Difference between revisions of "Baptist Church" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:First Baptist Church Providence.jpg|thumb|The First Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island]]
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The '''Baptist Church''' is a [[Christian denomination]]—or group of denominations—that rejects the traditional practice of [[infant baptism]] and holds that followers of [[Jesus]] Christ are to be immersed in water as a conscious affirmation of their faith. The term Baptist has its origins with the European [[Anabaptists]] of the sixteenth century, but the modern Baptist denomination is more closely linked to the English Separatist movement of the seventeenth century.
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The focus of Baptist church services is the proclamation of the Gospel message through the weekly sermon. Organizationally, Baptist churches operate according to the [[Congregationalist polity|congregationalist]] governance system, giving autonomy to individual local churches. However, Baptist churches are often associated in denominational groups such as the [[Southern Baptist Convention]], [[National Baptist Convention, USA|National Baptist Convention USA]], [[Conservative Baptist Association of America]], [[American Baptist Churches USA]], or [[American Baptist Association|American Baptist Association (Landmark Baptists)]], among others. Baptists usually are considered [[Protestantism|Protestants]], although a minority of Baptists reject that term.
  
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The name of the '''Baptist church''' or Baptist [[Christian denomination|denomination]] comes from the conviction that followers of [[Jesus]] Christ are commanded to be immersed in water as a public display of their faith, and thus most adherents reject [[infant baptism]]. While the term Baptist has its origins with the [[Anabaptists]], the denomination itself is more closely linked to the English Separatist movement of the sixteenth century.
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==History==
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Baptists generally believe that the [[New Testament]] churches were of baptist character. In other words, Jesus and his disciples were all baptized by immersion as adults, and so were the members or the primitive Christian church. The modern-day Baptist churches are thus restorers of New Testament practices.
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[[Image:Thomas Muentzer.jpg|thumb|150px|left|[[Thomas Müntzer]], one of the founders of the Anabaptist movement.]]
  
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Organizationally, Baptist churches operate on the [[Congregationalist polity|Congregational]] governance system, giving autonomy to individual local Baptist churches. Baptists traditionally have avoided the "top-down" hierarchy of [[Episcopal polity|Episcopalianism]] which is found in the [[Roman Catholic]], [[Anglican]], and many other churches. However, Baptist churches will often associate in denominational groups such as the [[Southern Baptist Convention]], [[National Baptist Convention, USA|National Baptist Convention USA]], [[Conservative Baptist Association of America]], [[American Baptist Churches USA]], [[American Baptist Association|American Baptist Association (Landmark Baptists)]], among others.  
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The modern Baptist movement, however, is descended either from the sixteenth-century [[Anabaptists]] and/or from the English [[Separatists]] of the seventeenth century. The Anabaptists were comprised of widely scattered churches in Europe who rejected [[infant baptism]]. They therefore "re-baptized" their members as adults. Anabaptists held to many of the teachings of modern-day Baptists, such as [[believer's baptism]] by immersion and [[freedom of religion]].
  
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Baptists usually are considered [[Protestantism|Protestants]], although some Baptists reject that association.
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Some historians see the Anabaptists and Baptists as one and the same people. Others, pointing to differences between the Anabaptists of continental Europe and the English Baptists—such as the Anabaptists' commitment to [[pacifism]]—see the Anabaptists only as influencing the later Baptists, rather than being directly connected to them.
  
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Both [[Roger Williams (theologian)|Roger Williams]] and his compatriot in working for religious freedom, Dr. [[John Clarke (1609-1676)|John Clarke]], are variously credited as founding the earliest Baptist church in America.<ref>http://www.redwoodlibrary.org/notables/clarke.htm</ref> In 1639, Williams established a Baptist church in [[Providence, Rhode Island]] and Clarke began a Baptist church in [[Newport, Rhode Island]]. 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."<ref>Brackney, William H. (Baylor University, Texas). ''Baptists in North America: an historical perspective.'' Blackwell Publishing, 2006, p. 23. ISBN 1405118652</ref>
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The [[Separatists]] were English [[Protestants]] in the century who considered it their religious duty to separate completely from the Church of England, in contrast to other [[Puritans]] who sought to purify the Church of England from within. In 1608, to avoid persecution, [[John Smyth (1570-1612)|John Smyth]] led a group of separatists to the more tolerant [[Dutch Republic]] where a distinctive Baptist faith emerged among these English émigrés. Open debate among them, together with close contact and interaction with continental [[Anabaptists]], led the congregation to question the meaning and practice of [[baptism]]. John Smyth became convinced that baptism should be for conscious Christian believers only, and not for infants. The other English émigrés agreed. Meanwhile, [[Thomas Helwys]] and a dozen or so others began to formulate the earliest Baptist confessions of faith: 27 articles were included in "A Declaration of Faith of English people remaining at Amsterdam in Holland" (1611). Helwys and 12 Baptist émigrés returned to England, and in 1612 they founded a Baptist congregation in Spitalfields, [[London]]. They became known as the [[General Baptists]] and subscribed to an [[Arminian]] theology, which rejected Calvinistdoctrines of [[predestination]]. In 1616, [[Henry Jacob]] led a group of [[Puritans]] in England to establish the [[Particular Baptists]], with a more strictly [[Calvinist]] theology.
  
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===The Baptist churches in America===
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The person probably most responsible for the development of the modern Baptist denomination, however, was [[Roger Williams]]. In June 1636, Williams established the future town of [[Providence, Rhode Island]], where he later created perhaps the first Baptist congregation in America and also established the first [[colony]] committed to the principle of [[freedom of religion]]. In these circumstances, the Baptist doctrine, which was considered a [[heresy]] by [[Massachusetts]] [[Puritans]], flourished.
  
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Both [[Roger Williams (theologian)|Roger Williams]] and his compatriot in working for religious freedom, Dr. [[John Clarke (1609-1676)|John Clarke]], are variously credited as founding the earliest Baptist church in America. <ref>[http://www.redwoodlibrary.org/notables/clarke.htm Dr. John Clarke ]. ''www.redwoodlibrary.org''. Retrieved October 20, 2007.</ref> In 1639, Williams established a Baptist church in [[Providence, Rhode Island]] and Clarke began a Baptist church in [[Newport, Rhode Island]]. There is considerable debate as to which church was actually established first.<ref>William H. Brackney. ''Baptists in North America: an historical perspective.'' (Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 2006), 23.</ref>
  
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==History==
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In the next century, when the [[Great Awakening]] swept across the American countryside, it encouraged people to adopt a more independent stance with regards to religious matters. This proved beneficial for newer, more radical churches like the Baptists. The Baptists were an important force in establishing the principle of [[separation of church and state]] after the [[American Revolution]], and the Baptist denomination soon became a mainstream Christian church in the U.S., while its doctrine was still considered heretical in Europe.  
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Baptists generally believe that the [[New Testament]] churches were of baptist character. In other words, Jesus and his disciples were all baptized as adults, and so were the members or the primitive Christian church. The modern-day Baptist churches are thus restorers of New Testament practices.
 
  
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The modern Baptist movement, however, is descended either from the sixteenth-century [[Anabaptists]] and/or from the English [[Separatists]] of the seventeenth century. The Anabaptists were comprised of widely scattered churches in Europe who rejected [[infant baptism]]. They therefore "re-baptized" their members as adults. Anabaptists held to many of teachings of modern-day Baptists, such as [[believer's baptism]] by immersion and [[freedom of religion]].
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Baptists adopted an anti-creedal theology in which all authority stems from the [[Bible]]. Common characteristics include: baptism of mature adults rather than children, baptism via full [[immersion]], [[religious revivals]], and the independence of local churches. So strong was this independent streak that the first national Baptist organization in the United States was not created until 1814. In 1845, however, the American Baptists split over the issue of [[slavery]]. Several groupings of Baptist churches would soon emerge, but many remained unaffiliated as community churches.
  
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Some historians see the Anabaptists and Baptists as one and the same people. Others, pointing to differences between the Anabaptists of continental Europe and the English Baptists--such as the Anabaptists' commitment to pacifism—see the Anabaptists only as influencing the later Baptists, rather than being directly connected to them.
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===U.S. Baptist groups===
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The majority of Baptists worldwide reside in the [[United States]], an estimated 47 million. The majority of U.S. Baptists live in the southern United States, and the Baptist church has historically exerted a powerful influence in that region of the country. According to a poll in the 1990s, about one in five adults in the United States claims to be a Baptist. U.S. Baptists are represented in more than 50 separate groups. Ninety-two percent of Baptists are found in five of those 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 the [[Baptist Bible Fellowship International]] (BBFI).  
  
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The [[Separatists]] were English [[Protestants]] in the century who considered it their duty to totally separate from the Church of England (in contrast to other [[Puritans]] who sought to purify the Church of England from within). In 1608, to avoid persecution, [[John Smyth (1570-1612)|John Smyth]] led a group of separatists to the more tolerant [[Dutch Republic]] where a distinctive Baptist faith emerged among these English émigrés. Open debate among them, together with close contact and interaction with continental [[Anabaptists]], led the congregation to question the meaning and practice of [[baptism]]. John Smyth became convinced that baptism should be for conscious Christian believers only, and not for infants. The other English émigrés agreed. Meanwhile, [[Thomas Helwys]] and a dozen or so others began to formulate the earliest Baptist confessions of faith: 27 articles included in "A Declaration of Faith of English people remaining at Amsterdam in Holland" (1611). Helwys and 12 Baptist émigrés returned to England, and in 1612 they founded a Baptist congregation in Spitalfields, [[London]]. They became known as the [[General Baptists]] and subscribed to an [[Arminian]] theology, which rejected Calvinist doctrines of [[predestination]]. In 1616, [[Henry Jacob]] led a group of Puritans in England to establish the [[Particular Baptists]], with a more strictly [[Calvinist]] theology.
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Major Baptist organizations in the U.S. are:
  
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===Baptist independence===
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'''Southern Baptist Convention:''' The [[Southern Baptist Convention]] (SBC) is a U.S.-based denomination consisting of numerous agencies, including six seminaries, two mission boards, and a variety of other organizations. Established in 1845 in order to preserve a religious basis for human [[slavery]], the SBC originally did not interfere in other theological matters, but has grown to be among the most theologically conservative Baptist groups. It affirms a fundamentalist outlook toward the [[Bible]] and basic Christian doctrines, to which its member churches are supposed to adhere. There are more Southern Baptist congregations in America than of any other religious group, including the [[Roman Catholic Church]] (although in terms of members Catholics are far more numerous). The SBC claims to have more than 16.3 million members in 44,000 churches throughout the US.
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The person probably most responsible for the development of the modern Baptist denomination, however, was [[Roger Williams]] in Rhode Island in 1638. When the [[Great Awakening]] swept across the American countryside, it encouraged people to adopt a more independent stance with regards to religious matters. This proved beneficial for newer, more radical churches like the Baptists.  
 
  
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Baptists adopted an anti-creedal theology in which all authority stems from the Bible. Common characteristics include: baptism of mature adults rather than children, baptism via full [[immersion]], [[religious revivals]], and the independence of local churches.  
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'''National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.:''' Founded in 1886, the [[National Baptist Convention, USA]] (NBC) is not a denomination but a voluntary federation of churches. It is the nation’s oldest and largest [[African-American]] religious convention with an estimated membership of 7.5 million. The convention is defined by its ideal of voluntary [[membership]] and participation at both the organization and individual member levels. The Convention does not prescribe nor exercise administrative or doctrinal control over any of its membership; these matters are left for the attention of local [[organization]] and church authorities.
  
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So strong was this independent streak that the first national Baptist organization in the United States was not created until 1814. In 1845, however, the American Baptists split over [[slavery]]. Today there are several major Baptist groupings:
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[[Image:River baptism in New Bern.jpg|thumb|right|350px|A full-immersion river baptism in [[North Carolina]] at the turn of the twentieth century]]
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'''Southern Baptist Convention:''' Established in 1845 in order to preserve a religious foundation for human [[slavery]], it originally did not interfere in other theological matters, but has grown to be among the most theologically conservative Baptist groups and affirms a fundamentalist outlook toward the Bible to which its member churches are supposed to adhere.
 
  
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'''American Baptist Church:''' Originally known as the [[Northern Baptist Convention]], it was established in 1907. It is currently the fourth largest group of Baptists in the United States and it is also the most [[liberal]]. It consists of a federated body of otherwise independent churches which are united in their belief in adult baptism (by immersion) and the independence of local congregations.  
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'''National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.:''' [[The National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.]] (NBCA) is an [[African-American]] Baptist body organized in 1915, which separated from the larger NBC over the question of the independence of the convention's publishing board. With about 1,700,000 members in 6,716 churches, it is currently the second-largest black denomination in the United States, next to the [[Church of God in Christ]]. Along with other independent [[African-American Baptist churches]], its churches were founded by free slaves after the [[Civil War]] and have long played an important role in the political and social lives of [[African-Americans]].  
  
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'''National Baptist Convention:''' established in 1895, it is currently considered by some to be the largest black denomination in the United States. Along with other independent [[African-American Baptist churches]], it was created by free slaves after the [[Civil War]] and have long played an important role in the political and social lives of [[African-Americans]]. Freed slaves were attracted to Baptist churches because of their evangelistic zeal, accessible theology, and an ecclesiology that emphasized individual [[freedom]] (political and spiritual) from white authority.  
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'''American Baptist Churches USA:''' The [[American Baptist Churches USA]] (ABCUSA) is a  Baptist denomination with its headquarters in [[Valley Forge]], Pennsylvania. Originally known as the [[Northern Baptist Convention]], it was established in 1907. It is currently the fourth largest group of Baptists in the United States and it is also the most [[liberal]]. It consists of a federated body of otherwise independent churches which are united in their belief in adult baptism (by immersion) and the independence of local congregations. The ABCUSA is a member of the National Council of Churches and the [[Baptist World Alliance]]. In 2006, the denomination had approximately 1.4 million members in 5780 churches.
  
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'''Independent Baptist Churches:''' There are several million Baptists in America who are “unaccounted for.” This means that they are not members of a known Baptist organization. Baptists have traditionally been suspicious any [[ecumenical movements]] designed to mediate theological differences between [[denominations]], even when it comes to other Baptists, so it’s only to be expected that there will be Baptist churches who continue to be under the radar of religious surveys.  
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'''Baptist Bible Fellowship International:''' The [[Baptist Bible Fellowship International]] (BBFI) is an evangelical-fundamentalist Baptist organization formed in 1950 by members who separated from the [[World Baptist Fellowship]]. With headquarters in [[Springfield, Missouri]], the [[structure]] of BBFI makes it actually a fellowship of [[pastor]]s rather than churches. The stated purpose of the Fellowship is to obey both the letter and the spirit of the [[Great Commission]] of [[Matthew 28:18-20]]. The Fellowship owns the original [[Baptist Bible College]], as well as [[Boston Baptist College]].
  
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'''International Baptist Churches:''' Although Baptist churches can be found all over the [[world]], in most places they are not as well organized as they are in America. For the most part the individual churches are scattered widely—so much so, in fact, that it often makes more sense to talk about the [[continent]]—wide Baptist organizations rather than national or regional organizations. Even in [[England]], where modern Baptists got their start, their numbers have been reduced to a few tens of thousands.
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[[Image:Jerry Falwell portrait.jpg|thumb|The Reverend [[Jerry Falwell]] was a well known Baptist preacher. A member of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International in his early career, he later joined the Southern Baptist Convention.]]
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The one country outside of the United States where Baptists play a very public role is [[Russia]], but that is also the country where their position is the most vulnerable. Baptists believe in [[evangelization]] but the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] objects strongly to “outsiders” who take away adherents.
 
  
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Other Baptist groups include:
  
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*'''Alliance of Baptists:''' The [[Alliance of Baptists]] is a fellowship of Baptist churches and individuals espousing moderate-to-liberal theological and social stances. The Alliance was formed in 1987 by congregations in [[schism]] from the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] as a result of a controversy between fundamentalists and moderates in the 1980s. The Alliance maintains headquarters in Washington, D.C. As of 2007, some 125 congregations are affiliated with the Alliance; a preponderance of them are in southern Atlantic states such as Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. The Alliance is more sparsely found in the central South and Texas; in those areas, Alliance congregations are found almost exclusively in metropolitan areas.
  
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==Distinctive Beliefs==
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*'''American Baptist Association:''' Not to be confused with the American Baptist Churches USA, the [[American Baptist Association]] (ABA) is an association of independent [[Landmark Baptist church]]es. Most churches participate in local and state associations in addition to the national body. The numerical strength of the American Baptist Association is in the Old Southwest—Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas—but there are several churches in California, Florida, and other states. Landmark Baptists do not recognize the validity of churches which do not practice adult or "believer's baptism" by immersion. Many Landmark churches also reject the label "Protestant."
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The most distinctive doctrine of the Baptist churches if the rejection of infant baptism. Traditional churches, because of the doctrine of [[Original Sin]] affected even innocent children, baptize infants in order to prevent them from going the [[Hell]] in case of early death. Baptists insist that baptism is only for those who have come to faith through a conscious, voluntary commitment. Nowhere in the [[New Testament]], they point out, do we read of infants being baptized. Today, the controversy over infant baptism continues, with the Catholic church and and many Protestant denominations considering the absence on infant baptism in the Baptish churches to be a [[heresy]].
 
  
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Baptist churches do not have a central governing authority. Therefore, beliefs are not totally consistent from one Baptist church to another, especially beliefs that may be considered minor. However, on major theological issues, [[Baptist Distinctives|Baptist distinctive beliefs]] are held in common among almost all Baptist churches. Baptists share so-called "orthodox" Christian beliefs with most other moderate or conservative Christian denominations. These would include beliefs about one God, the [[virgin birth]] of [[Jesus]], his vicarious atoning death and bodily resurrection, the [[Trinity]], grace, the [[Kingdom of God]], the [[resurrection]] of the dead, [[evangelism]], and missions. Some historically significant Baptist doctrinal documents include the [[1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith]], 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. Baptists generally, but not in all cases, believe in the literal [[Second Coming]] of Christ and the [[Final Judgment]].
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*'''Baptist General Conference:''' The [[Baptist General Conference]] (BGC) is a national evangelical Baptist body with roots in Pietism in Sweden and inroads among evangelical Scandinavian-Americans, particularly persons located in the American Upper Midwest. The BGC has grown to a nation wide association of autonomous churches with at least 17 ethnic groups and missions in 19 nations. In 2006, the BGC had 194,000 members in 950 churches in the United States. There are a further 105 churches in Canada organized into 5 district bodies. These congregations cooperate together nationally through the Baptist General Conference of Canada.
  
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Most Baptist traditions also believe in the "Four Freedoms" articulated by Baptist historian Walter B. Shurden:<ref>Shurden, Walter B. ''The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms.'' Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 1993.</ref>
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*'''Conservative Baptist Association:''' The [[Conservative Baptist Association]] (CBA) emerged as part of the continuing fundamentalist/modernist controversy within the Northern Baptist Convention. The first organization of Conservative Baptists was the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society (CBFMS), now called WorldVenture, formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1943. The Conservative Baptist Association of America was organized in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1947. The Association now operates under the name CBAmerica. In 2003, the Association had over 1200 churches and over 200,000 members.
  
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*'''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
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[[Image:Ralph Abernathy.jpg|thumb|Reverend [[Ralph D. Abernathy]] was one of several major civil rights leaders who was a member of the Progressive National Baptist Convention.]]  
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*'''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)
 
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*'''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
 
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*'''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
 
  
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==Beliefs that vary among Baptists==
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*'''Cooperative Baptist Fellowship:''' The [[Cooperative Baptist Fellowship]] (CBF} is not a denomination but rather a fellowship of churches and Christians. Valuing autonomy and freedom, CBF does not have or exercise authority over its partnering churches and individuals. In opposition to the Southern Baptist insistence that only men be pastors, the belief that God calls both men and women into ministry was one of the founding principles of CBF. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship claims approximately 1,900 partner churches.
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Because of the importance of the priesthood of every believer, the centrality of the freedom of conscience a thought in Baptist theology, and due to the congregational style of church governance, doctrine varies greatly between one Baptist church and another (and among individual Baptists) especially on the following issues: [[Calvinism]]/[[Arminianism]],  [[doctrine of separation]], [[eschatology]], [[hermeneutics|hermeneutical]] method,[[homosexuality and Christianity|homosexuality]], [[ordination of women]], the extent to which [[mission (Christian)|missionary]] boards should be used to support missionaries, the extent to which non-members may participate in communion services, and the nature of law and [[Gospel]].
 
  
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===Theological, cultural, and political variety===
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*'''Progressive National Baptist Convention:''' The [[Progressive National Baptist]] Convention (PNBC) is a convention of African-American Baptists emphasizing civil rights and social justice. The PNBC has followed a path of political activism, supporting groups such as the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]] and methods such as affirmative action. The PBNC has partnered with the predominantly white American Baptist Churches in the USA since 1970 and is a member of the National Council of Churches and the Baptist World Alliance.
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As with all major denominational groups, Baptists have not escaped theological, cultural, and political controversy. The older Baptist associations of Europe, Canada, Australia, and the northern United States have assimilated influences of different schools of thought, but not without major debate and schisms. In England, [[Charles Haddon Spurgeon]] fought against what he saw as challenges to his strongly conservative point of view in the Downgrade Controversy. As part of the continuing [[fundamentalist]]/[[liberal Christianity|liberal]] controversy within the [[Northern Baptist Convention]], two new associations of conservative Baptists were formed—the [[General Association of Regular Baptist Churches]] in 1932 and the [[Conservative Baptist Association of America]] in 1947.
 
  
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Due to the prevalence of [[Landmarkism]] in the southern United States, with its emphasis on ecclesiastical separation and doctrinal rigidity and its cultural foundation in the South, Southern Baptists were not influenced as strongly by different biblical points of view, as were the Baptists in the northern United States and other countries.
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*'''Independent Baptist Churches:''' There are several million Baptists in America who are “unaccounted for.” This means that they are not members of a known Baptist organization. Baptists have traditionally been suspicious any [[ecumenical movements]] designed to mediate theological differences between [[denominations]], even when it comes to other Baptists, so it’s only to be expected that there will be Baptist churches who continue to be under the radar of religious surveys.
  
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Baptists have historically been sensitive to the introduction of theological error (from their perspective) into their groups. Beginning in the 1980s, there was a concerted effort among a determined group of fundamentalist Southern Baptists to purge what they considered to be a [[liberal]] influence from particularly its seminaries. There is far from general agreement that most of those purged were indeed liberals, many calling them "moderates" as opposed to [[liberals]]. This highly publicized "[[SBC Conservative Resurgence/Fundamentalist Takeover|SBC Conservative Resurgence/Fundamentalist Takeover]]" occasioned two new consortia of local churches being formed: the [[Cooperative Baptist Fellowship]] and the [[Alliance of Baptists]]. Some of the largest Southern Baptist state conventions, most notably those of Texas and Virginia, effectively resisted the takeover such that the more conservative group felt compelled to form in those states new conventions that agree with their particular conservative theological lines.
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===Baptists around the world===
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There are over 47 million Baptists outside of the United States, with worldwide congregations totaling nearly 300,000.  
  
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===Comparisons with other denominations===
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Large populations of Baptists exist in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, notably in [[India]] (2.4 million), [[Nigeria]] (2.3 million), [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (1.9 million), and [[Brazil]] (1.5 million). In [[England]], where modern Baptists got their start, their numbers have been reduced to a few tens of thousands.
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Baptists share certain emphasis with other groups such as [[evangelism]] and [[mission (Christian)|missions]]. While the general flavor of any denomination changes from city to city, this aspect of Baptist churches is much more prominent than in most [[Anglican]], [[Methodist]], [[Lutheran]], and [[Presbyterian]] churches.
 
  
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The [[Pacifism]] of the [[Mennonites]], [[Church of the Brethren]], and [[Quakers]] is not an ideal held by most Baptists today. English Baptists were prominent in Cromwell's army and Baptists played a significant role in the American Revolution as well as both sides in the American Civil War. Southern Baptists are predominant in the [[Bible Belt]] region of the United States, an area which also has a long history of military service and support. A few contemporary Baptists embrace the old Anabaptist doctrine of pacifism, such as The [[Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America]] which was organized in 1984.
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One country outside of the United States where Baptists play a very public role is [[Russia]]. However, they have also faced serious challenges there, due to opposition from the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], which considers them to be [[heretic]]s and also objects strongly to “outsiders” who take away adherents.
  
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In [[Australia]], the Baptist Union is very close to the [[Restoration Movement|Campbell-Stone]] [[Church of Christ]]. The two groups share similar theology, even sharing a Bible college.
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Additional countries where major Baptist ministries are found, include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, Spain, Czech Republic, Lebanon, Switzerland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Tanzania, France, Norway, Ukraine, Germany, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, and Romania.
  
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==Worship style==
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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. World conflicts made it impossible to hold to a strict five-year plan, but 19 Congresses have been held, London, 1905; [[Philadelphia]], 1911; [[Stockholm]], 1923; [[Toronto]], 1928; [[Berlin]], 1934; [[Atlanta]], 1939; [[Copenhagen]], 1947; [[Cleveland]], 1950; London, 1955; [[Rio de Janeiro]], 1960; [[Miami Beach]], 1965; [[Tokyo]], 1970; Stockholm, 1975; Toronto, 1980; [[Los Angeles]], 1985; [[Seoul]], 1990; [[Buenos Aires]], 1995; [[Melbourne]], 2000; and [[Birmingham, England]], 2005.
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[[Image:POCBaptist.JPG|thumb|Rural Baptist church in [[Port O'Connor, Texas]]]]The focus of Baptist church services is the proclamation of the Word of God through the weekly sermon.
 
  
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The general worship service is usually preceded by a time of [[Sunday School]] during which the people divide into separate classes (usually based on age) for study of the Bible. After the Sunday school, the whole church meets for a period of worship (though a growing number of churches have a separate worship service for the children). Some churches even have Sunday school after a service, but this is only in the case of a church having two or more services a day.
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Currently the Baptist World Alliance serves as a global fellowship of Baptists, uniting 210 Baptist groups that they claim represent over 47 million baptized believers in more than 200 countries.
  
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The worship service generally consists of a sermon preceded by a time of worship through singing. Prayers are offered intermittently throughout the service and an offering is usually taken sometime during the service. An "invitation" is usually offered after the sermon to allow public response to the message by confession of faith, request for baptism or church membership, or the expression of an intention to walk more closely with the Lord.
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==Distinctive Beliefs==
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[[Image:Bridges-baptism-062.jpg|thumb|250px|A young believer emerges from her baptism.]]
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[[Image:InfantBaptism.jpg|thumb|left|Baptists reject infant baptism on the grounds that membership in the Christian church must be made by a voluntary act of conscious faith.]]
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The most distinctive doctrine of the Baptist churches is the rejection of infant baptism. Traditional churches, because of the doctrine of [[Original Sin]] affected even innocent children, baptize infants in order to prevent them from going the [[Hell]] in case of early death. Baptists insist that baptism is only for those who have come to their faith through a conscious, voluntary commitment. Nowhere in the [[New Testament]], they point out, do we read of infants being baptized. Today, the controversy over infant baptism continues, with the Catholic church and many Protestant denominations considering the absence of infant baptism in the Baptist churches to be a [[heresy]].
  
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The music in Baptist churches varies from traditional hymns, to southern gospel, to the more contemporary rock and charismatic music styles.
+
Baptist churches do not have a central governing authority. Therefore, beliefs are not totally consistent from one Baptist church to another, especially beliefs that may be considered minor. However, on major theological issues, [[Baptist Distinctives|Baptist distinctive beliefs]] are held in common among almost all Baptist churches. Baptists share so-called "orthodox" Christian beliefs with most other moderate or conservative Christian denominations. These would include beliefs about one God, the [[virgin birth]] of [[Jesus]], his vicarious atoning death and bodily resurrection, the [[Trinity]], grace, the [[Kingdom of God]], the [[resurrection]] of the dead, [[evangelism]], and missions. Some historically significant Baptist doctrinal documents include the [[1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith]], 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. Baptists generally, but not in all cases, believe in the literal [[Second Coming]] of Christ and the [[Final Judgment]].
−
 
−
Baptist churches are careful to emphasize that worship is not limited to the Sunday gathering, but is a lifestyle of love and service to Christ and dedication to God's truth as revealed in the Scriptures. Most Baptist churches expect the members to carry the message of the gospel into the world among their family and friends.
 
  
 +
Most Baptist traditions also believe in the "Four Freedoms" articulated by Baptist historian Walter B. Shurden:<ref>Walter B. Shurden. ''The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms.'' (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing; Bilingual edition, 1997).</ref>
  
 +
*'''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
  
−
 
+
The label ''[[Protestant]]'' is rejected by some Baptists (primarily those in the Landmark movement) because in their view Baptists have existed separately since the early church days. Those holding this view maintain that Baptists have never been a part of the [[Roman Catholic Church]], and as such are not "protesting" against Catholicism. Further, they point out that Baptists have no direct connection to any of the Reformationists like [[Martin Luther|Luther]], [[John Calvin|Calvin]], or [[Huldrych Zwingli|Zwingli]].  
−
 
 
−
== Questions of labeling ==
 
−
Some Baptists object to the application of the labels ''[[Protestant]],'' ''[[religious denomination|denomination]],'' ''[[evangelicalism|Evangelical]]'', and even ''Baptist'' to themselves or their churches, while others accept those labels.
 
−
 
 
−
Some who reject the label ''Baptist'' prefer to be labeled as Christians who attend Baptist churches. Also, a recent trend (most common among [[megachurches]] and those embracing the "seeker movement") is to eliminate "Baptist" from the church name, as it is perceived to be a "barrier" to reaching persons who have negative views of Baptists, whether they be of a different church background or none. These churches typically include the word Community or other non-religious or denominational term in their church name.
 
−
 
 
−
Conversely, others accept the label ''Baptist'' because they identify with the distinctives they consider to be uniquely Baptist. They believe those who are removing the name "Baptist" from their churches are "compromising with the world" to attract more members. However, there are other church groups that hold to the beliefs listed above, that have never been known by the label ''Baptist,'' and also believe that these beliefs are not exclusive to the ''Baptist'' denomination.
 
−
 
 
−
The label ''[[Protestant]]'' is rejected by some Baptists (primarily those in the Landmark movement) because in their view Baptists have existed separately since the early church days. Those holding this view maintain that Baptists have never been a part of the [[Roman Catholic church]], and as such are not "protesting" against Catholicism. Further, they point out that Baptists have no direct connection to any of the Reformationists like [[Martin Luther|Luther]], [[John Calvin|Calvin]], or [[Huldrych Zwingli|Zwingli]].  
 
  
 
Other Baptists accept the ''Protestant'' label as a demographic concept that describes churches who share similar theologies of ''[[sola scriptura]],'' ''[[sola fide]],'' the priesthood of all believers and other positions that Luther, Calvin, and other traditional reformers held in contrast to the Roman Catholic Church in the 1500s.
 
Other Baptists accept the ''Protestant'' label as a demographic concept that describes churches who share similar theologies of ''[[sola scriptura]],'' ''[[sola fide]],'' the priesthood of all believers and other positions that Luther, Calvin, and other traditional reformers held in contrast to the Roman Catholic Church in the 1500s.
  
−
The label ''[[religious denomination|denomination]]'' is rejected by some because of the local autonomous governance system used by Baptist churches. Being a denomination is viewed by them as having a hierarchy that substitutes for the Roman Catholic Church. Another reason for the rejection of the label is the influence of the [[Restorationism|Restoration]] period on Baptist churches, which emphasized a tearing down of denominational barriers. Other Baptists accept the label, feeling that it does not carry a negative connotation but rather is merely a synonym for a Christian or religious group with common beliefs, organized in a cooperative manner to spread its beliefs worldwide.
+
==Worship style==
 +
The general worship service is usually preceded by a time of [[Sunday School]] during which the people divide into separate classes (usually based on age) for study of the Bible. After the Sunday school, the whole church often meets for a period of worship. However, a growing number of churches have a separate worship service for the children.
  
−
The label ''[[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]]'' is rejected by some fundamentalist Baptists who consider the term to describe a theological position that in their view is not fundamentalist enough, and conversely is also rejected by some liberal Baptists who consider the term to describe a theological position that in their view is too conservative. It is accepted by moderate Baptists who identify with the revival in the United States in the 1700s known as the [[First Great Awakening]]. Conversely, some Evangelicals reject the label [[fundamentalist]], believing it to describe a theological position that they consider too extreme and legalistic.
+
The [[worship]] service generally consists of a sermon preceded by a time of worship through singing. Prayers are offered intermittently throughout the service and an offering is usually taken sometime during the service. An "invitation" is usually offered after the sermon to allow public response to the message by confession of faith, request for [[baptism]] or church membership, or the expression of an intention to walk more closely with the Lord. The music in Baptist churches varies from traditional [[hymn]]s, to southern or Negro gospel, to the more contemporary rock and charismatic music styles.
 +
 +
Baptist churches are careful to emphasize that worship is not limited to the Sunday gathering, but is a lifestyle of love and service to [[Christ]] and dedication to God's truth as revealed in the Scriptures. Most Baptist churches expect the members to carry the message of the gospel into the world among their family and friends.
  
 
==Membership==
 
==Membership==
−
===Statistics===
+
Only those people who are baptized members of a local [[Baptist church]] are included in the total number of Baptists. Most Baptist churches do not have an age restriction on membership, but will not accept as a member a child that 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 a person makes a profession of faith, but fails to follow through with the believers' baptism. In such cases, they are considered "saved" but not a church member until baptized. If children and unbaptized congregants were counted, world Baptists may number over 120 million.
−
There are over 90 million Baptists worldwide in nearly 300,000 congregations, with an estimated 47 million members in the [[United States]]. Other large populations of Baptists also exist in Asia, Africa,and Latin America, notably in [[India]] (2.4 million), [[Nigeria]] (2.3 million), [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (DRC) (1.9 million),and [[Brazil]] (1.5 million).
 
−
 
 
−
Acording to a poll in the 1990s, about one in five in the United States claims to be a Baptist. American Baptists are represented in more than 50 separate groups. Ninety-two percent of Baptists are found in five of those 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).
 
−
 
 
−
===Qualifications===
 
−
Only those people who are baptized members of a local [[Baptist church]] are included in the total number of Baptists. Most Baptist churches do not have an age restriction on membership, but will not accept as a member a child that 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 a person makes a profession of faith, but fails to follow through with believers' baptism. In such cases, they are considered "saved" but not a church member until baptized. If children and unbaptized congregants were counted, world Baptists may number over 120 million.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
−
{{Reflist}}
+
<references/>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
−
*Hiscox, Edward T. ''Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches: A Guide to the Administration of Baptist Churches'', Kregel Classics, 1980. ISBN 978-0825428609
+
* Brackney, William H. ''Baptists in North America: an historical perspective.'' Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1405118652
−
*Hobbs, Herschel H. ''What Baptists Believe'', B&H Publishing Group, 1964. ISBN 978-0805481013
+
* Hiscox, Edward T. ''Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches: A Guide to the Administration of Baptist Churches.'' Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Classics Reprint Services, 1980. ISBN 978-0825428609
−
*Maring, Norman H. ''A Baptist Manual of Polity and Practice'', Judson Press, 1991. ISBN 978-0817011710
+
* Hobbs, Herschel H. ''What Baptists Believe.'' Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1964. ISBN 978-0805481013
−
*McNutt, William Roy. ''Polity and Practice in Baptist Churches'', The Judson Press, 1948. B000QXTH28
+
* Maring, Norman H. ''A Baptist Manual of Polity and Practice.'' Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1991. ISBN 978-0817011710
−
*Norman, R. Stanton. ''The Baptist Way: Distinctives of a Baptist Church'', B&H Publishing Group, 2005. ISBN 978-0805431520
+
* McNutt, William Roy. ''Polity and Practice in Baptist Churches.'' Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press; [Rev.] edition, 1959. ASIN B0006AVY4A
 +
* Norman, R. Stanton. ''The Baptist Way: Distinctives of a Baptist Church.'' Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2005. ISBN 978-0805431520
 +
* Shurden, Walter B. ''The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms.'' Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing; Bilingual edition, 1997. ISBN 978-1573120227
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
−
*[http://www.baptist-ministries.org/ A comprehensive independent Baptist Church Web Portal and Church Search Engine]
+
All links retrieved September 20, 2023.
−
*[http://www.abc-usa.org/abhs/ American Baptist Historical Society]
+
 
−
*[http://www.baptisthistory.org/ Baptist History and Heritage Society]  
+
*[http://www.baptist-ministries.org/ A comprehensive independent Baptist Church Web Portal and Church Search Engine]. ''www.baptist-ministries.org''.
−
*[http://www.baptistbecause.com/ Doctrinal and Historical Information on Baptists]
+
*[http://www.baptisthistory.org/ Baptist History and Heritage Society]. ''www.baptisthistory.org''.
−
*[http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo200/religion/baptist.gif Map of USA showing Percentage of Baptist Population in each county]
+
*[http://www.baptistbecause.com/ Doctrinal and Historical Information on Baptists]. ''www.baptistbecause.com''.
−
*[http://www.baptiststudiesonline.com/ various resources and services, including ''The Journal of Baptist Studies,'' a peer-reviewed, electronic journal]
+
*[http://www.baptiststudiesonline.com/ Baptist Studies Online]. ''www.baptiststudiesonline.com''.
  
  

Latest revision as of 07:57, 20 September 2023

The First Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island

The Baptist Church is a Christian denomination—or group of denominations—that rejects the traditional practice of infant baptism and holds that followers of Jesus Christ are to be immersed in water as a conscious affirmation of their faith. The term Baptist has its origins with the European Anabaptists of the sixteenth century, but the modern Baptist denomination is more closely linked to the English Separatist movement of the seventeenth century.

The focus of Baptist church services is the proclamation of the Gospel message through the weekly sermon. Organizationally, Baptist churches operate according to the congregationalist governance system, giving autonomy to individual local churches. However, Baptist churches are often associated in denominational groups such as the Southern Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention USA, Conservative Baptist Association of America, American Baptist Churches USA, or American Baptist Association (Landmark Baptists), among others. Baptists usually are considered Protestants, although a minority of Baptists reject that term.

History

Baptists generally believe that the New Testament churches were of baptist character. In other words, Jesus and his disciples were all baptized by immersion as adults, and so were the members or the primitive Christian church. The modern-day Baptist churches are thus restorers of New Testament practices.

Thomas Müntzer, one of the founders of the Anabaptist movement.

The modern Baptist movement, however, is descended either from the sixteenth-century Anabaptists and/or from the English Separatists of the seventeenth century. The Anabaptists were comprised of widely scattered churches in Europe who rejected infant baptism. They therefore "re-baptized" their members as adults. Anabaptists held to many of the teachings of modern-day Baptists, such as believer's baptism by immersion and freedom of religion.

Some historians see the Anabaptists and Baptists as one and the same people. Others, pointing to differences between the Anabaptists of continental Europe and the English Baptists—such as the Anabaptists' commitment to pacifism—see the Anabaptists only as influencing the later Baptists, rather than being directly connected to them.

The Separatists were English Protestants in the century who considered it their religious duty to separate completely from the Church of England, in contrast to other Puritans who sought to purify the Church of England from within. In 1608, to avoid persecution, John Smyth led a group of separatists to the more tolerant Dutch Republic where a distinctive Baptist faith emerged among these English émigrés. Open debate among them, together with close contact and interaction with continental Anabaptists, led the congregation to question the meaning and practice of baptism. John Smyth became convinced that baptism should be for conscious Christian believers only, and not for infants. The other English émigrés agreed. Meanwhile, Thomas Helwys and a dozen or so others began to formulate the earliest Baptist confessions of faith: 27 articles were included in "A Declaration of Faith of English people remaining at Amsterdam in Holland" (1611). Helwys and 12 Baptist émigrés returned to England, and in 1612 they founded a Baptist congregation in Spitalfields, London. They became known as the General Baptists and subscribed to an Arminian theology, which rejected Calvinistdoctrines of predestination. In 1616, Henry Jacob led a group of Puritans in England to establish the Particular Baptists, with a more strictly Calvinist theology.

The Baptist churches in America

The person probably most responsible for the development of the modern Baptist denomination, however, was Roger Williams. In June 1636, Williams established the future town of Providence, Rhode Island, where he later created perhaps the first Baptist congregation in America and also established the first colony committed to the principle of freedom of religion. In these circumstances, the Baptist doctrine, which was considered a heresy by Massachusetts Puritans, flourished.

Both Roger Williams and his compatriot in working for religious freedom, Dr. John Clarke, are variously credited as founding the earliest Baptist church in America. [1] In 1639, Williams established a Baptist church in Providence, Rhode Island and Clarke began a Baptist church in Newport, Rhode Island. There is considerable debate as to which church was actually established first.[2]

In the next century, when the Great Awakening swept across the American countryside, it encouraged people to adopt a more independent stance with regards to religious matters. This proved beneficial for newer, more radical churches like the Baptists. The Baptists were an important force in establishing the principle of separation of church and state after the American Revolution, and the Baptist denomination soon became a mainstream Christian church in the U.S., while its doctrine was still considered heretical in Europe.

Baptists adopted an anti-creedal theology in which all authority stems from the Bible. Common characteristics include: baptism of mature adults rather than children, baptism via full immersion, religious revivals, and the independence of local churches. So strong was this independent streak that the first national Baptist organization in the United States was not created until 1814. In 1845, however, the American Baptists split over the issue of slavery. Several groupings of Baptist churches would soon emerge, but many remained unaffiliated as community churches.

U.S. Baptist groups

The majority of Baptists worldwide reside in the United States, an estimated 47 million. The majority of U.S. Baptists live in the southern United States, and the Baptist church has historically exerted a powerful influence in that region of the country. According to a poll in the 1990s, about one in five adults in the United States claims to be a Baptist. U.S. Baptists are represented in more than 50 separate groups. Ninety-two percent of Baptists are found in five of those 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 the Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI).

Major Baptist organizations in the U.S. are:

Southern Baptist Convention: The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a U.S.-based denomination consisting of numerous agencies, including six seminaries, two mission boards, and a variety of other organizations. Established in 1845 in order to preserve a religious basis for human slavery, the SBC originally did not interfere in other theological matters, but has grown to be among the most theologically conservative Baptist groups. It affirms a fundamentalist outlook toward the Bible and basic Christian doctrines, to which its member churches are supposed to adhere. There are more Southern Baptist congregations in America than of any other religious group, including the Roman Catholic Church (although in terms of members Catholics are far more numerous). The SBC claims to have more than 16.3 million members in 44,000 churches throughout the US.

National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.: Founded in 1886, the National Baptist Convention, USA (NBC) is not a denomination but a voluntary federation of churches. It is the nation’s oldest and largest African-American religious convention with an estimated membership of 7.5 million. The convention is defined by its ideal of voluntary membership and participation at both the organization and individual member levels. The Convention does not prescribe nor exercise administrative or doctrinal control over any of its membership; these matters are left for the attention of local organization and church authorities.

A full-immersion river baptism in North Carolina at the turn of the twentieth century

National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.: The National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. (NBCA) is an African-American Baptist body organized in 1915, which separated from the larger NBC over the question of the independence of the convention's publishing board. With about 1,700,000 members in 6,716 churches, it is currently the second-largest black denomination in the United States, next to the Church of God in Christ. Along with other independent African-American Baptist churches, its churches were founded by free slaves after the Civil War and have long played an important role in the political and social lives of African-Americans.

American Baptist Churches USA: The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a Baptist denomination with its headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Northern Baptist Convention, it was established in 1907. It is currently the fourth largest group of Baptists in the United States and it is also the most liberal. It consists of a federated body of otherwise independent churches which are united in their belief in adult baptism (by immersion) and the independence of local congregations. The ABCUSA is a member of the National Council of Churches and the Baptist World Alliance. In 2006, the denomination had approximately 1.4 million members in 5780 churches.

Baptist Bible Fellowship International: The Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI) is an evangelical-fundamentalist Baptist organization formed in 1950 by members who separated from the World Baptist Fellowship. With headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, the structure of BBFI makes it actually a fellowship of pastors rather than churches. The stated purpose of the Fellowship is to obey both the letter and the spirit of the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20. The Fellowship owns the original Baptist Bible College, as well as Boston Baptist College.

The Reverend Jerry Falwell was a well known Baptist preacher. A member of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International in his early career, he later joined the Southern Baptist Convention.

Other Baptist groups include:

  • Alliance of Baptists: The Alliance of Baptists is a fellowship of Baptist churches and individuals espousing moderate-to-liberal theological and social stances. The Alliance was formed in 1987 by congregations in schism from the Southern Baptist Convention as a result of a controversy between fundamentalists and moderates in the 1980s. The Alliance maintains headquarters in Washington, D.C. As of 2007, some 125 congregations are affiliated with the Alliance; a preponderance of them are in southern Atlantic states such as Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. The Alliance is more sparsely found in the central South and Texas; in those areas, Alliance congregations are found almost exclusively in metropolitan areas.
  • American Baptist Association: Not to be confused with the American Baptist Churches USA, the American Baptist Association (ABA) is an association of independent Landmark Baptist churches. Most churches participate in local and state associations in addition to the national body. The numerical strength of the American Baptist Association is in the Old Southwest—Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas—but there are several churches in California, Florida, and other states. Landmark Baptists do not recognize the validity of churches which do not practice adult or "believer's baptism" by immersion. Many Landmark churches also reject the label "Protestant."
  • Baptist General Conference: The Baptist General Conference (BGC) is a national evangelical Baptist body with roots in Pietism in Sweden and inroads among evangelical Scandinavian-Americans, particularly persons located in the American Upper Midwest. The BGC has grown to a nation wide association of autonomous churches with at least 17 ethnic groups and missions in 19 nations. In 2006, the BGC had 194,000 members in 950 churches in the United States. There are a further 105 churches in Canada organized into 5 district bodies. These congregations cooperate together nationally through the Baptist General Conference of Canada.
  • Conservative Baptist Association: The Conservative Baptist Association (CBA) emerged as part of the continuing fundamentalist/modernist controversy within the Northern Baptist Convention. The first organization of Conservative Baptists was the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society (CBFMS), now called WorldVenture, formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1943. The Conservative Baptist Association of America was organized in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1947. The Association now operates under the name CBAmerica. In 2003, the Association had over 1200 churches and over 200,000 members.
Reverend Ralph D. Abernathy was one of several major civil rights leaders who was a member of the Progressive National Baptist Convention.
  • Cooperative Baptist Fellowship: The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF} is not a denomination but rather a fellowship of churches and Christians. Valuing autonomy and freedom, CBF does not have or exercise authority over its partnering churches and individuals. In opposition to the Southern Baptist insistence that only men be pastors, the belief that God calls both men and women into ministry was one of the founding principles of CBF. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship claims approximately 1,900 partner churches.
  • Progressive National Baptist Convention: The Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) is a convention of African-American Baptists emphasizing civil rights and social justice. The PNBC has followed a path of political activism, supporting groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and methods such as affirmative action. The PBNC has partnered with the predominantly white American Baptist Churches in the USA since 1970 and is a member of the National Council of Churches and the Baptist World Alliance.
  • Independent Baptist Churches: There are several million Baptists in America who are “unaccounted for.” This means that they are not members of a known Baptist organization. Baptists have traditionally been suspicious any ecumenical movements designed to mediate theological differences between denominations, even when it comes to other Baptists, so it’s only to be expected that there will be Baptist churches who continue to be under the radar of religious surveys.

Baptists around the world

There are over 47 million Baptists outside of the United States, with worldwide congregations totaling nearly 300,000.

Large populations of Baptists exist in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, notably in India (2.4 million), Nigeria (2.3 million), Democratic Republic of the Congo (1.9 million), and Brazil (1.5 million). In England, where modern Baptists got their start, their numbers have been reduced to a few tens of thousands.

One country outside of the United States where Baptists play a very public role is Russia. However, they have also faced serious challenges there, due to opposition from the Russian Orthodox Church, which considers them to be heretics and also objects strongly to “outsiders” who take away adherents.

Additional countries where major Baptist ministries are found, include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, Spain, Czech Republic, Lebanon, Switzerland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Tanzania, France, Norway, Ukraine, Germany, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, and Romania.

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. World conflicts made it impossible to hold to a strict five-year plan, but 19 Congresses have been held, London, 1905; Philadelphia, 1911; Stockholm, 1923; Toronto, 1928; Berlin, 1934; Atlanta, 1939; Copenhagen, 1947; Cleveland, 1950; London, 1955; Rio de Janeiro, 1960; Miami Beach, 1965; Tokyo, 1970; Stockholm, 1975; Toronto, 1980; Los Angeles, 1985; Seoul, 1990; Buenos Aires, 1995; Melbourne, 2000; and Birmingham, England, 2005.

Currently the Baptist World Alliance serves as a global fellowship of Baptists, uniting 210 Baptist groups that they claim represent over 47 million baptized believers in more than 200 countries.

Distinctive Beliefs

A young believer emerges from her baptism.
Baptists reject infant baptism on the grounds that membership in the Christian church must be made by a voluntary act of conscious faith.

The most distinctive doctrine of the Baptist churches is the rejection of infant baptism. Traditional churches, because of the doctrine of Original Sin affected even innocent children, baptize infants in order to prevent them from going the Hell in case of early death. Baptists insist that baptism is only for those who have come to their faith through a conscious, voluntary commitment. Nowhere in the New Testament, they point out, do we read of infants being baptized. Today, the controversy over infant baptism continues, with the Catholic church and many Protestant denominations considering the absence of infant baptism in the Baptist churches to be a heresy.

Baptist churches do not have a central governing authority. Therefore, beliefs are not totally consistent from one Baptist church to another, especially beliefs that may be considered minor. However, on major theological issues, Baptist distinctive beliefs are held in common among almost all Baptist churches. Baptists share so-called "orthodox" Christian beliefs with most other moderate or conservative Christian denominations. These would include beliefs about one God, the virgin birth of Jesus, his vicarious atoning death and bodily resurrection, the Trinity, grace, the Kingdom of God, the resurrection of the dead, evangelism, and missions. Some historically significant Baptist doctrinal documents include the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, 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. Baptists generally, but not in all cases, believe in the literal Second Coming of Christ and the Final Judgment.

Most Baptist traditions also believe in the "Four Freedoms" articulated by Baptist historian Walter B. Shurden:[3]

  • 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

The label Protestant is rejected by some Baptists (primarily those in the Landmark movement) because in their view Baptists have existed separately since the early church days. Those holding this view maintain that Baptists have never been a part of the Roman Catholic Church, and as such are not "protesting" against Catholicism. Further, they point out that Baptists have no direct connection to any of the Reformationists like Luther, Calvin, or Zwingli.

Other Baptists accept the Protestant label as a demographic concept that describes churches who share similar theologies of sola scriptura, sola fide, the priesthood of all believers and other positions that Luther, Calvin, and other traditional reformers held in contrast to the Roman Catholic Church in the 1500s.

Worship style

The general worship service is usually preceded by a time of Sunday School during which the people divide into separate classes (usually based on age) for study of the Bible. After the Sunday school, the whole church often meets for a period of worship. However, a growing number of churches have a separate worship service for the children.

The worship service generally consists of a sermon preceded by a time of worship through singing. Prayers are offered intermittently throughout the service and an offering is usually taken sometime during the service. An "invitation" is usually offered after the sermon to allow public response to the message by confession of faith, request for baptism or church membership, or the expression of an intention to walk more closely with the Lord. The music in Baptist churches varies from traditional hymns, to southern or Negro gospel, to the more contemporary rock and charismatic music styles.

Baptist churches are careful to emphasize that worship is not limited to the Sunday gathering, but is a lifestyle of love and service to Christ and dedication to God's truth as revealed in the Scriptures. Most Baptist churches expect the members to carry the message of the gospel into the world among their family and friends.

Membership

Only those people who are baptized members of a local Baptist church are included in the total number of Baptists. Most Baptist churches do not have an age restriction on membership, but will not accept as a member a child that 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 a person makes a profession of faith, but fails to follow through with the believers' baptism. In such cases, they are considered "saved" but not a church member until baptized. If children and unbaptized congregants were counted, world Baptists may number over 120 million.

Notes

  1. ↑ Dr. John Clarke . www.redwoodlibrary.org. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
  2. ↑ William H. Brackney. Baptists in North America: an historical perspective. (Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 2006), 23.
  3. ↑ Walter B. Shurden. The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms. (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing; Bilingual edition, 1997).

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Brackney, William H. Baptists in North America: an historical perspective. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1405118652
  • Hiscox, Edward T. Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches: A Guide to the Administration of Baptist Churches. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Classics Reprint Services, 1980. ISBN 978-0825428609
  • Hobbs, Herschel H. What Baptists Believe. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1964. ISBN 978-0805481013
  • Maring, Norman H. A Baptist Manual of Polity and Practice. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1991. ISBN 978-0817011710
  • McNutt, William Roy. Polity and Practice in Baptist Churches. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press; [Rev.] edition, 1959. ASIN B0006AVY4A
  • Norman, R. Stanton. The Baptist Way: Distinctives of a Baptist Church. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2005. ISBN 978-0805431520
  • Shurden, Walter B. The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing; Bilingual edition, 1997. ISBN 978-1573120227

External links

All links retrieved September 20, 2023.

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