18 REL 1350 Baptists fall 2018 PDF

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Baptists Baptist Founder?  Baptists have no “well-known” founder like the Lutherans (Martin Luther) or the Methodists (John Wesley) or the Presbyterian/Reformed tradition (John Calvin)  For much of Baptist history, most Baptists would have said the Baptist church was founded when John the BAPTIST baptized Jesus in the Jordan River o Not historically proven Real Baptist Origins  Baptists are Protestants and develop out of the English Protestant Reformation o Goes back to John the Baptist o THEY ARE PROTESTANT  First church by Englishmen, John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, in Holland (1609) *From the Puritan Separatist movement in England  John Smyth, “Founder o Puritan-Separatist o Leave England for freedom to worship o Amsterdam, Netherlands o Conflict with other Separatists over congregationalism  Congregationalism – whole group/democratic answers to God, not a human authority  Becomes radical  separates off o Organizes a Baptist Church, 1609  Concludes believers baptism is the New Testament and thus only method of entering the church.  Since infant baptism is false, declared that his congregation was not a church.  Se-baptism—then baptized the 40 members to reconstitute the church as a New Testament church  Summary: The Meaning, Significance of Believer’s Baptism o Baptism rooted in Voluntary Principle  Believers are those who voluntarily repent and profess faith (adults); faith to be genuine must be free o Believer’s Baptism o baptism is only for believers, not infants (after the profession of faith; outward sign of inner personal experience) The Story Shifts to England: English Baptists  Thomas Helwys: Second Founder o Smyth said se-baptism an error after deciding that Mennonites were an authentic church o Helwys, leading lay person in church, objects. o Smyth petitioned Mennonites for membership o Earliest Baptists split over idea of “succession” o Helwys said ‘We are founded on obeying the Bible, not on connection to another church’ or tradition o Helwys forms first Baptist church in England  Rise of General Baptists: Helwys’ Church o 1612, Helwys and small group return to England, form 1st General Baptist Church at Spitalsfield o Declaration of English People Remaining at Amsterdam (1610) expressed their views:  Regenerate church membership, believer’s baptism (pouring), congregationalism, nonCalvinistic, defended oath taking, civil magistrate affirmed  Women deacons  Early Baptist Theology; Diverse o General Baptists (Arminian)

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o Particular Baptists develop in the 1640s (Calvinistic)- tulip!!! Immersion becomes the mode of baptism – the 1640s (both groups of Baptists) New Testament Restorationism o Protestant Sola Scriptura (Bible is Authority for Faith and Practice o Tradition not Authoritative

Some Baptist Principles  Believers’ Church o Believer’s Baptism by Immersion o Lord’s Supper a second ordinance (usually called a Memorial) o Church Governance: Congregationalism and Priesthood of All Believers o Local Church Independence (voluntary cooperation with others)  Not on PP: Based on conviction that church should be free to follow Lordship of Christ without interference from others  Religious Liberty- covering later  Freedom of Conscience o Soul Freedom; God alone is Lord of the conscience o Right of Dissent- not a bad word; speak out about faith in God o We all have the right to believe what our conscience says  Personal Religious Experience o E. Y. Mullins and the Axioms of Religion (1908)  Soul Competency: Direct Access to God  We know we can go directly to God  Can have pastor pray for us but we don’t have to (We can talk to god directly)  Mullins provided a set of Baptist principles, axioms of religion, which he said were derived from the distinctive historical characteristic of Baptists, the competency of the soul in relationship to God. These axioms were: 1) the theological axiom: the holy and loving God has a right to be sovereign 2) the religious axiom: all souls have an equal right to direct access to God 3) the ecclesiastical axiom: all believers have a right to equal privileges in the church 4) the moral axiom: to be responsible man must be free 5) the religio-civic axiom: a free Church in a free State 6) the social axiom: love your neighbor as yourself  Freedom is foundational to the church of the New Testament Baptist Ways  Largest Protestant denomination in America  Baptists are diverse (Carter, Jackson, King, Falwell, Clinton, Huckabee)  Groups abound: American Baptist Churches, Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), National Baptist Convention, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Independent Baptists  SBC (the largest) is more conservative (won’t allow women to be senior pastors) whereas CBF affirms women in all ministry, including senior pastor (calling not based on gender) Baylor University’s Heritage  Baptists and Higher Education o Baylor University historically affiliated with Texas Baptists o Rooted in its Baptist heritage, Baylor has not had a faith statement for professors (who are actively Christian or Jewish) and has welcomed students of all perspectives regarding religious faith o Not all Baptists like it that women teach Bible and Theology at Baylor...