about 30 miles south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War College, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center,. According to a Baptist historian who has researched the matter extensively, "There is much debate over the centuries as to whether the Providence or Newport church deserved the place of 'first' Baptist congregation in America. Exact records for both congregations are lacking."^[10]

The Great Awakening energized the Baptist movement, and the Baptist community experienced spectacular growth.^[3] Baptists became the largest Christian community in many southern states, including among the black population.^[3]

In 1845, the Baptists congregations in the United States split over the issue of slavery. The Baptists from the Southern states supported slaveholding, and when Northern Baptists tried to prevent slaveholders from being missionaries, the Southern Baptists formed a separate organization, the Southern Baptist Convention. The northern congregations later formed their own umbrella organization.

Baptist associations

Many Baptist churches choose to associate with associational groups that provide fellowship without control.^[3] The largest Baptist association is the Southern Baptist Convention, but there are many other Baptist associations. There are also autonomous churches that remain independent of any denomination, organization, or association.^[29]

In 1905, Baptists worldwide formed the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). The BWA now counts over 200 Baptist conventions and unions worldwide with over 37 million members.^{[citation needed]} The BWA's goals include caring for the needy, leading in world evangelism and defending human rights and religious freedom. Though it played a role in the founding of the BWA, the Southern Baptist Convention severed its affiliation with BWA in 2004.^[30]

Membership

Statistics

Today, 46 million Baptists belong to churches cooperating with the Baptist World Alliance. Many Baptist groups, including the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist Bible Fellowship do not cooperate with the Alliance. Their number can add up to a total of close to 100 million adherents in the world through 211 denominations, making Baptists the largest Protestant denomination in the world.^[31]

According to the Barna Group researchers, Baptists are the largest denominational grouping of born again Christians in the U.S.^[32] A 2009 ABCNEWS/Beliefnet phone poll of 1,022 adults suggests that fifteen percent of Americans identify themselves as Baptists.^[33]

Besides North America and Europe, large populations of Baptists also exist in Asia, Africa and Latin America, notably in India (2.4 million), Nigeria (2.5 million), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (1.9 million), and Brazil (1.7 million).^[31]

A large percentage of Baptists in North America are found in five bodies—the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC); National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. (NBC); National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.; (NBCA); American Baptist Churches in the USA (ABC); and Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI).^[34]

Qualifications

The primary external qualification for membership in a Baptist church is baptism.^[35] General Baptist churches will accept into membership people who have made a profession of faith but have not been baptized as a believer. These are included as members alongside baptized members in the statistics. Baptist churches do not have an age restriction on membership, but will not accept as a member a child who is considered too young to fully understand and make a profession of faith of their own volition and comprehension. In such cases, the pastor and parents usually meet together with the child to verify the child's comprehension of the decision to follow Jesus. There are instances where persons make a profession of faith but fail to follow through with believers' baptism. In such cases they are considered saved and usually eligible for membership. Baptists do not believe that baptism has anything to do with salvation. It is considered a public expression of one's inner repentance and faith.^[10]

Baptists believe that the act of baptism is a symbolic display of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.^[10] When a person who believes that he has already been saved and confessed Christ submits to scriptural baptism, he or she is publicly identifying with Christ in His death to old self, burial of past sinful thought and action, and resurrection in newness of life, to walk with Christ the remainder of their days.^[10]

Some churches, especially in the UK, do not require members to have been baptized as a believer, so long as they have made a believer's declaration of faith—for example, been confirmed in the Anglican church, or become communicant members as Presbyterians.^{[citation needed]} In these cases, believers would usually transfer their memberships from their previous churches. This allows people who have grown up in one tradition, but now feel settled in their local Baptist church, to fully take part in the day to day life of the church, voting at meetings, etc. It is also possible, but unusual, to be baptized without becoming a church member immediately.

Baptist beliefs and principles

Baptists, like other Christians, are defined by doctrine—some of it common to all orthodox and evangelical groups and a portion of it importantly distinctive.^[36] Through the years, different Baptist groups have issued confessions of faith—without considering them to be creeds—to express their particular doctrinal distinctions in comparison to other Christians as well as in comparison to other Baptists.^[37] Most Baptists are evangelical in doctrine, but Baptist beliefs can vary due to the congregational governance system that gives autonomy to individual local Baptist churches. Historically, Baptists have played a key role in encouraging religious freedom and separation of church and state.^[38]

Shared doctrines would include beliefs about one God; the virgin birth; miracles; atonement through the death for sins, burial, and bodily resurrection of Jesus; the Trinity; the need for salvation (through belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God, his death and resurrection, and confession of Christ as Lord); grace; the Kingdom of God; last things (Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth, the dead will be raised, and Christ will judge everyone in righteousness); and evangelism and missions. Some historically significant Baptist doctrinal documents include the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1742 Philadelphia Baptist Confession, the 1833 New Hampshire Baptist Confession of Faith, the Southern Baptist Convention's Baptist Faith and Message, and written church covenants which some individual Baptist churches adopt as a statement of their faith and beliefs.

Most Baptists hold that no church or ecclesiastical organization has inherent authority over a Baptist church. Churches can properly relate to each other under this polity only through voluntary cooperation, never by any sort of coercion. Furthermore, this Baptist polity calls for freedom from governmental control.^[39]

Exceptions to this local form of local governance include a few churches that submit to the leadership of a body of elders, as well as the Episcopal Baptists that have an Episcopal system.

Baptists generally believe in the literal Second Coming of Christ. Beliefs among Baptists regarding the "end times" include amillennialism, dispensationalism, and historic premillennialism, with views such as postmillennialism and preterism receiving some support.

Some additional distinctive Baptist principles held by many Baptists include the following:^[40]:p.2

• The supremacy of the canonical Scriptures as a norm of faith and practice. For something to become a matter of faith and practice, it is not sufficient for it to be merely consistent with and not contrary to scriptural principles. It must be something explicitly ordained through command or example in the Bible. For instance, this is why Baptists do not practice infant baptism—they say the Bible neither commands nor exemplifies infant baptism as a Christian practice, even though nowhere does the Bible forbid it. More than any other Baptist principle, this one when applied to infant baptism is said to separate Baptists from other evangelical Christians.
• Similarly prominent is their insistence on regenerate ("saved") members who have received Believers' Baptism. To Baptists, the "church universal" is the entire body of those who have personally become partakers of the salvation of Christ.
• Baptists believe that faith is a matter between God and the individual (religious freedom). To them it means the advocacy of absolute liberty of conscience.
• Insistence on immersion as the only mode of baptism. Baptists do not believe that baptism is necessary for salvation. Therefore, they do not consider it to be a sacrament, since it imparts no saving grace.^[40]

The following acrostic backronym, spelling BAPTIST, represents a useful summary of Baptists' distinguishing beliefs:^[41]

• 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)

Most Baptist traditions believe in the "Four Freedoms" articulated by Baptist historian Walter B. Shurden:^[37]

• Soul freedom: the soul is competent before God, and capable of making decisions in matters of faith without coercion or compulsion by any larger religious or civil body
• Church freedom: freedom of the local church from outside interference, whether government or civilian (subject only to the law where it does not interfere with the religious teachings and practices of the church)
• Bible freedom: the individual is free to interpret the Bible for himself or herself, using the best tools of scholarship and biblical study available to the individual
• Religious freedom: the individual is free to choose whether to practice their religion, another religion, or no religion; Separation of church and state is often called the "civil corollary" of religious freedom

Beliefs that vary among Baptists

Since there is no hierarchical authority and each Baptist church is autonomous, there is no official set of Baptist theological beliefs.^[42] Baptists have different divisions, sects, and groups. Although they agree on many things, their differences are enough to keep them apart. Despite some common doctrines and practices which characterize the greater part of Baptists, there are many beliefs and practices which vary from church to church and among associations. Some doctrinal issues on which there is widespread difference among Baptists are eschatology, Calvinism and Arminianism, the doctrine of separation from "the world" and whether to associate with those who are "of the world", glossolalia (speaking in tongues)^[43], how the Bible should be interpreted (hermeneutics), the extent to which missionary boards should be used to support missionaries, the extent to which non-members may participate in the Lord's Supper services, which translation of Scripture to use from the pulpit and in Bible classes (see King-James-Only movement),^[44] the very nature of Gospel, the role of women in marriage, and the ordination of women as deacons or pastors.^[45]

Some of the smaller Baptist groups are devoted to some peculiar traditional practice or doctrine.^{[citation needed]} Some Primitive Baptists practice the laying on of hands after baptism and footwashing, as do some Freewill Baptists. The Seventh Day Baptists insist biblical worship should be conducted on the traditional Sabbath (Saturday) rather than on Sunday. Landmarkism holds to strict closed communion wherein only the members of the church can participate in the Lord's Supper. On the other hand, some Baptists have embraced modernistic trends, such as The Alliance of Baptists which officially affirms homosexual relationships^[46]

Controversies which have shaped Baptists

Baptists have faced many controversies in their 400-year history, controversies of the level of crises. Baptist historian Walter Shurden says the word "crisis" comes from the Greek word meaning "to decide." Shurden writes that contrary to the presumed negative view of crises, some controversies that reach a crisis level may actually be "positive and highly productive." He claims that even schism, though never ideal, has often produced positive results. In his opinion crises among Baptists each have become decision-moments that shaped their future.^[47] Some controversies which have shaped Baptists are:

• Landmark crisis
• Missions crisis
• Modernist crisis
• Racial crisis

Missions crisis

Early in the 19th century, the rise of the modern missions movement, and the backlash against it, led to widespread and bitter controversy among the American Baptists.^[48] During this era, the American Baptists were split between missionary and anti-missionary. A substantial secession of Baptists went into the movement led by Alexander Campbell, to return to a more fundamental church.^[49]

Slavery crisis

Leading up to the American Civil War, Baptists became embroiled in the controversy over slavery in the United States. Whereas in the First Great Awakening, Methodist and Baptist preachers had opposed slavery and urged manumission, over the decades they made more of an accommodation with the institution. They worked with slaveholders in the South to urge a paternalistic institution. Both denominations made direct appeals to slaves and free blacks for conversion. The Baptists particularly allowed them active roles in congregations. By the mid-19th century, northern Baptists tended to oppose slavery. As tensions increased, in 1844 the Home Mission Society declared that a slave owner could not be a missionary under its patronage.

The Southern Baptist Convention formed in 1845, founded on the premise that the Bible sanctions slavery and that it is acceptable for Christians to own slaves. However the Southern Baptist Convention voted June 20, 1995, to adopt a resolution renouncing its racist roots and apologizing for its past defense of slavery. More than 20,000 Southern Baptists registered for the meeting in Atlanta. The resolution declared that messengers, as SBC delegates are called, "unwaveringly denounce racism, in all its forms, as deplorable sin" and "lament and repudiate historic acts of evil such as slavery from which we continue to reap a bitter harvest." It offered an apology to all African-Americans for "condoning and/or perpetuating individual and systemic racism in our lifetime" and repentance for "racism of which we have been guilty, whether consciously or unconsciously." Although Southern Baptists have condemned racism in the past, this was the first time the predominantly white convention had dealt specifically with the issue of slavery.

The statement sought forgiveness "from our African-American brothers and sisters" and pledged to "eradicate racism in all its forms from Southern Baptist life and ministry." The SBC was founded in 1845 in Augusta, Georgia, by Baptists in the South seceding from the national Triennial Convention of Baptists after that body decreed it would not appoint slaveholders as missionaries. Currently about 500,000 members of the 15.6-million-member denomination are African-Americans and another 300,000 are ethnic minorities. The racism resolution marked the denomination's first formal acknowledgment that racism played a role in its founding.^[50]

As early as the late 1700s black Baptists began to organize separate churches, associations and mission agencies, especially in the northern states. Many of the slaves were forced to remain members of the same churches with the whites up until the American Civil War. After emancipation, black Baptists generally separated from the white Baptists, as they wanted to establish their own institutions outside white supervision.^[51] Currently American Baptist numerical strength is greatest in the former slaveholding states. The Baptist faith is the predominant faith of African Americans.^[52]

Landmark crisis

Southern Baptist Landmarkism sought to reset the ecclesiastical separation which had characterized the old Baptist churches, in an era when inter-denominational union meetings were the order of the day.^[53]James Robinson Graves was the primary leader of this movement and one of the most influential Baptists of the 19th century.^[54] While some Landmarkers eventually separated from the Southern Baptist Convention, the movement's influence on the Convention continued well into the 20th century.^[55] Its influence continues to affect Convention policies. In 2005 the Southern Baptist International Mission Board forbade its missionaries to receive alien immersions for baptism.^[56]

The Modernist crisis

The rise of theological modernism in the latter 19th and 20th century also greatly affected the Baptists.^[57] The Landmark movement, already mentioned, has been described as a reaction against incipient modernism among Southern Baptists.^[58] In England, fought against modernistic views of the Scripture in the Downgrade Controversy.^[59]

The Northern Baptist Convention had internal conflict over modernism in the early 20th century, ultimately embracing it. Two new conservative associations were founded as a result: the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches in 1933 and the Conservative Baptist Association of America in 1947.^[60] Following similar conflicts over modernism, the Southern Baptist Convention adhered to conservative theology as its official position. Two new Baptist denominations were formed by former Southern Baptists who either embraced or favored toleration of the modernist approach to the Scripture: the radical Alliance of Baptists in 1987 and the moderately liberal Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in 1991.^[61]

See also

• List of Baptist denominations
• List of Baptist confessions
• List of Baptists

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Shurden, Walter (2001). "Turning Points in Baptist History". Macon, GA: The Center for Baptist Studies, Mercer University. http://www.centerforbaptiststudies.org/pamphlets/style/turningpoints.htm. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Gourley, Bruce. "A Very Brief Introduction to Baptist History, Then and Now." The Baptist Observer.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} "Baptists." Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005
4. ^ ^{a b c d} "Baptist." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
5. ^ "Member Body Statistics". Baptist World Alliance. May 30, 2008. http://www.bwanet.org/bwa.php?site=Resources&id=19. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
6. ^ Newman, Albert Henry (1894). A History of the Baptist Churches in the United States. Christian Literature. http://books.google.com/books?id=wCrmT5eki7YC. "This rejection of infant baptism and this insistence on believers' baptism were so distinctive of these Christians that they were stigmatized as Anabaptists, Catabaptists, and sometimes as simply Baptists; that is to say, they were declared to be "rebaptizers", "perverters of baptism", or, as unduly magnifying baptism and making it the occasion of schism, simply "baptizers"."
7. ^ "The Illustrated Book of All Religions From the Earliest Ages to the Present Time", Star Publishing Company, 1895.
8. ^ Christian, John T. A History of the Baptists. Broadman Press (1922, chapter 15,pages 205-206): "The word Baptists was used by a high official of the English government in the earlier days of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. That official was Sir William Cecil, afterwards Lord Burleigh, then the Secretary of State and especial adviser of the Queen. The date is March 10, 1569.". http://www.reformedreader.org/history/christian/ahob1/ahobp.htm.
9. ^ John T. Christian, History of the Baptists , volume I page 205 and volume II page 212|http://www.reformedreader.org/history/christian/ahob1/ahobp.htm
10. ^ ^{a b c d e} Brackney, William H. (2006). Baptists in North America: an historical perspective. Blackwell Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 1405118652.
11. ^ ^{a b c d e} Leonard, Bill J. (2003). Baptist Ways: A History. Judson Press. ISBN 978-0817012311.
12. ^ ^{a b c} Briggs, John. "Baptist Origins". Baptist History and Heritage Society. http://www.baptisthistory.org/contissues/briggs.htm. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
13. ^ Beale, David (2000). The Mayflower Pilgrims: roots of Puritan, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Baptist heritage. Emerald House Group. ISBN 978-1889893518.
14. ^ Traffanstedt, Chris. "A Primer on Baptist History". http://www.reformedreader.org/history/pbh.htm. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
15. ^ Nettles, Tom J. (Spring 2009). "Once Upon a Time, Four Hundred Years Ago...". Founders Journal (Founders Ministries) 76: 2–8. http://www.founders.org/journal/fj76/article1.html.
16. ^ Vedder, H. C.. "A Short History of the Baptists". The Reformed Reader. http://www.reformedreader.org/history/vedder/ch14.htm. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
17. ^ McBeth, H. Leon. "Baptist Beginnings". Baptist History and Heritage Society. http://www.baptisthistory.org/baptistbeginnings.htm. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
18. ^ Melton, J.G. Baptists in "Encyclopedia of American Religions". 1994
19. ^ Robert G. Torbet, A History of the Baptists, pages 18-19, Valley Forge: Judson Press - 1975)
20. ^ H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage, pages 59-60, Nashville: Broadman Press - 1987
21. ^ John T. Christian, History of the Baptists, Volume one, pages 83-282
22. ^ Christian, John T (vol.1, 1922; vol.2, 1926). A History of the Baptists. Broadman Press. http://www.reformedreader.org/history/christian/ahob1/ahobp.htm.
23. ^ H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage, pages 58-60, Nashville: Broadman Press - 1987.
24. ^ H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage, pages 59-60, Nashville, Broadman Press - 1987
25. ^ Robert Torbet, A History of the Baptists, page 18 Valley Forge: Judson Press - 1975
26. ^ The New park Street Pulpit, Volume VII, Page 225
27. ^ Jesse Mercer (1838), A History of the Georgia Baptist Association, pages 196-201, http://baptisthistoryhomepage.com/1811cl_mercer.html
28. ^ Newport Notables
29. ^ Moore, G. Holmes. "300 Years of Baptist History." Bible Baptist Church of St. Louis, MO, is an example of an independent Baptist church that has never been a denominational church in the sense of belonging to some convention or association. Web: 17 January 2010. [1]
30. ^ Cooperman, Alan (16 June 2004). "Southern Baptists Vote To Leave World Alliance". Washington Post: p. A4. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44658-2004Jun15.html. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
31. ^ ^{a b} http://www.cbwc.ca/content/view/7/10/
32. ^ "Catholics Have Become Mainstream America." July 9, 2007. Web: 16 January 2010. Born again Christians in U.S. (Barna defines Born again Christians as "people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.")
33. ^ Langer, Gary. "Poll: Most Americans Say They're Christian. Varies Greatly From the World at Large." 18 Jul 2009 Web: 16 January 2010. Poll: Most Americans Say They're Christian
34. ^ Albert W. Wardin, Baptists Around the World (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1995) p. 367
35. ^ Pendleton, J. M. (1867). Church Manual For Baptist Churches. The Judson Press. http://www.reformedreader.org/rbb/pendleton/churchmanual/bcm01.htm.
36. ^ Nettles, Thomas J.. "A Foundation for the Future: The Southern Baptist Message and Mission".
37. ^ ^{a b} Shurden, Walter B. (1993). The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms. Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys Publishing. ISBN 978-1880837207.
38. ^ "Baptists." Web: 17 January 2010
39. ^ Pinson, William M., Jr.. Trends in Baptist Polity. Baptist History and Heritage Society. http://www.baptisthistory.org/contissues/pinson.htm.
40. ^ ^{a b} Newman, Albert Henry (1915). A History of the Baptist Churches in the United States (3 ed.). Christian Literature. http://books.google.com/books?id=F38uAAAAYAAJ.
41. ^ Articles on Baptists beliefs, polity, ministries, practices, organizations, and heritage. The information is intended to be useful for Baptists and non-Baptists alike.
42. ^ Hammett, John and John S. Hammett.Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology. Kregel Publications, 2005. ISBN 978-0825427695
43. ^ "Position Paper Concerning the IMB Policy on Glossolalia." Florida Baptist Witness Web: 18 Mar 2010. http://www.gofbw.com/news.asp?ID=5592 Glossolalia
44. ^ "An Introduction to Bible Translations." Trinity Baptist Church Discipleship Training, April 2005. Web: 18 Mar 2010. An Introduction to Bible Translations
45. ^ Beck, Rosalie. "Response to 'The Ordination of Women Among Texas Baptists' by Ann Miller.” Perspectives in Religious Studies. Journal of the NABPR, Baylor University. Baptist General Convention of Texas. Web: 18 Mar 2010. [http://www.bgct.org/texasbaptists/Document.Doc?&id=3338 Response to “The Ordination of Women Among Texas Baptists”]
46. ^ http://www.allianceofbaptists.org/learn/resources/congregationalresources.
47. ^ Shurden, Walter B.. Crises in Baptist Life. http://www.baptistdistinctives.org/crises.pdf. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
48. ^ John T. Christian, History of the Baptists, volume 2 pages 404-420 (Nashville: Broadman Press - 1926
49. ^ John T. Christian, History of the Baptists, volume 2, pages 421-436 (Nashville: Broadman Press - 1926
50. ^ "SBC renounces racist past - Southern Baptist Convention." The Christian Century. July 5, 1995.
51. ^ Leroy Fitts, A History of Black Baptists, pages 43-106 (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press - 1985)
52. ^ Department of Geography and Meteorology, "Baptists as a Percentage of all Residents, 2000" Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana.
53. ^ Robert Ashcraft, Landmarkism Revisited, pages 84-85 (Ashcraft Publications, Mabelvale, Arkansas, 2003)
54. ^ Ben M. Bogard, Pillars of Orthodoxy, page 199 (Louisville: Baptist Book Concern - 1900)
55. ^ Smith, Handy & Loetscher, American Christianity: An Historical Interpretation With Representative Documents, Volume II: 1820-1960, page 110 (Charles Scribner's Sons - 1963)
56. ^ "Guideline on Baptism". International Mission Board. http://www.imb.org/main/news/details.asp?LanguageID=1709&StoryID=3837.
57. ^ Torbet, Robert G. (1975). A History of the Baptists. Valley Forge: Judson Press. pp. 424–445. ISBN 978-0817000745.
58. ^ History of the American Baptist Association, edited by Robert Ashcraft, pages 63-66 (Texarkana: History and Archives Committee of the American Baptist Association - 2000)
59. ^ Robert G. Torbet, A History of the Baptists, page 114 (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press - 1975).
60. ^ Robert G. Torbet, A History of the Baptists, pages 395 and 436 (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press - 1975).
61. ^ "CBF History".

References

• Gavins, Raymond. The Perils and Prospects of Southern Black Leadership: Gordon Blaine Hancock, 1884–1970. Duke University Press, 1977.
• Harrison, Paul M. Authority and Power in the Free Church Tradition: A Social Case Study of the American Baptist Convention Princeton University Press, 1959.
• Harvey, Paul. Redeeming the South: Religious Cultures and Racial Identities among Southern Baptists, 1865–1925 University of North Carolina Press, 1997.
• 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.
• Leonard, Bill J. Baptist Ways: A History (2003), comprehensive international history
• Life & Practice in the Early Church: A Documentary Reader, New York University press. 2001. pp. 5–7. ISBN 9780814756485.
• 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.
• Pitts, Walter F. Old Ship of Zion: The Afro-Baptist Ritual in the African Diaspora Oxford University Press, 1996.
• Rawlyk, George. Champions of the Truth: Fundamentalism, Modernism, and the Maritime Baptists (1990), Canada.
• Spangler, Jewel L. "Becoming Baptists: Conversion in Colonial and Early National Virginia" Journal of Southern History. Volume: 67. Issue: 2. 2001. pp 243+
• Stringer, Phil. The Faithful Baptist Witness, Landmark Baptist Press, 1998.
• Torbet, Robert G. A History of the Baptists, Judson Press, 1950.
• 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.
• 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, Oxford.

External links

• Baptists at the Open Directory Project

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