Those Dreaded Baptists

History

Once again, we look to England—and another separatist group that fell away from the Church of England

16th century

Some influence from Anabaptists, believers’ baptism only, immersion was the means, but of different origin

though largely Calvanistic in thought

The English Baptists founded by John Smyth 1570-1612

Famous Early Baptists

Spurgeon, b. 1834-dubbed “Prince of Preachers

John Gill, William Carey, John Bunyan

Three Major Points of Disagreement

Religious liberty—free from any state influence

A Biblical understanding of worship and the church

The church consists of regenerate believers admitted by baptism

Two Types of Baptists

General Baptists

Christ’s atonement was for all people

Particular Baptists

Christ’s death was only sufficient for the elect

Strictly reformed in this sense

Baptists in the New World

Not many until after Roger Williams established Rhode Island as a refuge for the free practice of religion and the First Baptist Church in America was founded c. 1638/9

All Baptist churches are independent, self-governing churches; this makes it difficult to paint a particular group with the same brush—more of the jello on trees

The Particular Baptists had a general head start on others, took the moniker of Regular Baptists, some of those have evolved into Reformed Baptists

Today we have Regular Baptists GARB, an association of independent churches, have a strong publishing arm—Regular Baptist Press

Free Will Baptists—holding a rather Arminian view point

American Baptists—personal experience, they lean to liberal causes and are egalitarian in polity; officially, they look to be solid, but much depends on individual churchs

Independent Baptists—interesting because they, too have their associations and linkages; often termed IFB…IFBX

Bible Baptists—very close in practice to the Independent Baptists; both tend towards legalism, highly evangelistic

NOTE: Something to yet be looked at: Fundamentalism

Primitive Baptists—within the realm of orthodoxy, strongly Calvanistic—almost to the point of universalism; simple worship—acappella singing only

Southern Baptists—that’s us

Linked together for the purpose of missions and evangelism; a complex organization; common thread is general adherence to the BFM 2000

Other Baptistic churches—multiple independent churches whose doctrine and polity is virtually indistinguishable from Baptist churches