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

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The name of the Baptist church or Baptist 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.

Organizationally, Baptist churches operate on the Congregational governance system, giving autonomy to individual local Baptist churches. Baptists traditionally have avoided the "top-down" hierarchy of 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, Conservative Baptist Association of America, American Baptist Churches USA, American Baptist Association (Landmark Baptists), among others.

Baptists usually are considered Protestants, although some Baptists reject that association.

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. 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."^[2]

History

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.

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.

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 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 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.

The Baptist church in America

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.

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 slavery.

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.

There are an estimated 47 million Baptists in America. 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). There are several major Baptist groupings:

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.

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.

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.

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.

International Baptist churches

There are over 43 million Baptists outside of the United States, with worldwide congregations totalling nearly 300,000. 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). In England, where modern Baptists got their start, their numbers have been reduced to a few tens of thousands.

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.

Distinctive Beliefs

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.

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

File:POCBaptist.JPG

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.

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.

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 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 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

↑ http://www.redwoodlibrary.org/notables/clarke.htm
↑ Brackney, William H. (Baylor University, Texas). Baptists in North America: an historical perspective. Blackwell Publishing, 2006, p. 23. ISBN 1405118652
↑ Shurden, Walter B. The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms. Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 1993.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Hiscox, Edward T. Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches: A Guide to the Administration of Baptist Churches, Kregel Classics, 1980. ISBN 978-0825428609
Hobbs, Herschel H. What Baptists Believe, B&H Publishing Group, 1964. ISBN 978-0805481013
Maring, Norman H. A Baptist Manual of Polity and Practice, Judson Press, 1991. ISBN 978-0817011710
McNutt, William Roy. Polity and Practice in Baptist Churches, The Judson Press, 1948. B000QXTH28
Norman, R. Stanton. The Baptist Way: Distinctives of a Baptist Church, B&H Publishing Group, 2005. ISBN 978-0805431520

External links

Credits

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[1] ttp://www.redwoodlibrary.org/notables/clarke.htm

[2] Brackney, William H. (Baylor University, Texas). Baptists in North America: an historical perspective. Blackwell Publishing, 2006, p. 23. ISBN 1405118652

[3] Shurden, Walter B. The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms. Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 1993.

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[2]

[3]

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 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.
-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.
+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 [[slavery]].
-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:
+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.
+There are an estimated 47 million Baptists in America. 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). There are several major Baptist groupings:
 '''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.
@@ Line 35: / Line 37: @@
 '''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.
-'''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.
+===International Baptist churches===
+There are over 43 million Baptists outside of the United States, with worldwide congregations totalling nearly 300,000. 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). In [[England]], where modern Baptists got their start, their numbers have been reduced to a few tens of thousands.
-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.
+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.
 ==Distinctive Beliefs==