Douglas Pohlman GHI 608 B1 OL Baptist History Dr. Larry R. Oates July 29, 2018 Baptist Origins Baptist origins are somewhat controversial to say the least.
The origins of Baptists cannot be traced to an individual or group who founded them. Baptists adherence to the Bible as their sole authority of faith and practice is their claim to legitimacy. Baptists were committed to Scripture, which dictated their practice, and also their beliefs, which distinguished them from the Protestants. Protestants desired religious freedom for themselves, the Baptists sought liberty for everyone to worship. That is the way they distinguish themselves from other denominations. According to Potter There are three basic theories or major views of Baptist roots that concerned Baptists origins the Successionist View, the Spiritual Kinship View, and the English Separatist View. The Successionist View believed that Baptist churches came from an unbroken line stretching back to Apostles.
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The Spiritual Kinship View believed that Baptist churches are related to other earlier groups that preached and practiced biblical truth even thought this is not provable from a historical standpoint. The English Separatist View – Modern Baptists derive directly from a group of English Puritan Separatists. From these separatists came two groups of English Baptists, General Baptists and Particular Baptists. The names come from the views of each group regarding the atonement. The General Baptists held to a general atonement and the Particular Baptists held to the particular atonement of the elect. The General Baptists believed in a general view of the atonement of Jesus Christ. They believed that Jesus Christ died for all people, which is why they were labeled as general.
General Baptists believed that people were saved by trusting in Christ for salvation, but his death, nonetheless, was made for all people.They were led by John Smyth and a layman named Thomas Helwys, left England, they were not yet Baptists. In Amsterdam, they came into contact with Dutch Mennonites, a branch of the Anabaptist family that taught religious liberty and baptism of believers only. In contrast the Particular Baptist view of the atonement was particular, according to which Jesus Christ died only for those who are elect, or chosen, by God.The Particular Baptist were greatly influenced by John Calvin teachings. The emergence of the Particular Baptists was formed out of an Independent congregation. There were a several Particular Baptist churches throughout the London area by 1650.
Seven of them had drafted a confession of faith, which showed some of their distinctive views around 1644. In addition to particular atonement, they taught believers baptism by immersion and insisted that a person who is once saved is always saved. Both the General and Particular Baptists believed in this practice, as opposed to sprinkling or pouring.
The Particular Baptists who determined that this is what the Bible teaches and they adopted it in 1630. The General Baptists later adopted this form of baptism eventually in the 1640s. In the early day there was no sing or music at a Baptist and the services were quite long.
By the 1670s controversial as it was some Baptist churches began to sing the Book of Psalms and man-made songs, which caused some churches to split.As for the Baptist name it a all too common to think is came from John the Baptist, which is not the case. The name actually came from people that were against them in which they commonly referred to them at Anabaptists which of course they did not like.
According to Mcbeth the early Baptists preferred to be called Brethren or Brethren of the Baptized Way.Not wanting to be confused with the true Anabaptist the Baptists rejected the name Anabaptist. Englands political situation complicated the struggle for liberty for the Baptists.
The imposition of strict Anglicanism or Puritanism on everyone by the English government at occurred various times depending on who was in power. In 1689 William and Mary had ascended to the throne and the Baptists finally gained religious toleration. The General and Particular Baptists were both confronted with problems preventing them of making a spiritual impact on England. When heresy arose doctrinal, General Baptists surrendered purity for the sake of unity. As it turned out they ended up with neither. Particular Baptists rejected the sacrifice of doctrinal purity for unity and from it turned out they got both, but lacked soul-winning passion, since embracing a form of Calvinism that was deadening.
Baptists in America had an origin separate from their British Baptist. In the eighteenth century they experienced considerable persecution, accompanied by tremendous growth. In 1700, the Baptists in the Thirteen Colonies, with about two dozen churches, numbered less than 1,000 in total membership.
By 1800, they were the largest religious group in the United States. The Great Awakening helped the Baptists tremendously as was the case for most denominations. Summary It is my opinion the Spiritual Kinship View is probably where the true origin of Baptist possibly started if I were forced to choose one out these three. As stated in the reading they preached and practiced biblical truths. That being said I believe that this was, as close to modern day Baptist as you will get from that era. I feel that modern Baptist evolved from there.
That being said Im not saying I would go into a debate over whether or not this was the early forming of the Baptist because as stated there is no provable line of succession that can be found. I think that Baptists are in many ways a melting pot of different denominations i.e. Puritans, Anabaptists, etc.
Additionally, when you consider things from the start with persecution that the early General Baptist went through for standing behind their beliefs and the how Graves stood up for the Baptists against the Campbellite Movement. The problem with him is he took things to the extreme and may have in the end he did more harm than good because he was so controversial. The evolution of the Baptist church has been significant to say the least. Baptists in my opinion in part come from the groups mentioned throughout this paper helping to develop their doctrinal and forming the Baptist distinctive based on Gods Word, which has helped in forming the modern Baptists of today. BIBLIOGRAPHY Baptist Origins and Beliefs. (n.d.
). Retrieved July 26, 2018, from http//www.baptisthistory.org/baptistorigins.html -Baptist History and Heritage Society MCBETH, H. L.
(2016). BAPTIST HERITAGE Four centuries of baptist witness. S.l. BROADMAN HOLMAN PUB.
GHI 608 Baptist History Section III Baptist Origins (2018, July 13). Course Notes. Baptist – Origins. (n.d.).
Retrieved July 26, 2018, from http//www.patheos.com/library/baptist/origins Potter, David.The Baptist Story. , 2.
Potter, David.The Baptist Story. .
Potter, David.The Baptist Story. . Baptist Origins and Beliefs.
(n.d.). Retrieved July 26, 2018, from http//www.baptisthistory.
org/baptistorigins.html -Baptist History and Heritage Society http//www.baptisthistory.org/baptistorigins.html -Baptist History and Heritage Society . Baptist – Origins. (n.
d.). Retrieved July 26, 2018, from http//www.patheos.com/library/baptist/origins . Baptist Origins and Beliefs.
(n.d.). Retrieved July 26, 2018, from http//www.
baptisthistory.org/baptistorigins.html -Baptist History and Heritage Society . Baptist – Origins.
(n.d.). Retrieved July 26, 2018, from http//www.patheos.com/library/baptist/origins .
Baptist Origins and Beliefs. (n.d.). Retrieved July 26, 2018, from http//www.baptisthistory.
org/baptistorigins.html -Baptist History and Heritage Society . MCBETH, H.
L. (2016). BAPTIST HERITAGE Four centuries of baptist witness.
S.l. BROADMAN HOLMAN PUB. . GHI 608 Baptist History Section III Baptist Origins (2018, July 13). Course Notes.
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