Lección 13: La Asociación de Conservadores de Bautista: "Ganar el Mundial"

La Convención Bautista del Norte había establecido firmemente su dirección hacia el liberalismo. Aunque la Unión Bíblica Bautista intentó establecer un nuevo movimiento fuera de la NBC, los problemas internos llevó a su desaparición. La única voz organizada de la teología ortodoxa fue el de la Comunidad fundamentales.

La Comunidad fundamentales firmeza deseada para permanecer dentro de la NBC y proporcionar una voz disidente a la embestida del liberalismo. Los fundamentalistas creen que la Convención se estaba convirtiendo en liberal. En realidad, sin embargo, la NBC fue siempre dominado por los liberales, estableció escuelas liberales, y envió misioneros liberal. Los fundamentalistas intentaron usar su influencia y captura de la convención. Sin embargo, no fue así.

Los fundamentalistas trataron de obtener la NBC para adoptar una confesión, que falló. Los fundamentalistas se trasladó a la NBC para investigar sus escuelas para el liberalismo. La NBC informó que sus escuelas estaban "haciendo una obra de la que la denominación bien puede estar orgulloso." Los fundamentalistas desviado su atención a los misioneros. Tratando de seguir adelante con su investigación, la NBC obstaculizado su progreso, afirmando que los archivos son confidenciales. No satisfecho con la respuesta, el Banco Mundial Riley hizo su propia investigación y encontró que muchos misioneros negó la autoridad de la Biblia, el nacimiento virginal, la resurrección, etc en lugar de "conquistar el mundo" a Cristo, los fundamentalistas encontraron los liberales socializar los paganos . Por lo tanto, "conquistar el mundo" se convirtió en la agenda fundamentalista.

La situación que llevó a la formación de la ACB

En 1924, la NBC adoptó la "política evangélica." Con esta política, los liberales afirmaban que nombraría a los evangélicos sólo al campo misionero. ¿Qué es un "evangélico?" Los liberales intentaron ocultar su liberalismo mediante el uso de la terminología vaga. Los fundamentalistas llamado la política de la "política de integración", ya que incluye los liberales en las misiones.

Los fundamentalistas llamado para cuatro estipulaciones en una conferencia decisiva en Grand Rapids, Michigan (1946). Las estipulaciones fueron:

• Que el registro de la Encarnación de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, como se dice en Mateo 1 y Lucas 1 y 2 es verdadera y confiable.

• Que el registro de la Resurrección de Cristo, como se dice en Mateo 28, Marcos 16, Lucas 24 y Juan 20,21, es verdadera y confiable.

• Que el registro de los milagros de Jesús tal como aparece en los Evangelios es cierto y digno de confianza.

• Que el Nuevo Testamento es inspirado por Dios en todo su contenido y todo, la aceptación de sus hechos históricos, la revelación, las enseñanzas y doctrinas son obligatorios en la fe cristiana y la práctica.

El liberal Winfield Edson siguió el procedimiento Woelfkin de ofrecer el movimiento de sustitución: "Reafirmamos nuestra fe en el Nuevo Testamento como un registro divinamente inspirado y por lo tanto digno de confianza y autoridad, y todo-suficiente regla de nuestra fe y práctica." Fue adoptado .

Los liberales estaban de nuevo tratando de cubrir su falta de fe. Shelley también señala:

"Credos tal, fue acusado, violó la práctica Bautista y la creencia en la libertad de conciencia. Sin embargo, la respuesta afirma que esta acusación se basa en una interpretación errónea de la libertad del alma. "Lógicamente, nuestros padres Bautista anunciaron su principio de la libertad del alma como una protesta contra las ideas coercitivas de su edad. . . Nunca se entiende por ese principio de que un hombre podía creer cualquier cosa y ser bautista, ni tampoco creen que la firma de una confesión de la propia voluntad, contradice este principio. " ¹

Formación de la Sociedad Misionera Bautista Conservador de Relaciones Exteriores.

En 1943, los fundamentalistas encontraron que no podían apoyar a los misioneros de la NBC. En Chicago, Illinois, que se reunió para establecer otra sociedad misionera dentro de la NBC, que fue impulsado por los fundamentalistas.

Fue un comienzo impresionante. En los primeros cuatro meses y medio de existencia, la CBFMS había recibido más de 42.000 dólares con una base de más de 200 iglesias.

El objetivo de la CBFMS fue misiones en el extranjero. Este es el objetivo que se convirtió en la fuerza impulsora en la CBA.

Formación de los conservadores Baptist Fellowship de los Bautistas del Norte

Tres años después de la fundación de la CBFMS, un nuevo comité (Comité de los "Quince" ^dos se reunieron en Winona Lake, Indiana, para hablar sobre los hechos ocurridos en la Conferencia de Grand Rapids. Se mudaron a la forma de una nueva asociación que debe ser llamado el conservador Baptist Fellowship.

Decidieron formar una nueva asociación. Sin embargo, al igual que su hermana, la CBFMS, se propuso que las iglesias permanecen en la NBC. La CBF anunció sus intenciones de permanecer dentro de la NBC y proveer una voz para el fundamentalismo. Sin embargo, a diferencia de la NBC, cada iglesia en la CBF tuvo que suscribir una confesión.

Gabriel Guedj, el presidente de la CBF dijo el deseo del grupo de permanecer en la NBC.

"Los fundamentalistas también deben ser fieles a la comunión de los bautistas conocida como la Convención Bautista del Norte o perderá el derecho y el privilegio de ejercer su influencia en la dirección correcta. Los que han salido de la Convención del Norte tienen por un lado, se aíslan, de cualquier influencia (o votos) que podría haber sido decisiva en la dirección de nuestra denominación y el testimonio de regreso a donde pertenece históricamente, y también se han debilitado las manos de los que todavía se esfuerzan por mantener ese testimonio fiel a la Palabra. ³

En 1950, la CBF cayó en dificultades financieras. Uno de los miembros, el Dr. Tulga, publicó dos libros ("Los Libros de casos") que contó con una gran impresión. Las ventas de grandes revivió la CBF y le dio la distinción de ser el brazo de publicaciones de la CBA.

Formación de la Misión Bautista Conservador Inicio Sociedad

Al darse cuenta de que los bautistas conservadores habían organizado un extranjero de difusión, y una empresa de publicaciones, el frente interno, es necesario que se establezcan con ideas afines iglesias. Por lo tanto, la CBHMS se desarrolló en los años 40. Se organizó formalmente en 1950, cuando la vio CBHMS éxito.

Formación de la conservadora Asociación Bautista

El mismo año que el CBHMS se organizó formalmente, los bautistas conservadores unieron sus esfuerzos en la conservadora Asociación Bautista.

La CBA se convirtió en un bien organizado, organización plenamente dotado. Produjo Domingo literatura escolar. También tuvo agencias de misiones en el extranjero y en casa. El movimiento tuvo un impulso.

A medida que la CBA se formó, habla de establecer un seminario bautista conservador se hizo evidente. El presupuesto fue aprobado, el profesorado estaba asegurado, y una finca de cuarenta habitaciones en Denver, Colorado fue comprado. Este fue organizado como el conservador Seminario Bautista. Durante los años 50, los bautistas conservadores habían establecido muchos seminarios:

• Western Baptist Seminary, Portland, Oregon (creada en 1927 añadió "conservador" a su título en 1953)

• Central conservador Seminario Teológico Bautista, Minneapolis, Minnesota (1956)

• San Francisco conservador Seminario Teológico Bautista (1958)

En 1953, una década después de la CBMFS se estableció, la CBA se convirtió en una potente máquina. Tenga en cuenta lo siguiente:

• El CBFMS se jactó 301 misioneros extranjeros, 1,25 millones de dólares, 1.632 iglesias afiliadas.

• El CBHMS se jactó un aumento del 46% en los ingresos, 124 iglesias afiliadas, y 64 nuevas iglesias.

El problema interno de la ACB

Demasiado amplio de una declaración de fe

La CBA, CBFMS, CBHMS y CBF todos compartían la misma constitución. La Constitución era típico en formato. Tenía nueve artículos, incluyendo artículos de propósito, la doctrina, y la enmienda.

La declaración doctrinal era conservador, pero al igual que la declaración de Becas fundamentales, que no incluyó declaraciones sobre doctrinas tan importantes como premillinealism, la separación, y la elección.

Otro remanente de la beca fundamental fue la moción aprobada:

"Conmovido, apoyadas, y aprobadas - que recomendamos a la Comunidad fundamentales que cuando la nueva sociedad que se incorpora la declaración doctrinal ser incluidos en los artículos de incorporación con la condición de que nunca podrá ser modificado, alterado, modificado, o revocarse por unanimidad de votos. "

Para mantener la posición doctrinal de la CBA, esta cláusula fue colocada en el artículo IX.

Constituciones, así como las confesiones de fe no son documentos estáticos. Están escritos en un tiempo determinado por hombres falibles. Nunca se debe proteger con dicha cláusula. Como las generaciones futuras frente a errores teológicos, que tendrán que ampliar o reducir, su declaración de fe para oponerse a los errores / herejías.

Cabe señalar que la declaración del CBA doctrinal, una página de longitud, era demasiado amplia. En 1648, la Segunda Confesión Bautista de Londres se produjo. Era más de 110 páginas y cubiertas muchas otras cuestiones importantes como doctrinal (la Creación, la elección, el infierno, la santificación, la seguridad eterna).

Una circunscripción teológica amplia

Desde la posición doctrinal de la CBA fue amplia, sólo se sigue que el electorado se varió teológicamente.

Los nuevos evangélicos van en aumento. Muchos en la CBA alineó con nuevo evangelicalismo que prefiere una amplia posición doctrinal. Sin embargo, el grupo más fundamental (CBF) que desee un documento teológico más estrecho. Los dos grupos fueron calificados de "Softcore" y "Hard Core", respectivamente.

La primera controversia en torno a la doctrina de los Novísimos. Los hombres CBF desea una confesión más estrecha que incluye una declaración sobre premillinealism. Esa es la creencia de que Cristo regresará antes del milenio para tomar sus santos (Ap 3,10, 1 Tes 5, Mt. 24). Más tarde, esta doctrina fue más correctamente nombrada como "pretribulationalism".

La CBF quería esto, añadido a la Constitución. Cada año (1954-1958), la CBF presentó el tema de la enmienda constitucional. Sabiendo que un cambio en la sección doctrinal de la Constitución requiere un voto unánime, la CBF propuso que el voto 2/3rds ser todo lo que es necesario. Esa moción fue presentada en 1958 por el presidente, el reverendo WH Bisgaard. Propuso que el movimiento era "ilegal", aunque ninguna ley había sido identificado como violados.

De hecho, Bisgaard era un "Softcore" siguiente "paso de bloqueo" con la Asociación Nacional de Evangélicos y conservador del Seminario Teológico Bautista en Denver, Colorado. El "Softcore", en términos generales, no se adhirió a premillinealism. Aunque algunos se premillineal, el "Softcore" multitud no quería que el asunto de "convertirse en una prueba de fidelidad." ⁴

Para lograr un compromiso, al año siguiente, el CBFMS añadido al artículo propósito de que no enviaría ningún misionero que no se adhirió a premillinealism. El CBFMS señaló además que la junta no estaba a favor de "mantener la puerta abierta para amilenialistas o posmilenaristas." ⁵ Cabe señalar que el CBFMS no dijo nada de "medio tribulationalists," la posición de la Tenny Dr. Merrill, decano de la Escuela de Graduados de la Universidad de Wheaton. ⁶

Van por caminos separados

Como resultado de la controversia premillinealism, el CBA ya no dar tiempo a los hombres CBF en el programa anual. También resulta difícil encontrar un espacio para mostrar sus materiales en las reuniones anuales. Los hombres CBF se encontraron prácticamente forzado a salir de la CBA.

Por otra parte, en las reuniones de negociación colectiva en 1962 (Detroit, Michigan), el CBA elimina la siguiente parte en cursiva de su constitución:

"Para ofrecer una comunidad de iglesias e individuos sobre una base totalmente bíblica y Bautistas, históricamente, sin mezclar con los liberales y el liberalismo y los que se conforman con caminar en comunión con la incredulidad y la inclusividad". ⁷

Cuatro años más tarde, un grupo de fundamentalistas la izquierda de la ACB y formó la Asociación del Nuevo Testamento de Iglesias Bautistas Independientes (1966). Al año siguiente, la CBF se convirtió en el Fundamental Baptist Fellowship (1967).

Ilustración de Don Pfaffe que aparecen en el Quarterly central Bautista Conservador (verano 1960) p. 12.

Regiones locales desarrollaron su propia asociación. En Illinois, la Asociación de Iglesias Bautistas Independientes de Illinois, formada en 1968. En fecha tan tardía como 1979, el grupo de ABC en Michigan formaban la Asociación Bautista Fundamental Independiente de Michigan.

Lecciones que podemos aprender

1. La confesión de la fe amplia no protege la pureza doctrinal y conduce a fracturas.

2. Los nuevos evangélicos temen un "estrechamiento" de la posición doctrinal. En su búsqueda de "ganar el mundo", creen que una amplia confesión doctrinal produce esfuerzos evangelísticos. En realidad, lo opuesto es el caso. Teniendo en cuenta el liberalismo y el error teológico que permanecer en el movimiento que se alejan del Evangelio.

3. Pureza de la doctrina debe ser salvaguardada. Trabajando juntos por una causa común exige una teología común. Uno no puede esperar a cumplir la misión de la Iglesia ⁸ , si no hay confesión común.

1 Shelley, los bautistas conservadores, p. 51.

2 En realidad, había 18 hombres en el comité. El presidente y dos suplentes no fueron incluidos en el número.

3 citado en Shelly, p. 46.

4 Bautista Conservador, una publicación de la CBFMS (julio-agosto de 1954), 3.

5 CBFMS abril 1956

6 En 1968, la CBA trasladó su sede a Wheaton, Illinois. Este era el centro del nuevo evangelicalismo.

7 Beale, en la búsqueda de la pureza, 293.

8 La misión de la iglesia es reproducirse a sí mismo doctrinal y filosófico. Vea Lección 6.

Lección 12: Bautista: Influencia o separados?

El Baptist Bible Fellowship de la Unión y el fundamentalismo, dos estudios de caso en la pureza doctrinal

La Convención Bautista del Norte fue creada para combinar los recursos de ocho sociedades. "Eficiencia" es la palabra del día. Las sociedades compiten por los fondos y tareas duplicadas. Por lo tanto, para lograr la "eficiencia" que era un paso lógico para que todas las sociedades bajo el paraguas de una estructura organizativa.

De acuerdo con Shailer Matthews, portavoz de la contingencia liberal de la NBC, dijo que la convención fue establecida para "llevar la denominación más grande en simpatía con el mundo moderno." Es decir, los liberales buscaron a reinar y dominar en la denominación Bautista por su las causas liberales. A medida que se adapta al mundo, que negó la autoridad de la Biblia, el nacimiento virginal de Cristo, y otras verdades cardinales. En vez de influir en el mundo, los liberales sucumbieron a él. Por lo tanto, no había una distinción práctica entre un creyente y un liberal, con excepción de los liberales llevaban la vestimenta del clero.

¿Cómo era un creyente perseverante Bautista para responder a la aparición de la dominación liberal? Había muchas opciones. 1) Él podía estar en, la influencia de sus amigos, y quizás rescatar la denominación del liberalismo, 2) Se podrá realizar los trámites de la separación radical y permanecer independiente, o 3) Se podría comenzar una nueva organización. Se analiza cómo dos grupos de creyentes perseverar unidos en contra de la NBC liberal - la Comunidad fundamentalista y el Baptist Bible La Unión

Becas fundamentalistas

Con la esperanza de que los liberales serían expulsados ​​de la Convención, los fundamentalistas empezaron a implementar una estrategia en 1920 para ese fin.

WB Riley

WB Riley nació en Greene County, Indiana, creció en una granja de tabaco en Kentucky, y aceptó a Cristo a los 17 años. Quiso ejercer la profesión legal, pero Dios lo llamó a predicar. Después de graduarse de la universidad de Hannover (presbiteriana) en Indiana, estudió en el Seminario del Sur (Southern Baptist) en Louisville desde 1885 hasta 1888. . . . Se desempeñó varias iglesias en su ministerio temprano, antes de aceptar lo que iba a convertirse en un pastor de 45 años en la Primera Iglesia Bautista de Minneapolis, a partir de 1897. Los 2.640 asientos estaban ocupados con regularidad. Bajo su predicación expositiva de la iglesia creció de 585 a 3660 del número de miembros en el momento de su muerte. En el momento de su jubilación en 1943, una décima parte de todos los Bautistas de Minnesota pertenecen a su iglesia. Riley tenía un ministerio fenomenal. por Gerald Priest, Ph.D.

Esta tarea no sería fácil para ya en 1893, WB Riley identificado unitarismo entre los bautistas. También antes de la década de 1900, muchos negaban la divinidad de Cristo y proponer nuevas formas de la psicología.

En 1920, WB Riley, John Roach Stratton, Frank Goodchild, y Massee JC reunió a los fundamentalistas de contingencia para una reunión de dos días en Buffalo, Nueva York antes de la reunión NBC convención. Esta estrategia de convenciones pre-tratado de "batalla real" para la causa de Bautista.

Los fundamentalistas perdido algunas cuestiones clave en el año 1920, sin embargo, logró reunir la NBC a partir del movimiento Intereclesiástica. Impulso comenzó a edificar y los fundamentalistas de ahí en adelante comenzaron a reunirse para la convención pre-dos-tres reuniones de un día. Como vimos la semana pasada, los fundamentalistas se perdió en 1920, 1921 y 1922. Sin embargo, los fundamentalistas se estableció la Comunidad fundamentalista y se mantuvo en la NBC.

¿Por qué permanecen en? Las razones son variadas:

• This group was composed of two varieties of Fundamentalists – those who were of “generous spirit” (Massee, Goodchild, and Stratton) and those who were considered “radicals” (Riley). It seemed to many that pulling out of the NBC was a radical step.
• The NBC gave grants to many churches which indentured them to the convention. Those churches who accepted the grants were at risk of losing their property.
• The NBC gave retirement pensions to pastors in the NBC. Pulling out meant these pastors would lose their retirement savings.

It was not until 1947 that they left the Convention. Rather, they were forced out for establishing the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society in 1943. Having left the NBC, the Fundamentalist Fellowship organized into the Conservative Baptist Fellowship.

he CBF established the Conservative Baptists of America, hoping to influence those within the NBC. They did not require churches to withdraw from the NBC to participate in the CBA.

This policy undermined the doctrine of separation. Hence, twenty years after establishing the CBF, the fundamentalists found themselves having to establish themselves as the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship of America (1967).

Baptist Bible Union

Algunos hombres no se contentan con la organización dentro de la NBC. Aunque algunos de ellos permanecieron en la NBC, que organizaron una organización separada de 10 a 15 mayo 1923 llamado el Bautista Biblia de la Unión.

Esto fue predicho por WB Riley, cuando dijo: "La Convención Bautista del Norte de Indianápolis se declara a los fundamentalistas de la fe cristiana, o inmediatamente después de la Convención habrá un nuevo movimiento, bien Bautistas, y listo para hacer negocios en el mismo base que dio a luz y siglos de la eficiencia a la gran causa de Bautista. "

Este grupo de hombres de espíritu vio que el trabajo dentro de la estructura organizativa de la NBC fue inútil. Estos hombres tenían grandes intenciones de influir en la NBC desde el exterior a través de los medios de reuniones de los convenios pre-. Tenga en cuenta los siguientes extractos de TT artículo Shields en el Watchman-Examiner 9 de agosto de 1923:

La Unión Bíblica Bautista es lo que su nombre implica - una unión de los bautistas que creen que la Biblia es la Palabra de Dios.

. . . La Unión Bíblica Bautista existe para defender "la fe una vez dada a los santos", y cree que esto sólo se puede hacer tomando la ofensiva y declarar la guerra a la modernidad en todas partes.

.

. . Por lo tanto, por acuerdo de la reunión de la Ciudad de Kansas, la Unión Biblia decidió alentar a sus miembros a rechazar absolutamente ya contribuir con dinero a cualquier institución educativa u organización misionera que se niega a reconocer su lealtad a los fundamentos de la fe.

. . . Para terminar este artículo quiero hacer hincapié en el hecho de que la Unión Bautista de la Biblia no es un movimiento de división. Por el contrario, se trata de una Unión que propone la única base posible de unión y de la acción cooperativa de los bautistas del verdadero, es decir, la aceptación de la Biblia como la Palabra inspirada y autoritativa de Dios. Para cuando los bautistas abandonar la creencia en la Biblia como la Palabra de Dios que se han rendido la última razón lógica para su existencia separada.

Los miembros eran "todos aquellos que apoyan los objetivos y la base doctrinal de la Unión, como se establece en este documento, será elegible para ser miembro y que dicha adhesión es de ninguna manera la intención de molestar a las afiliaciones existentes Bautista.

Se resolvió lograr varios objetivos, algunos de ellos son:

• . . . para presentar un testimonio común de que la Biblia es la Palabra misma de Dios.
• . . . para promover una comunión más profunda y una cooperación más estrecha en todas las actividades cristianas entre los creyentes que tienen una fe preciosa, y no para crear una nueva convención o asociación.
• . . . para promover el trabajo misionero, como representa y defiende clara enseñanza de la Biblia.
• . . . para aprobar, patrocinar y apoyar tales escuelas religiosas y seminarios de teología como se muestran de manera inequívoca a ser fieles a la inspiración y la autoridad de la Biblia y todos los fundamentos consecuente de nuestra profesión. . .
• . . . En la medida en que ha sido ampliamente declaró que la comunión en la Unión Bautista de la Biblia se limita a premillennarians, se resuelve que se declaro aquí que la Unión Bautista Biblia da la bienvenida a sus miembros todos los bautistas que se inscriban lo s confesión de fe, cualquiera que sea la variación de la interpretación que puede tener sobre la cuestión del milenio consistente con la creencia en el personal, corporal y la segunda venida de Cristo según las Escrituras.

Por lo tanto, la BBU presentado sus resoluciones. Las resoluciones son un fuerte llamado, militante a la autoridad de la Biblia. El modernismo y el liberalismo fueron denunciadas enérgicamente. The BBU would only financially support mission work, educational institutions, and ministries that issue forth a clear call for the innerancy and infallibilty of the Word of God.

The Growth of the BBU 1924–1926

For three short years, the BBU was growing phenomenally and mustering the fundamentalists into a strong union.

Financially it grew

When the BBU was birthed, it did not have a dime. By the close of the first year, it gained $5,404.22 of which they nearly entirely disbursed.

Motivationally it grew

Conferences and rallies were held. The Union men traveled around the country and were in great demand as special speakers. For example, it was common for TT Shields to be on the road all week and to arrive at his church just before the morning services on Sunday. In 1926, he traveled 40,000 miles for the cause of the Union.

The “big three,” Norris, Shields, and Riley, all published newsletters which received wide distribution.

Se organizó una sociedad misionera y de la sede establecida en Chicago. La Unión también se dedicó a la tarea de producir materiales de Escuela Dominical.

Con las conferencias, reuniones, publicaciones, y el énfasis misiones, la BBU experimentado tres años muy buenos.

La decadencia de la BBU: 1926-1927

Tan fuerte como el BBU parecía, había muchos problemas fatales. Beale, en su historia del fundamentalismo describe un fiasco como una "comedia de errores".

Decidieron no separar

El BBU no se separó del liberalismo. Su objetivo era convertir la Convención. Delnay cita TT renuencia Escudos de separar.

"Los unionistas Bíblico Bautista no van a salir de la Denominación en el sur o en el Norte, o en Canadá, hasta que se ven obligados a, y será culpa de los otros si lo hacen."

El BBU no separados de los que tenía el mal escatología. TT Shields fue un amillinealist. Amillinealism niega que el Reino de Dios es el futuro. Como tal, esta creencia se debilita la filosofía del ministerio de la iglesia. Para más discusión sobre cómo una visión equivocada de la escatología niega una filosofía bíblica de ministerio, consulte "Postmillinealism Penetrando" en las páginas siguientes.

El movimiento llegó a su fin

El BBU no pudo reunir los votos para derrocar el liberalismo y el modernismo de la NBC. Como las derrotas llegaron, el desaliento se establecieron in Sus energías y motivación comenzó a decaer.

El incidente Dexter Chipps no ayudó

Este fue el "primer clavo" en la tapa del ataúd de la BBU. Norris, no es ajeno a la controversia. Su espíritu cáustico de color de la BBU de tal manera que los problemas graves a toda la Unión. Uno de estos incidentes fue el rodaje de Dexter Chipps.

Norris, (que se conoce como el "Tornado de Texas") utilizó su púlpito en Fort Worth, Texas, y el papel de ataque ", Ron y el romanismo." Alcalde de Fort Worth, un católico romano, se convirtió en objeto de frecuentes ataques. En su documento, fundamentalista, Norris dijo que el alcalde no estaba "en condiciones de ser gerente de una pluma de cerdo." Su papel fue ampliamente distribuido en las calles. Norris se comprometió a predicar sobre el tema que el domingo.

Esto era típico "estilo Norris." Para que te hagas una idea de cómo era cáustico Norris, él llamó el sur de liderazgo Bautista como "el Sanedrín." Un pastor que llamó, "el infalible Papa Bautista", "el Grande-All-Yo soy ", y" el Santo Padre "," el viejo babuino. "Él predicó un sermón titulado," las diez mayores Diablos en el pie. Vale la pena, Nombre de pila ".

Después de su "director de una pluma de cerdo" declaración salió a la calle, un amigo del alcalde, Dexter Chipps, entró en el estudio de Norris e intercambiaron algunas palabras fuertes. Después de la discusión, Chipps vuelta para irse y empezó a dar la vuelta. Norris sacó una pistola de su cajón del escritorio y Chipps muerto a tiros en su oficina. Norris afirma que Chipps "se dio la vuelta y metió la mano en el bolsillo de atrás. En Texas, ese gesto significa una sola cosa. "Chipps se encontró comprar a las autoridades a ser desarmados.

Durante el juicio, Norris afirmó que era "inocente" y produjo una pistola de plata diciendo que era Chipps. Norris "sabía" que las autoridades estarían en contra de él y no utilizar esta evidencia. El jurado encontró que Norris "inocente".

Este incidente recibió la atención del mundo. Norris accedió a salir de la BBU para que su reputación no causa cicatrices más la BBU.

La "comedia de errores" en la Universidad de Des Moines

El 1 de junio de 1927, TT Escudos acepta hacerse cargo de la Universidad de Des Moines. Shields, que desean establecer un colegio fundamentalista aprovechó la oportunidad. .” [his emphasis] Él "tomó la escuela prácticamente a ciegas" y no tomar en serio el consejo de un amigo de mucho tiempo que dijo que "no - no - NO -. NO" [su énfasis]

La escuela era una escuela de artes liberales que ofrece una amplia variedad de grados. Los 377 estudiantes de toda clase de trasfondos denominacionales: bautistas, metodistas, presbiterianos, hermanos, la Ciencia Cristiana, Christian, Congregacional, la Reforma, Evangélica, Luterana, los Amigos (Cuáqueros), Episcopal, Federated, Católica, Santos de los Últimos Días, pentecostales y judío. Los profesores fueron un grupo diverso de los moderados, liberales y fundamentalistas. En lugar de despedir a los profesores y nuevo comienzo, Shields intentó utilizar la facultad de influir en ellos y tal vez hacia la causa BBU.

Desde Shields fue un pastor en Canadá, tuvo una fuerte lealtad de Canadá. Su secretaria de la escuela también era canadiense. Los sentimientos de Canadá no fueron bien recibidas por escudos no prefiere que la bandera S tar Spangled ser cantada en la capilla, y no Dios salve al rey. En una ocasión, el secretario del Escudo se negó a ponerse de pie mientras el himno se cantaba en la capilla. Shields también trató de quitar la bandera de Estados Unidos desde el asta de la bandera. El resentimiento llevó a la novatada de algunos estudiantes canadienses.

La necesidad de encontrar un presidente más permanente, Shields contrató a Harry Wayman. Esta designación se realizó a toda prisa. Fue sólo 2-3 semanas desde que se propuso su nombre hasta que se convirtió en presidente. Para seguir el tema de los conflictos, Wayman fue letras con la AB, AM, Th.B., Th.M., Th. D., Litt.D (dos veces), y DD grados de lugares como la Universidad de Oxford. Las investigaciones han probado, más tarde, que muchos de estos títulos eran falsos. Esto no fijó bien con los estudiantes. Porque, Shields, sólo un mes antes de esta revelación había predicado en contra de la liberal Unión Bautista Canadiense para entretener a los hombres con títulos falsos.

La situación en Des Moines era eléctrico. Moderados en la facultad no estaban satisfechos con el régimen fundamentalista. Escudos llenó la capilla con el púlpito predicadores fundamentales, el aumento considerable angustia entre los profesores liberales y los estudiantes.

Sabiendo que la situación requería una revisión, Shields propuso que toda la Universidad por un pelotón de reorganizar todos los administradores y profesores. Decidió que todo aquel que quería una posición tenía que volver a solicitar mediante la presentación de una solicitud con su secretaria.

Palabra de esta purga llegó a oídos de un estudiante. Que los estudiantes, justo antes de la capilla, dio un discurso en llamas de la situación que provocó una acción colectiva contra Shields. Lo siguiente fue inscrita en el Registro de Des Moines:

"Cuando la muchedumbre irrumpió en la oficina, tal vez un centenar de fuertes, que pululaban por el lugar. La apertura de la puerta del lavabo se encontraron con el pie un administrador. Con el grito de "¡Aquí está uno de ellos", lo sacaron a la multitud. Pero tan pronto como se alzó el grito que fue respondido con gritos de "Lo golpearon", "darle una paliza", "Get Shields." Cuando se enteraron de esta Fiduciario en particular no era el Presidente de la Junta, que dijo: "Este no es el hombre que necesitamos ", y se llevó a cabo con la seguridad.

En este punto nos puede informar de que hoy en día sólo un hombre nos leyó una carta de uno de los estudiantes que habían participado en los disturbios - y que se jactaba de haber hecho - en el que dijo que si la mafia podría haber tiene en sus manos en los escudos, esa noche que sin duda lo habría asesinado. . . Incluso el edificio de la administración se estaba llena de manifestantes cuando la policía entró, ya pesar de que había roto las ventanas y las puertas forzadas y estaban en un lugar donde no tenían derecho legal a estar a esa hora, no una sola detención se hizo.

El campus fue cerrado y abandonado establecidos. El BBU nunca se recuperaría del incidente.

Conclusión

El fiasco de BBU trae desprecio al movimiento de fundamentalismo. Personalidades como Norris y la locura administrativa de Shields tienden a eclipsar las grandes causas de los fundamentalistas.

Lecciones que podemos aprender

1. El fundamentalismo no es división, sino que busca la unificación de aquellos que se suscriben a la enseñanza de la Biblia.

2. La causa de la derecha debe llevarse a cabo de la manera correcta.

3. La autoridad de la Escritura debe ser defendido y proclamado.

4. Como David Beale señala: ". . . la búsqueda de la santidad es una peregrinación que ninguna persona verdaderamente espiritual o movimiento puede decir que ha alcanzado en esta vida. "La santidad es una actividad que se lleva a cabo por los creyentes falible.

5. Los movimientos no pueden sobrevivir si se permite comprometer en temas bíblicos. La doctrina cardinal nunca se debe abdicar. Tampoco hay otras doctrinas importantes que olvidar que tienen un gran volumen de testimonios de la Escritura (por ejemplo, premillineal escatología).

McBeth, 568f.

Declaración de Curtis Lee Leyes en el Watchman-Examiner.

Términos utilizados por McBeth, Historia, 577.

Ibid, 35.

Estatutos y Resoluciones de la Unión Bautista de la Biblia de América, Watchman-Examiner, 24 de mayo de 1923.

Delnay, de 82 años.

David Beale, "En busca de la pureza (BJU Press, 1986), 232.

Delnay, de 67 años.

Delnay, 147.

Delnay, 158.

Citado en Delnay, 172.

Aquellas doctrinas que son necesarios para la salvación.

Lección 11: La Convención Bautista del Norte

During the mid 1800s, America faced two crisis. The Civil War devastated the South, leaving it in “political turmoil” and “economic devastation.” ¹ In the North, immigrants amassed bringing with them new challenges. Unfortunately, the North experienced its own devastation – compromise.

The Baptists in the North made some fatal errors: 1) They changed their evangelistic strategy, adopting what is commonly called the “Social Gospel.” 2) They became enamored with the educated German liberals and adopted their theology. Many Baptists went to Germany to receive their education. These factors set the stage for the downgrading effects of liberalism among Baptists.

Entering the 1900s, the Baptists were faced with certain obstacles (financial and organizational) so they developed the Northern Baptist Convention. Unbeknownst to the majority, Liberals and Moderates had their own agenda to dominate and control the Baptist denomination.

However, among the Baptists were some who “rocked the liberal boat.” They stood against the liberal theologians and strongly opposed their institutions. They began the Baptist Bible Union.

Reasons for the formation of the Northern Baptist Convention

In the last lesson we looked at the rise of certain societies – American Baptist Missionary Union (Triennial Convention), American Baptist Publication Society, and the American Baptist Home Mission Society. These were the strongest three of eight societies which existed in the north. The other societies were the Education Society, Woman's Home Mission Societies (east & west), the Foreign Bible Society, and the Young People's Union.

As you could expect competition developed between the societies. Every society wanted more financial backing. Two of the larger societies were in great financial indebtedness. Add to that, many of these societies overlapped in their functions. To fix this problem, it seemed logical for the societies to ban together and form one organization to pool their resources. That idea was implemented by organizing the Northern Baptist Convention in 1908. “Virtually every account of the founding of the Northern Baptist Convention prominently mentions the demand for organized, coordinated financing.” ²

The compromises of the NBC

Hindsight would show that a major underlying reason for combining was so that the liberals could control the Baptist denomination. The NBC was doomed from the beginning.

They were a doctrinal melting pot.

Among the Baptists were various strains of belief (and unbelief). Many leaders spoke of a “New Theology”. Though not new, it was old German rationalism which denied the deity of Christ, his atonement, Creation, and the inerrancy of the Bible. The Arminian Freewill Baptists were added to the convention in 1911.

They were liberally educated

Of the seven Baptist universities, only two would present themselves as orthodox. The University of Chicago (Divinity School) was the first to be recognized as a liberal university. “Shailer Matthews [president of the University of Chicago], in his 'New Faith for OId' gave the impression that the University, and particularly the Divinity School, was openly liberal from the very beginning in 1892.” ³

The remaining schools were liberal by 1918. ⁴

They were concerned about adapting to their culture.

Speaking of organizing the NBC, Shailer Matthews said:

“On the other hand there were those of us who sought by gradual and educational processes to lead the denomination into larger sympathy with the modern world . . . In other words, we had to develop a socialized religious attitude as far as possible without arousing controversy.” ⁵

Today, liberal pundits have not changed their message, only their words. In the 1900s they said they wanted to be at “larger sympathy with the modern world.” Today, they want to “be relevant with the modern world.”

They were morally lax

Four years before the convention was formally organized, Augustus Strong noted that “membership was lagging, that laxity and worldliness were becoming evident, and that Baptists were becoming wealthy far beyond what their giving would indicate.” ⁶

They were subsidized by non-believing benefactors

The Rockefellers were members of the Park Street Baptist Church in New York. They were very generous in their giving to the schools. A large pledge by Rockefeller was used to begin the University of Chicago. Nearly every Baptist school in the North received a gift from the Rockefellers. ⁷ It would seem as if charitable gifts were given with “no strings attached.” However, their influence was felt and made known at certain times.

The resulting problems

One can imagine the number of difficulties an orthodox believer would have in this environment. Here are some problems:

• Liberals and Moderates controlled the speaking platforms and key positions in the convention. ⁸

• Liberals and Moderates comprised the majority of members in the convention.

• Liberal institutions and projects received financial support, whereas the orthodox did not.

The key defeats of Fundamentalists

The Fundamentalists were against an immovable obstacle. The Liberals and Moderates were far too numerous. The key problems were “heresy in the schools,” “heresy among missionaries,” and “heresy in the literature.” The Fundamentalists smartly began to have pre-convention strategy meetings to combat these problems. Beginning in 1920, the Fundamentalists began their fight, only to lose in the end.

1920 Buffalo, New York

At the pre-convention meeting, the fundamentalists determined that JC Massee handle the floor at the Convention. The Fundamentalists wanted to “sell The Baptist ” a liberal magazine. Since the magazine was losing money and discouraged Modernists would likely side with the Fundamentalists on the issue, it was a flawless strategy, so it seemed.

When it came time for Massee to make the motion, he “caved in.” He said, “Well now look, brethren, we ought to show ourselves to be Christians, and let's not be radical. Let's give it to the committee and let them study it and wade through it, and bring it back next year.” This change on the floor discouraged the Fundamentalists.

Massee also made a motion to investigate the schools for heresy. This brought on a vicious debate (”hissing” and “stomping”). By the end of the day, Massee had agreed to a series of substitute resolutions which effectively nullified his motion to investigate. A committee was established to do the investigation, however, the committee was made up of liberals and moderates.

1921 Des Moines, Iowa

It was difficult to distinguish between the Moderates and Liberals, so, the pre-convention strategy was to have the Convention adopt a confession of faith. However, the fundamentalists did not bring the motion to the Convention floor. ¿La razón? Curtis Lee Laws wrote: “The fundamentalists had no desire to plunge the Convention into controversies of this kind.”

It was no surprise to the Liberals and Moderates that the Fundamentalists would urge a Confession upon the Convention. However, it was a surprise when the matter was dropped. It became clear that the Fundamentalist leaders were not separatists. This conciliation led to the Des Moines defeat.

Back to the committee on heresy in the schools . . . The committee reported, the schools “are doing a work of which the denomination may well be proud.” Again, another loss to the Fundamentalists.

1922 Indianapolis, Indiana

Again, at the pre-convention meeting, the Fundamentalists agreed to present the motion to the Convention to adopt a confession of faith, namely the New Hampshire Baptist Confession.

When the resolution hit the floor, Cornelius Woelfkin, a liberal pastor from New York, said, “The Northern Baptist Convention affirms that the New Testament is the all-sufficient ground of our faith and practice, and we need no other statement.” How could a Baptist deny this?

The sly Woelfkin used this paradigm to confuse the issue. The statement sounds true, however, it has serious problems in this context:

• It is a disingenuous statement to come from a liberal. Liberals deny the authority of the New Testament in matters of faith and practice.

• It pits the New Testament against the use of confessions. The apostles used confessions and encouraged their use.

• It is a cover for unbelief. If Moderates do not have to subscribe to a statement of belief, it is difficult to prove their belief system. Confessions describe one's understanding of the Bible. They are also tools to protect against apostasy. Hence, simply affirming that the New Testament is the ground is a cover-up for unbelief.

Woelfkin's substitute motion was passed, 1,264 to 637. ⁹

Conclusión

Perhaps WB Riley said it best “The Northern Baptist Convention at Indianapolis will declare for the fundamentalists of the Christian faith, or immediately following the Convention there will be a new movement, thoroughly Baptistic, and ready to do business on the same basis that gave birth and centuries of efficiency to the great Baptist cause.” ¹⁰

Lecciones que podemos aprender

1. You cannot attempt to work together for the cause of Christ when there are theological differences. The NBC brought Baptists of various stripes under the umbrella of one Convention. Matthews was either naïve or insincere when he stated that he did not arouse controversy.

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. Ellos son hombres impíos, que cambian la gracia de nuestro Dios en una licencia para la inmoralidad y niegan a Jesucristo nuestro único Soberano y Señor. (Jude 3–4)

2. The mission of the church is not to “lead into more sympathy with the world, or remain relevant with the world.” This love talk leads to doctrinal deviation.

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (Jas 4.4)

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! Y eso es lo que son! Por esto el mundo no nos conoce, es que no lo conocía. (1Jn 3.1)

Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. (1Jn 3.13)

3. Place only tested, faithful people in leadership positions. On more than one occasion Massee “dropped the ball.” When it was time to stand and fight for truth, he did not stand. This failure led to at least two sound defeats for the Fundamentalists in the NBC.

Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them. (Ac 6.3)

4. Many cliches and quotes used by Christians today did not originate with conservative, Bible-believers. For instance, the statement “We do not use creeds, only the Bible” is often used by those who want to cover their apostasy. We must use confessions to guard ourselves from apostasy.

1 McBeth, 392.

2 Robert Delnay, A History of the Baptist Bible Union (Piedmont, NC: Piedmont Bible College Press, 1974), 7.

3 Ibid, 8.

4 Rochester by 1912, Newton by 1914, Crozier by 1915, and Colgate by 1918.

5 Delanay, 13.

6 Ibid, 8.

7 Ibid, 17.

8 That is not to say that Fundamentalists did not get to speak. When they did, they were the majority. In many cases, they were “hissed.” On one instance, a Fundamentalist spoke on the errors of liberalism. After his speech, he was applauded, not because the people were in favor of him, but because he listed their beliefs.

9 Delnay, 35.

10 Ibid, 35.

Lesson 10: Baptist Organization and Growth in the 1800s

Richard Furman, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Charleston, South Carolina, addressed the Triennial Convention in 1814. His address best illustrates the mindset of Baptists in the 1800s:

Within the last few years, it has pleased the good spirit of our God to awaken in his churches a serious concern for the diffusion of the Saviour's cause. Numerous, and in some instances large associations of Christians have been formed for the purpose: considerable sums of money have been collected; Bibles and religious tracts are extensively and gratuitously circulating, and the hope which thousands cherish that the glory of the latter days is at hand, is as operative as it is joyous.

The 1800s was an exciting century. We find that Baptists were motivated by the Great Awakening and missions work. William Carey's mission work in India was circulated in magazines. British missionaries taking the western route to India would stop in America and speak of the need for foreign missions.

Baptists kept pace with certain theological errors that crept into the century. In order to accommodate the Arminian Baptists, a new confession was drafted, the New Hampshire Baptist confession in 1833. In some quarters, the Arminianism developed into Unitarianism, a belief that all people will eventually be saved. Gaustad captures the Universalists' thought and their disdain for Calvinism.

". . . by the second half of the eighteenth century, some theologians and popular preachers turned away from what seemed a rigid exclusivism to a more merciful and encompassing universalism. If Calvinism emphasized the justice of God, Universalism extolled his benevolence, explaining that God loved all, Christ died for all, and ultimately all would be saved.” ¹

Baptists also had the threat of Mormonism which swept across the states. Cambellites taught that baptism was necessary for salvation. Masons developed secret societies and Sabbatarians practiced legalism.

Not only did the Baptists face religious difficulties, the Civil War divided the country. One historian notes that “the greatest controversy which faced Baptists was slavery. ^{2 ”}

Misiones Énfasis

Missions work at home

Convención Trienal

Why it was established ? As discussed in the last lesson (page ), many associations were developed in the 1700s. Richard Furman encouraged a unified effort so that these associations could work together for missionary activity. The technical name for this convention was The General Missionary Convention of the Baptist Denomination in the United States for Foreign Missions. This convention met every three years, hence it became popularly, and more easily known as The Triennial Convention. Its stated purpose was for the “diffusing evangelistic light through benighted regions of the earth. ^{3 ”}

What did it accomplish ? By 1817, the convention published The American Baptist Magazine to promote the cause of the convention and the labors of its missionaries. Most well known missionaries of the times were Adoniram Judson and William Carey.

That same year, during the Triennial Convention gathering, Luther Rice read reports of William Carey's mission work in India and Adoniram Judson's work in Burma. It was decided at that convention that one such missionary go to the Missouri Territory, John Mason Peck (1789–1858).

John Peck was born in a Congregationalist home. By 1811, he and his wife rejected infant baptism and became convinced through Scripture that believer's baptism was to be practiced. They joined a Baptist church in New York.

They served in the St. Louis, Missouri area by establishing Sunday Schools, teaching, preaching, and publishing a newsletter – The Pioneer . In 1827 he founded Rock Springs Seminary which he later (1832) moved to Alton, Illinois and renamed it as Shurtleff College.

Peck served two terms in the Illinois legislature and is credited with abolishing slavery in that state.

What happened to the convention ? The convention was also involved in establishing Columbian College. It was not long before this college became part of a controversy. Columbian College had fallen into heavy debt, primarily because of the “loose accounting” of Luther Rice. Luther Rice, traveled throughout America raising money and pledges for the college. He purchased land, built buildings, and borrowed money without authorization from the Convention. Though he was cleared of fiscal criminal activity, his actions raised concern among many churches in the South. As a result, the Convention lost much support from the Southern churches. In 1826, it relocated to Boston, Massachusetts and providentially gained the support of the New Englanders.

A second controversy resulted in a definitive separation in the Triennial Convention. The south and north were divided primarily on the slavery issue. Hence, the Baptists of the north and those in the south parted ways. In November 20, 1845, it was renamed to “The American Baptist Missionary Union”

Other conventions

The missionary impulse was so great that during a recess of the Triennial Convention, the American Baptist Home Mission was organized. The Triennial Convention was favorable to the new mission work for the Triennial Convention wanted to focus its efforts over seas. The ABHM focused on Home missions.

One such missionary with the newly organized American Baptist Home Mission was Jacob Bower. He primarily worked in Illinois. The following describes his view of mission work and the sacrifice it required in the “thinly settled regions.”

“A Missionary must be possessed of a good share of patience and fortitude . . . . I have recently made a tour in Pike company a thinly settled region, – where in 16 days, I preached 27 times. Sometimes I would ride 8 or 10 miles and meet about a dozen hearers, who in general seemed to be thirsting for the waters of life . . . . The cause of Missions within the range of my travels is not flattering. I have not been able to do much in the field for some time back. The Cholera, that dreadful scourge, has visited Illinois; many towns have been almost evacuated. It was found necessary to suspend our preaching, except twice on Saturday and Sabbath . . . . Under these circumstances, the poor missionary must wear out his clothes, his horse and saddle, his body, lungs, and voice, and spend his whole living, and get no help from those who pretend to love him so well. ^{4 ”}

The Baptist General Tract Society was born in Washington DC in 1824. The idea came from a Noah Davis who witnessed another man carelessly removing his hat which was filled with tracts. The tracts spilled all over the floor. The Tract Society was formed to “disseminate evangelical truth, and to inculcate sound morals, by the distribution of tracts.” ⁵ This Society is now known as The American Baptist Publication Society which publishes far more than tracts.

Baptists developed a passion to evangelize the “pagans” in America. They left the colonies and moved West to establish churches as far west as the Mississippi River.

“The strength of the Baptist appeal on the frontier lay in the accessibility of its theology to those of little education or sophistication. The farmer-preacher was a commonplace among frontier Baptists . . . he could be found in great numbers, along the sparsely settled frontier. . . . The theology was accessible, and the minister as well. The Bible was also accessible, along with rivers or creeks for the ritual of Baptism. ^{6 “}

Missions work overseas

Adoniram Judson

Adoniram, like so many other Baptists, was born in a Congregationalist home. He had the “unusual gifts of concentration, extended labor, and mental alacrity [liveliness].” ⁷ His brilliance became his idol. He attended Providence College (now Brown University). At the university, Judson linked with an intellectual skeptic, William Eames, who persuaded him to abandon his religion. Through the providence of God, Judson heard the agonizing, fearful moans of his friend as he passed away.

Softened by this experience, Judson accepted his father's counsel and enrolled at Andover Theological Seminary. At Andover, Judson's mind was challenged by the well explained truths of God's word. He acknowledge Christ as Savior and Lord on December 1808.

While at Andover, Judson developed a friendship with some others who already devoted themselves to missions work. One of the men was Luther Rice. Upon graduation, these two men joined a Congregational society for foreign missions and were commissioned to Calcutta, India. Judson took his wife Ann. Rice's fiancé, opposed to missions in a foreign land, abandoned him.

They left for the mission field in 1812 during the war. Rice and the Judsons boarded separate ships to increase the chance that at least one of them would arrive. While sailing to India, Rice engaged in a debate with another passenger regarding baptism. Hence, Rice rejected his belief in infant baptism. Likewise, Judson, reading through his Greek New Testament became convinced of believers baptism. When they arrived in India, they concurred on the subject of believer's baptism. They knew this would set them at odds with their mission society and lead to a drop of their support. Ann Judson's words sum up their concerns well:

Can you, my dear Nancy, still love me, still desire to hear from me, when I tell you I have become a Baptist? If I judge from my own feelings, I answer, you will, and that my differing from you in those things which do not affect our salvation will not diminish your affection for me, or make you unconcerned for my welfare. You may, perhaps, think this change very sudden, as I have said nothing of it before; but, my dear girl, this alteration hath not been the work of an hour, a day, or a month. The subject has been maturely, candidly, and, I hope, prayerfully examined for months. ⁸

When the Judsons and Rice arrived in Calcutta, India, they were baptized. Rice agreed to go back to America to cut off their connection with the Congregationalists and solicit support from the Baptists. This he did. He was one of the great leaders who formed the Triennial Convention. From that time forward, Rice served in America, raising support and preaching across the states about missions. Lest we think he chose to remain in America for its comforts, consider the following:

Rice swam rivers, braved snowstorms, endured the heat, and at times detoured to avoid hostile Indians or bandits, lodging in homes along the way when he could find them, under the open sky when he could not. ⁹

The Judsons disassociated themselves from the Congregational mission work and served under the Triennial Convention. The Judsons were expelled from their mission work and began in Burma.

Their mission work in Burma was difficult. Judson was imprisoned. Just after his release from prison, Ann passed away. He remarried twelve years later. His second wife died after eleven years of marriage. He married again, only to see his third wife die within a few years.

Judson's tenacity and perseverance demand our attention. He returned to America in 1846 for only one year, after having spent 33 years on the mission field. He was sought out to speak in many churches. However, because of a throat ailment, he could not speak. He composed his messages while others spoke them.

Judson not only increased missions in the minds of Americans, he provided the Burmese with a grammar book and left them with the entire Bible in their own language.

Baptist Expansion

Baptists continued to grow in spite of the theological difficulties and social ills (ie, slavery). Church historian, Robert Torbet identifies four factors for Baptist growth in the 1800s:

• interest in foreign missions,
• home mission concern,
• la educación,
• and prayer.” ¹⁰

How does this factor in numbers? In 1832, 14 missionaries were in Burma. By 1838, the number of missionaries increased to 98. That means in six years time, 84 missionaries were sent to the field. Growth continued for by 1841, 129 missionaries were on the fields. ¹¹

It should come as no surprise that the Baptists increased in their numbers. The following table illustrates the continued growth. ¹²

Conclusión

The Great Awakening and the mission work of the English Baptists encouraged the growth and mission-oriented mind of American Baptists. We find the following important lessons in this period of history:

1. Mission work abroad encourages mission activity at home.

2. Mission work abroad is based on solid ministries at home.

3. Mission work at home is often as difficult as mission work abroad. Acts 20.22–24

4. Pray for souls to be converted. 1 Timothy 2.1–4

1 Edwin Gaustad, A Documentary History of Religion in America to the Civil War, 280.

2 McBeth, History, 344.

3 From Proceedings

4 Annual Report, American Baptist Home Missionary Society, 1835, 13–14. Cited in McBeth, Sourcebook, 225.

5 Daniel Stevens, The First Hundred Years of the American Baptist Publication Society, 114. Cited by McBeth, History, 361.

6 Gaustad, History of Religion, 386

7 Nettles, By His Grace and for His Glory, 148.

8 Letter to a friend, September 7, 1812.

9 McBeth, History , 351.

10 Torbet, 332.

11 Torbet, 337.

12 Noll, History, 153.

Lesson 9: Baptist Growth, Separation, and Struggle During the 1700s

Baptists are throughout America, uniformly and almost unanimously, the firm friends to civil liberty, and the persevering promoters of our glorious Revolution.
George Washington

The state church in America was facing inner turmoil regarding its theology and polity. As early as 1622, a Half-way covenant was established. This covenant would allow baptized infants half entrance into church membership. Children of godly, professing believers could now be considered members of the churches even though those children did not possess salvation themselves. The slippery slope of compromise soon settled in. By the 1700s, this practice developed a mind set whereby some began to believe that infant baptism itself converted the infant.

This practice and downgrading of theology did not set well among many. It sparked a revival among the Congregationalists, Puritans, and Presbyterians. Men wrote and traveled throughout the colonies preaching the doctrine of salvation, recapturing the truth of salvation by faith alone. These preaching revivals, called the Great Awakening, swept across young America resulting in numbers of conversions. It was this Awakening which also led to radical growth among Baptists.

This growth brought with it certain struggles. People reacted differently to the revivals. Differences among Baptists became more apparent. Issues related to religious liberty also germinated.

The Growth of the Baptists

Men who were influential for the growth of Baptists

Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen (1691–c. 1747)

A Dutch Reformed minister who arrived in New York in 1720. He tackled the Reformed hierarchy by demanding that only believers be allowed to take the Lord's Supper. He was bitterly attacked by the affluent in his congregation. His “evangelical fervor and his itinerancy contributed to the onset of the Great Awakening.” ¹

William and Gilbert Tennent

This father and son worked among the Presbyterians bringing revival back to their denomination, namely the New Side Presbyterians. They established the Log College which trained the “New Sides.” Gilbert was so well known that George Whitefield sought him out.

Jonathan Edwards

Edwards is considered to be among the ranks of the greatest theologians. He was well educated at Yale University. His grandfather was a well-known congregational preacher (Solomon Stoddard.)

Edward's influenced the Great Awakening by his preaching tours and his writings. His example well illustrates that theology is evangelistic. Though most well-known for his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” he wrote over 1,200 sermons and many theological treatises. His two major treatises were: Freedom of the Will and Original Sin.

Edwards was called as president to The College of New Jersey (Princeton). He died only weeks after moving into that position.

George Whitefield

Whitefield, a Methodist preacher from England, made five preaching tours throughout America. ² He gained an appreciation of the evangelistic fervor from the Wesley brothers, though he “parted company” from them due to their Arminian theology.

His tours drew millions of people. He had an exhausting itinerary, usually not staying more than a day in a particular city and preaching over 7,500 sermons combined.

Whitefield retained much of the pietism he learned from the Wesley's. He preached ex tempore believing that using a manuscript inhibited “inspiration” of the Holy Spirit. ³ One further describes Whitefield's preaching style in the following way:

“Besides pathos and tears, Whitefield frequently appealed to his listeners' imaginations as he enacted the agonies of damnation and the ecstasy of salvation . . . . Tears, passions, and consolation fused in Whitefield's sermons to produce a new and powerful form of preaching. Although endowed with a voice that was often likened to the “roar of a lion,” Whitefield offered a message not primarily of fear and hell-fire but of compassion, suffering, and comfort.” ⁴

Whitefield's style was imitated and exaggerated by many revivalists in the 1700s and beyond.

Shubal Stearns

Stearns was converted under the ministry of George Whitefield's second tour in the States (1745). Convinced by Scripture that the Congregationalists were not thoroughly biblical, he became a Baptist. In 1755 he led a group of fifteen men to the South and began the Sandy Creek Church. This church planted other churches which eventually formed the Sandy Creek Association. This church is considered the grandmother of the Southern Baptists.

Stearns apparently imitated the pietistic preaching of Whitfield. His preaching was described as “musical and strong . . . mak[ing] soft impressions on the heart . . . throw[ing] the animal system into tumults.”

Hezekiah Smith

Smith was educated at Princeton and associated with the Philadelphia Baptist Association. Traveled through the South as an itinerant evangelist. “During this fifteen months he traveled on horseback four thousand two hundred and thirty-five miles, and preached on hundred and seventy-three sermons.” ⁵ He helped found a college in Rhode Island. Became a pastor in Havervill, Massachusetts (1766) and ministered there for 39 years. He founded the Massachusetts Baptist Missionary Society in 1802.

Associations which were influential for the growth of Baptists

Philadelphia Baptist Association (est. 1707)

This Association, established by Elias Keach et al sent ministers and evangelists to destitute churches. Two outstanding men were Morgan Edwards and John Gano. Gano established churches in New York and New Jersey. The number of churches planted were substantial. Within 60 years, nearly 1,200 churches were started.

The PBA “mothered” many other associations: Charles Association (1751); Sandy Creek Association (1758); Ketockton Association (1765); Kehukee Association (1769); Strawberry Association (1776). ⁶

The PBA also influenced the growth of Baptists by founding Rhode Island College (now Brown University). From this college came many Baptist pastors. This also did much to alleviate the negative attitude toward education among the Separate Baptists.

Warren Association (est. 1767)

Chief leaders of this association were Dr. Manning (president of Rhode Island College), John Gano, and Isaac Backus. It was mainly established for the purpose of securing religious liberty.

By 1800 there were forty-eight associations in the country; thirty in the southern states, and eight beyond the Alleghenies.

Other factors that led to the growth of the Baptists

Besides the obvious influence of the Great Awakening, other factors induced a swelling of Baptists in the 1700s. McBeth identifies the Great Awakening and two others: immigration of the English and Welsh Baptists and the improved social status of the dissenters. ⁷

The statistical data regarding the growth of the Baptists

The increase in the number of Baptist churches in the colonies between 1740 and 1776 was significant, for by the latter year there were 472 churches as over against approximately sixty at the time of the Great Awakening, a tenfold gain. By 1795 Backus estimated that there were a total of 1,152 churches scattered through sixteen states and territories. ⁸

One historian compared the number of Baptists with the number of the general population. In 1776 1 Baptist could be found among 264 people. By 1800 the ratio was 1:53, by 1850, 1:29. ⁹

Separations among the Baptists

There was enough variety of Baptists in the 1700s that a denominational consolidation was not present. However, the different reactions to the revivalism in America did bring to light more noticeable differences among the Baptists that they became quite distinguishable.

The conflict between genuine and false revival

The spirit of revival swept across America, but along with it, aberrations of true revival also developed. It is true that salvation brings with it certain emotions. However, some regarded emotional experience as a “sign” of true spiritual revival. Among the genuine revivals, false revivals were marked by: “weeping, wailing, the “holy laugh” . . . baile. . . barking like a dog, uncontrollable jerking or muscular spasms of the body, and falling to the ground in a dead faint.” ¹⁰ God's character was at stake. True revival among some Baptists was no longer viewed as a “surprising work” of God but could be induced by human means.

This conflict brought to light noticeable differences among the Baptists:

Bautistas separados

The Separate Baptist movement was energized by the preaching of Whitefield and the “New Light” Congregationalists. Many Separate itinerant evangelists mimicked the preaching style of Whitefield.

Mark Noll states “If anything, this depiction of a frontier camp meeting suggests less drama than was typically associated with such events.”

lso, the “New Light” Congregationalists, so named because they were “enlightened by the revivals, were fast becoming Baptists. It has been said that the “New Light Congregational status [was] a halfway house on the road to becoming Baptists.” The New Light movement was further described as a “nursery of baptists.” ¹¹

The Separates were the more pietistic among the Baptists. They believed the following:

“Confessions lead to creedalism, therefore, confessions are to be rejected.” The Separates would not use the Philadelphia Confession. The “Bible alone” was their platform. ¹²

“Exhortation rather than exposition is the biblical mode for preaching.” ¹³ As a result, the Separates did not prepare their sermons. They disparaged manuscript sermons. ¹⁴

“Educational preparation of their pastors was not important.” Whether they were able to secure an education for themselves is not known. Yet, they had an anti-education mindset.

“To preach for money was just a notch above Judas who denied [Jesus] for money.” ¹⁵ Therefore, they did not pay their ministers a salary.

The Separates also differed from other Baptists in that they allowed women preachers and devised a sensational invitation system. The invitation system is described by on writer:

“At the close of the sermon, the minister would come down from the pulpit and while singing a suitable hymn would go around among the brethren shaking hands. The hymn being sung, he would then extend an invitation to such persons as felt themselves poor guilty sinners, and were anxiously inquiring the way to salvation, to come forward and kneel near the stand.” ¹⁶

Regular Baptists

The Regular Baptists participated in and also enjoyed the fruits of the Great Awakening. They were quick to shy away from the pietistic emotionalism. The Regulars were the opposite of the Separates on all of the above points.

A common (but false) paradigm used to distinguish between the Regulars and the Separates is that the Regulars were characterized by Order, the Separates by Ardor [fervency]. ¹⁷ Though this is interpreted by some to be the advantage of the Separates, the Regulars were as well marked by fervency.

The Struggle for Religious Freedom

The colonies all struggled with the concept of religious freedom. The colony of Rhode Island had virtual liberty while the state of Virginia seems to have been the most intolerant. The reasons for Virginia's intolerant attitude toward religious liberty are varied, but chiefly the state church in that region was stronger than the other colonies.

The Baptists (Separate mainly) were growing rapidly. Many Separates were accused of “disturbing the peace” and were either fined or imprisoned. Whippings were meted by the local sheriffs in some cases without due course of law.

The destruction of the Revolutionary War delayed religious freedom.

Churches on the trail of the war were damaged, looted, and often destroyed. For example, John Gano's church was used as a stable by the British army. When he returned at the end of the war, he found only 37 out of the 200 members remaining. ¹⁸ With the shrinking influence of the Baptists, religious freedom was further away.

That was not to be the situation for long. The Baptists quickly sprang back. Gano's church was enlarged to its pre-war size within two years of his return.

Certain factors that led to Religious Liberty

The Revolutionary war did provide some positive results

During the Revolutionary War, Baptists, for the most part, gained an increase status in the eyes of American society. The Philadelphia Baptist Association was behind the American efforts in the war. ¹⁹ Hence, many Baptist pastors (eg, Hezekiah Smith and John Gano) served as chaplains. Their patriotism was evident in the eyes of the American people.

Men who brought about Religious liberty

Interestingly, it seemed as if everyone wanted Religious Liberty. The Baptists wanted liberty from a state church. Thomas Jefferson wanted liberty from the Baptists. God raised up two influential people to gain religious freedom.

Isaac Backus

Considered the “greatest Baptist spokesman for religious liberty in America,” Backus chaired the Grievance Committee of the Warren Association. Essentially that committee formed a strategy for securing religious freedom.

Backus was a brilliant man who read much. He could quote Jonathan Edwards and John Locke's works with ease. ²⁰ He traveled as an itinerant evangelist nearly 15,000 miles. In eleven years, he preached 2,412 sermons (about one every 1.66 days).

Through different treatises on the subject of religious freedom, and political maneuvers, he brilliantly fought for religious freedom in the following ways:

• Backus brought the liberty problem to the attention of the London authorities by publishing it in the Boston Evening Post, July 20, 1770. The American leaders did not want to complicate issues with securing independence from England, so this maneuver forced the American leaders to pay attention and appease the Baptists.

• Backus also appealed to the Baptists to stop paying taxes to the state church on the basis that they were being taxed without representation. This was a parallel problem faced in America. England was forcing taxes upon the Americans. They did not want to pay England taxes, so why should Baptists pay State Church taxes?

• The reality that Baptists were so numerous had its advantages. America needed Baptist help in fighting the Revolutionary War, so the Baptists had to be appeased.

Though full religious liberty had not been achieved, these appeals and facts rested on the minds of the framers of the constitution. “With the attainment of civil liberty came a spirit that made men see in religious persecution the tyranny and shame that it was.” ²¹ Though Backus did much to promote religious liberty, John Leland helped secure it.

John Leland

Positioned in the most intolerant colony of Virginia, John Leland helped win religious liberty for the Baptists. Leland was a powerful spokesman for religious liberty as well.

During a conference of Baptists on March 7,1788, Leland eloquently revived the principles which Roger Williams and John Clarke raised a century earlier. His speech was so well received that knowledge of it spread throughout Virginia.

Leland was a popular preacher who developed a keen mind on politics. Thomas Jefferson himself attended Leland's church on occasion.

“In numerous letters, Leland pleaded with [James] Madison to incorporate guarantees into the Consititution.” ²² Since the Constitution did not spell out and guarantee religious liberty, the Baptists made it clear to the framers that the Constitution would not be ratified. Leland wrote ten Objections to the Constitution and presented it to James Madison. To complicate issues, Leland ran for office opposite Madison.

Not wanting to lose the Constitution to a Baptist protest, nor an election, Madison met with Leland in March of 1788. At that “secret meeting” Madison agreed to spell out the freedoms the Baptists desired as long as Leland withdrew from the race. ²³

This won the day for religious freedom in America, for James Madison kept his promise and brought the subject of an amendment to the constitution to the House of Representatives.

The Amendment finally adopted reads as follows:

"El Congreso no hará ley alguna con respecto al establecimiento de religión, o prohibiendo el libre ejercicio de los mismos o que coarte la libertad de expresión o de prensa o el derecho de las personas que pacíficamente se reúnen para, y para pedir al gobierno la reparación de agravios. "

One historian wrote:

“Freedom of conscience, unlimited freedom of mind, was from the first the trophy of the Baptists.” ²⁴

Conclusión

The Baptists rode the wave of the Great Awakening securing for themselves a greater number, denominational structure, and religious freedom. While we enjoy the freedom and theological foundation laid by our Baptist forefathers, let us not rest in evangelizing others, discipling them as Baptists, and securing for our future the blessings we now enjoy.

Lecciones que podemos aprender

1. God works in a “surprising” way to revive His people. Revival comes, not because man works up revival through emotionalism, rather God sends it as He pleases. Often, God is pleased to send revival as people are instructed through His Word and they obey it. Though this is not a guarantee of national revival, it is a guarantee of personal revival.

So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. . . . Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. . . . 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. . . . Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them. . . . From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great. (Nehemiah 8.1–3, 5–6, 8, 12, 17)

2. Religious freedom is not necessary for our growth, expansion, and spiritual well-being. It is a grace given by God which should not be taken for granted (abused). During times of persecution the Baptists grew and expanded their ministries. During times of ease, the Baptists have also grown (next lesson). Let's not comfort ourselves and forsake the mission of evangelizing and teaching others.

We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6.11–12)

1 Dictionary of Christianity in America, “Frelinghuysen,” 454.

2 Actually he made seven trips to America, only five of them were preaching tours.

3 Dictionary of Christianity in America, “Whitefield,” 1252.

4 Harry Stout, The Divine Dramatist (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991), 42f.

5 Vedder, History, 310.

6 Vedder, History, 318; Torbet, History , 232.

7 McBeth, History, 200.

8 Torbet, History , 243.

9 Vedder, History, 319. f. 2.

10 Torbet, History, 222.

11 William McLouglin, New England Dissent 1630–1833, 1:424 and David Benedict, A General History of the Baptist Denomination in America, 549. Cited by McBeth, History, 205.

12 Torbet, History, 223.

13 Torbet, History, 223

14 This was an overreaction. While the Church of England ministers were notorious from reading their manuscripts with little enthusiasm, the Separates fled to the opposite “pole” and disdained any preparation for a sermon.

15 McBeth, History, 231.

16 George Paschal, A History of North Carolina Baptists, 1:308. Cited by McBeth, History, 231.

17 Walter Shurden, “The Southern Baptist Synthesis” Baptist History. Cited by McBeth, 234.

18 Torbet, History, 238.

19 Certain pacifist groups (Quakers, Mennonites) despised America's revolution.

20 McBeth, History, 259.

21 Vedder, History, 319.

22 Gerald Priest, “John Leland and the Bill of Rights,” in The Baptist Bulletin, February 1988, 14.

23 McBeth, History, 282.

24 George Bancroft cited by Priest in “John Leland,” 14.

Baptist Beginnings in America

Definitely not the home of the free,
but surely the home of the brave

Until now, it was important for us to see the beginnings of Baptists in England. Beginning with this lesson, we will consider the Baptist beginnings in America. The establishment of Baptist thought in America is more complex than that of England. One historian (perhaps too sweeping in his analysis) notes that the Baptists in America were paving their own way.

The Baptist movement in New England was essentially an indigenous, parallel movement to that in England and not an offshoot or extension of it. ¹

While it is true that Baptists in America were a parallel movement to that in England, they do find the origins of their thought, and in some cases, their churches in England.

El príncipe de Zamunda

Even though America was a “howling wilderness” many considered it a land of promise. The Puritans found that reforming the Church of England may be easiest in a new locale. The Separatists fled to the new land to find freedom.

Establishing a new state church

The Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower to come to America because of Arch Bishop Lauds tyranny. On board the Mayflower were Puritans (with a sprinkling of Separatists). They landed on the shores of America on December 21, 1620. They established a colony along with their state church in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

En busca de la libertad

The Baptists (and other dissenters) came over from England for the same reasons. They could no longer endure the tyranny of the Church of England. They thought “the Puritans who had shared persecution with them in England would receive them gladly.” ² They thought wrong. The Puritans were not committed to religious freedom as much as they were committed to establishing a pure state church. Hence, the Baptists were generally unwelcome.

Church historian, John Christian states that the “whole of New England was agitated on the subject of immersion.” ³ It was not long after their arrival that the General Court (1644) enacted laws to penalize those who would not subscribe to the state church:

“it is ordered and agreed, that if any person or persons, within this jurisdiction, shall either openly condemn or oppose the baptizing of infants, or go about secretly to seduce others from the approbation or use thereof, or shall purposely depart the congregation at the ministration of the ordinance, or shall deny the ordinance of magistracy . . . and shall appear to the court wilfully and obstinately to continue therein after due time and means of conviction, every such person or persons shall be sentenced to banishment.” ⁴

Banishment was a severe penalty for it meant one had to wander the “howling wilderness” with its dangers (Indians, wild animals, severe winters).

Arrival in America

Lest we think that the early Baptists were rabble rousers, we should take into consideration the words of Cotton Mather:

”many of the first settlers of Massachusetts were Baptists, and they were as holy and watchful and faithful and heavenly people as any, perhaps in the world.” ⁵

The areas in which they settled

Nueva Inglaterra

The early Baptist settlers were from various regions in England.

From England came John Clarke who settled in Newport, Rhode Island (1644). Thomas Gould who settled in Boston, Massachusetts (1665). William Screven settled in Kittery, Maine (1673) and later moved to Charleston, South Carolina (ca. 1696)

From Wales came John Myles who settled in Rehoboth (1663) and later moved to Swansea.

Because of the Puritans, growth in New England was slow. “In 1700 there were only ten small churches with not more than three hundred members.” ⁶

Las colonias del centro

The First Baptist Meeting House in Boston, Massachusets

The middle colonies were more favorable to growth than New England. There was a “commingling of religious and cultural groups which made for a greater toleration than would have been possible otherwise.” ⁷ The General Baptists (Arminian) settled in New England, while for the most part Particular Baptists (Calvinists) settled in the Middle Colonies. In the south both groups were represented.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey gave more religious liberty than any other colony. The Baptists from Wales, Ireland, and England settled in the area. The city of Philadelphia became a place of convergence for these groups.

From England, Elias Keach with others settled in Dublin Township near Philadelphia (1688) and made rounds to other cities (Middletown, 1688; Piscataway 1689; Cohansey, 1690; Philadelphia 1698)

El Sur

Initially, the greatest concentration of Baptists was in the North. Very few congregations were founded in the South until the Great Awakening in 1726. ⁸ Usually those churches planted in the south were established by those who were forced out of New England (eg Screven was driven from Maine to South Carolina).

Since Virginia was first settled by the English (ca. 1619), they were unfavorable to the dissenters.

A contingent of General Baptists from England settled in circa 1700. Later, they summoned the Particular Baptists in London to send them preachers. Robert Nordon came in 1714.

A group from Maryland moved into Virginia between 1743–1756. It was this group, “owing in all probability to their contacts with the Philadelphia Association” that brought Calvinism to the South. ⁹

Problem in America

The Baptists left England because of religious persecution in England. They believed they would receive a warm welcome by the Puritans and Congregationalists for they also were persecuted in England. No es así. Once they arrived they met severe opposition. The Puritans were very strict and demanded that others conform to their ways. This was not the freedom that the Baptists expected to find.

One example of the attitude toward the Baptists can be found in the situation at Harvard.

Henry Dunster came to America in 1640. He was made the first president of Harvard. A well respected president, Dunster made Harvard a schola illustra ¹⁰ which “flourished in the profession of all liberal sciences for many years.” ¹¹ Dunster, himself, was regarded as a master of the oriental languages.

He was present at many trials against Baptists. Having witnessed the trial of John Clarke (et al) he became convinced of believer's baptism. He began to preach the same in his own church at Cambridge. This quickly forced his resignation as President in 1653.

The Overseers of the College were heartless individuals. They threw Dunster and his family out of the president's home (which he built) in the middle of winter. Later, he was brought to trial for failing to sprinkle his infant daughter. He died five years after he resigned his position at Harvard.

Conflicts among the Baptists

To add to the dilemma, Baptists found themselves in some internal conflicts.

• Arminianism vs. Calvinism
• Laying on of hands in baptism for membership
• Singing in church
• 7 ^th day Baptists worshiping on Saturdays ¹²

Leaders in America

Four influential men arrived in America. Keach was a Baptist before he came, while three others (Knollys, Clarke, and Williams) developed into Baptists after their arrival.

Knollys arrived in 1638

Hanserd Knollys fled to America and started a church in Piscataway (now Dover) New Hampshire. At this time, Knollys still could not be considered a Baptist. However, his church in New Hampshire was split on the issue of infant baptism. This brought persecution on him by the Congregationalists. He, with others from his church, fled to New Jersey and eventually back to England.

Roger Williams arrived in 1631

Roger Williams was born in London, England circa 1603. He was an intelligent young man that served as a clerk under a famous jurist Sir Edward Coke. He went to Pembroke College, then to Cambridge University. It was during his senior year at Cambridge that he began questioning many of the Anglican beliefs.

He became a Puritan, then a Separatist, and fled to America ten years after the landing of the Mayflower. He had a good reputation for the governor of Massachusetts. John Winthrop said of him:

Williams is “a charming, sweet-tempered, win-ning man, courageous, selfless, God-intoxicated, and stubborn, the very soul of separation.” ¹³

Offered the position of pastor in Boston, Massachusetts. He refused citing their failure to separate from the Church of England.

When he got to Boston, he was given the offer to be the pastor of a very influential church. He considered it an “unseparated church” and “durst not officiate it.” He went to Plymouth to be the assistant Pastor to Ralph Smith. This pastor said of Williams, “A man godly and zealous having many precious parts, but very unsettled in judgment.” Williams left this church because it was not separated enough.

He went to Salem and became the teacher of a church. He voiced opposition to the Puritans. He accused the King of England for being unchristian, was brought to court three times, and finally was banished into “those wild tracts of nature where the wolf, the bear, and the panther roamed in all their voracity.” ¹⁴ It was during that time that the Indians welcomed him and took him into their wigwams. ¹⁵

He fled to Providence to help John Clarke establish Rhode Island. Williams went to England himself to get the charter signed. When he came back to America, he wrote many pamphlets on religious liberty.

It was only three or four months that he was in Providence that he soon denied that baptism was biblical. He imbibed in mysticism. He became a seeker.

Despite the fact that he drifted down many theological streams, Williams did much to secure religious freedom. He became known as the “Father of Religious Liberty in America.” This designation should not be applied only to Williams for Clarke had much to do with securing liberty as well.

Though Roger Williams did set the groundwork for religious liberty, his church did not expand itself. By 1750, fifty five Baptist churches existed, not one of them deriving from William's church. Hence, Williams cannot be rightly considered the originator of Baptists in America. ¹⁶

John Clarke arrived in 1637

Born in England he was both a physician and a theologian. A Puritan, Clarke had remarkable skills in handling the Hebrew and Greek languages.

He crossed the “pond” and stepped on American soil 17 years after the Mayflower landed. When he arrived in America he found that the Puritans were in a dispute so he took a group of people New Hampshire. The winters were so severe that the group fled “south” to an island called Aquidneck. He purchased it from the Indians and called it Rhode Island. He and a group of men established two colonies – Portsmouth and Newport.

Clarke and Williams ministered together in this church. Clarke became the “teaching elder” of the first church in Newport. It became Baptist by 1648. ¹⁷

God used Clarke to secure religious freedom for the Baptists in Rhode Island. This was just short of a miracle for a few reasons.

• Charles II did not like those who didn't conform to the Church of England (Anglican Church)
• Better yet, to offer freedom to a man who was now across the sea would be dangerous to Charles II.
• The statement that Clarke wanted to adopt would be very liberal in the eyes of Charles II.

“Your petitioners have it much on their hearts to hold forth a lively experiment that a flourishing civil State may stand . . . with a full liberty in religious concernments .”

Elias Keach arrived in 1688

Elias rode on the coat tails of his famed father, Benjamin Keach. With that fame, Elias became a pastor in England without giving a testimony, nor having been baptized. He became a popular speaker and secure invitations to do so throughout London. The family name was good enough.

When he got off the ship in America, he strode into a church in Pennepeck, Pennsylvania sporting the garb of a clergyman. During his first sermon, we became so convicted that he confessed his imposture. ¹⁸

He preached with unusual fervor from that day forward. He traveled to many cities and saw many come to Christ. He desired to make all of the new converts a part of his church in Pennepeck. Because of the distance between the cities, they gathered twice a year for a combined church service. This eventually failed and these believers began their own churches.

These churches combined to make the first Baptist association in America, The Philadelphia Baptist Association. It took nearly forty years for this Association to adopt a doctrinal statement for they did not want to offend the General Baptist churches. In 1757 it had a membership of twenty-five churches. By 1762, there were twenty nine churches with 4,018 members.

Associations must not replace or undermine the authority of individual Baptist churches. This principle was recognized early in Baptist history. A man by the name of Benjamin Griffith wrote:

“That an Association is not a superior judiacature, having such superior power over the churches concerned; but that each particular church that a complete power and authority from Jesus Christ, to administer all gospel ordinances . . .” ¹⁹

McBeth identifies several purposes for which The Philadelphia Baptist Association existed:

• It served as a “doctrinal monitor.”
• It was an “advisory council in matters of local concern” and to help “settle disputes” in the churches. ²⁰
• It helped churches find pastors and pastors find churches. It also “was particularly careful to examine the credentials of itinerant preachers and to warn the churches of such impostors.” ²¹
• It helped with benevolent work. This included an educational fund, sponsoring a Baptist college, fighting for religious liberty.
• It provided fellowship for Baptists.
• It provided models for preaching. “Preaching was always a major feature of association meetings, and churches put forward their best preachers.”

Conclusión

Lessons we can learn from the early American Baptists:

1) It has been well said that “the colonial period . . . is marked by faithful witness to the truth on the one hand, and by bitter persecution on the other.” ²² In spite of persecution and fear of being banished into the “howling wilderness” believers persevered. That perseverance issued into the expansion of Baptists in America.

Pero lo que para mí era ganancia, ahora lo considero pérdida por amor de Cristo. Es más, todo lo considero como pérdida por la excelencia del conocimiento de Cristo Jesús, mi Señor, por amor del cual lo han perdido todo. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Php 3.7–11)

2) Men of all calibers showed courageous, sacrificial determination to carry out the Great Commission.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Tit 2.11–14)

3) Doctrinal consistency was important to the early believers. Planting churches and associating with one another centered on similarity in doctrine.

I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. Ellos son hombres impíos, que cambian la gracia de nuestro Dios en una licencia para la inmoralidad y niegan a Jesucristo nuestro único Soberano y Señor. (Jude 3–4)

1 New England Dissent 1630–1833: The Baptists and the Separation of Church and State , 1:6 quoted by Gerald Priest.

2 Torbet, History, p. 201.

3 Christian, History, p. 362.

4 Isaac Backus, History of the Baptists in New England. 1:359–60, Cited in John Christian, History, p. 369.

5 Cotton Mather, Magnalia , 2:459. Cited by John Christian, History, p. 359.

6 Vedder, History, 302.

7 Torbet, History, p. 209

8 Ibid. p. 214

9 Ibid. p. 216

10 Literally, “a glorious school.”

11 Prince, Preface to New England Psalm Book. Cited by John Christian, History , p. 365.

12 This group still exists today.

13 quoted by Gerald Priest

14 Armitage, History, p. 642.

15 This was not an unusual kindness for Williams earlier “visited their wigwams, learned their language, and preached to them the good news of the kingdom . . . his sufferings touched the savage heart.” Ibid.

16 John Christian, History, p. 376f.

17 Maybe even four years earlier, but extant records show the date of 1684. See Torbet, History, p. 203.

18 Torbet, History, p. 210.

19 Quoted by McBeth, History, pp. 243–4.

20 Torbet, History, p. 245.

21 Ibid.

22 Vedder, History, p. 287.

Centrándose en la Misión

The mission of the local church is to reproduce itself. This involves reproducing other churches near and far (Ac 1.8). These plants should be doctrinal (2Ti 1.13–14) and philosophical (1Ti 3.14–15) reflection of the mother church. The heresy of Hyper-calvinism destroyed the focus of this vision in the 1700s. Hence the Baptists lost many churches during this period of decline.

It was also during this time that God was pleased to raise up some men who were devoted to the mission of the church. Two such men were Andrew Fuller and William Carey. These men did not invent a new doctrine to revive the church. Rather, they relied on Scripture and reasoned in a biblical manner.

They saw the revivals sweeping across America, led by George Whitfield and Charles Wesley. No doubt these revivals energized their desire to promote the mission of the church. Yet, “in many respects the writings of Jonathan Edwards were the single most important theological influence on Fuller, Carey, and the English Baptists.” ¹

Andrew Fuller

His Background

Fuller was born in into a Cambridgeshire farming family in 1754. He was a big man who took up wrestling as a sport. “Years later, so tradition says, when he met another strong man he would give him an appraising glance and mentally calculate if he could still defeat such a man.” ²

At the age of sixteen, he witnessed a baptismal service (March 1770). Through this example and the teachings of Scripture, he was baptized a month later. By the next year he was preaching in a church in Soham. Though he “durst not” preach the gospel to sinners.

All that changed in 1775 when he came across a pamphlet which opposed Hyper-Calvinism. This pamphlet and the Scriptural examples of Christ showed him that he needed to “address the gospel to sinners and invite them to believe.” ³ Fuller called Hyper-Calvinism “False Calvinism.” and rightly so.

How would his church receive this change of theology? No muy bien. It eventually led to his dismissal. Unfortunate as that may be, it was the antagonism in that church that forced him to be clear and convincing. One historian states he was a “sound and edifying preacher, but not a great orator; nevertheless, few pulpit orators have had so wide a hearing, or so deeply influenced their generation.” ⁴

His influence was most widely known by his writings. He was “one of the most widely read and influential theological writers of England or America.” ⁵

His Sacrifice

In those harsh days, it was common for children to die in infancy. Of his eleven children, only three survived. His wife also died after giving birth August 23, 1792.

In spite of his recent widowing, he along with thirteen other pastors formed the first Baptist missionary society. He was elected secretary and traveled all of England, five times to Scotland and once to Ireland – he was not paid for his services.

His Thought

Andrew Fuller was a Modified Calvinist. That is, he believed in the five doctrines of Calvinism. He explained Limited Atonement as “Christ's death was sufficient for all but efficient for only the elect.” He found himself strangely labeled an Arminian by the Hyper-Calvinists and Hyper-Calvinistic by the Arminians. Modified Calvinists became known as Fullerists.

The writings of Jonathan Edwards helped Fuller understand how divine sovereignty and human responsibility did not contradict. As he worked through his own theology, he refrained from publishing for a long time. The theology of the Hyper-Calvinists was popular and their logic persuasive. Eventually, he published his book The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation. He expected controversy and received it from both the Arminian and Hyper-Calvinist camps.

His Book – “The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation”

This book clearly sets forth his Calvinistic thought. Throughout the book, Fuller expressed that a belief in the doctrines of grace supports and encourages missionary activity. Historian Timothy George identifies five main teachings of this book. [Bold mine emphasis]

• Unconverted sinners are commanded , exhorted , and invited to believe in Christ for salvation.

• Everyone is bound to receive what God reveals.

• The gospel, though a message of pure grace, requires the obedient response of faith.

• The lack of faith is a heinous sin which is ascribed in the Scriptures to human depravity.

• God has threatened and inflicted the most awful punishments on sinners for their not believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

• The Bible requires of all persons certain spiritual exercises which are represented as their duty. These include repentance and faith no less than the requirement to love God, fear God, and glorify God. That no one can accomplish these things apart from the bestowal of the Holy Spirit is clear . Nonetheless the obligation remains. In this respect man's duty and God's gift are the same thing , seen from different perspectives ^.

Another historian states: “As a scholarly man of deep devotion and marked literary gifts, he was well fitted to restate Calvin's teaching in terms of the individual's responsibility to witness to the gospel. Indeed, his missionary zeal and sound judgment constituted the chief cause for the awakening of Baptist missionary impulse among Particular Baptists. To him also belongs the credit for doing much to break down the anti-missionary spirit of hyper-Calvinists. It was he who gave William Carey, the youthful prophet of missions, encouragement and recognition of his talents. ^”

William Carey

His birth and re-birth.

Carey was born August 17, 1761, the son of Edmund and Polly Carey. Carey's uncle Peter was more of a father to him than his own father. Peter served with the British army, undoubtedly having participated in the British/Indian war. He told young Carey of adventures on the sea, in Africa, the New World, and India.

Carey was a diligent young man. He taught himself Latin at the age of 12. Not afraid of work, he cobbled shoes until he was 28. The young cobbler also taught himself to read his coworker's Greek New Testament. Later Carey would learn Hebrew and teach himself Dutch and French. These languages were learned.

A fellow cobbler lent him books and witnessed to him in the shop. Even though Carey would often win the debates, he realized the truth of his situation. He was a sinner in desperate need. By this man's witness, as well talks with other believers, Carey was saved.

At the age of 19, Carey married Dorothy Plackett, who at the ripe old age of 24 was about to be declared a “spinster.” ⁶ The marriage began with many difficulties. Their firstborn, Ann, died when she was 2 years old. The same fever that killed their daughter almost took Carey's life, leaving him bald for the remainder of his life. Carey's sister was widowed at about the same time, leaving Carey responsible for her well-being and the well being of her four children. Given all of the difficulties, Carey continued to pursue a life-long study of God's Word.

His formative years

Having been persuaded by the preaching of Hebrews 13:13 by Thomas , Carey became a Dissenter. Quite a move for Carey, for before his own salvation, Carey had thought of destroying the building in which where the dissenters met.

In 1782, Carey, and other dissenters, were invited to the Northamptonshire Baptist Association in Olney. There he heard Andrew Fuller preach “Be Not Children in Understanding.”

Though a Dissenter, Carey was not yet a Baptist. He listened to the preaching of those who practiced infant baptism, yet was not convinced. He did take it upon himself to study the subject. He learned that baptism follows salvation and is properly administrated by immersion, not by pouring or sprinkling. He asked Pastor John Ryland to baptize him. Carey was baptized October 1783.

Carey's giftedness for preaching was recognized by a group of Baptist believers in Moulton. There he served the church making a mere 12 pounds a year which was enlarged with the addition of 5 more from the Particular Baptist Fund.

Carey's married life in Moulton was enhanced by the arrival of three boys – Felix, William, and Peter. Despite the low salary and loss of their firstborn, Moulton was close to home for Dorothy.

His Preparation

Carey particularly enjoyed reading the newly published Journal of Captain Cook's Last Voyage. In his words, “it was the first thing that engaged my mind in missions. ^” His fascination with the world's situation was so great he constructed a map in his workshop, compiling facts on populations, religions, and various other facts of each country. Those facts appear in his Enquiry. More is to be said about that below.

The Moulton ministry was demanding. To support his family, Carey had to teach school and cobble shoes. A deacon from Andrew Fuller's church employed Carey to make boots for the British army. This boosted Carey's income as well as work load. The deacon was a wealthy man who became interested in Carey's remarkable abilities in the original languages (Greek and Hebrew). He encouraged Carey to end his shoe making and wholeheartedly devote his energies to the language studies. This deacon gifted Carey 10 shillings a week to make up for the loss. Another man by the name of Thomas Potts gave Carey money to publish his Enquiry so that it could be disseminated throughout the country.

Carey was pursued by the Baptist Church at Harvey Lane in Leicester. This was a city church which offered an increase in income. After a heart-rending decision, Carey accepted the call. The Carey family once again expanded with the blessed arrival of a girl they named Lucy.

The ministry in Leicester was a great challenge. The church was “meat grinder” for pastors. It had “just gone through three pastors in as many years. ^” The church was so divided that Carey threw himself upon the grace of God. He led the congregation to dissolve itself and recharter its ministry. That meant everyone had to go through the membership process once again. Those who were not committed to spoiling the ministry did not bother reentering the membership process. They lost some members, but the church experienced a revival. It was not long before they had to build on to the church to accommodate the crowds. But all was not a “bed of roses” at Leicester, Carey suffered another personal tragedy. His daughter Lucy did not survive to see her second birthday.

In spite of the obstacles, Carey diligently plodded and worked. The following reflects his weekly schedule:

On Monday I confine myself to the study of the learned languages, and oblige myself to translate something. On Tuesday, to the study of science, history, composition, etc. On Wednesday I preach a lecture, and have been for more than twelve months on the book of Revelation. On Thursday I visit my friends. Friday and Saturday are spent in preparing for the Lord's day; and the Lord's day, in preaching the word of God. Once a fortnight (every two weeks) I preach three times at home; and once a fortnight I go to a neighbouring village in the evening. Once a month I go to another village on the Tuesday evening. My school begins at nine o'clock in the morning and continues till four o'clock in winter, and five in summer. I have acted for this twelve month as secretary to the committee of dissenters; and am now to be regularly appointed to that office, with a salary. Add to this, occasional journeys, ministers, meetings, etc.' and you will rather wonder that I have any time, than that I have so little ^.

This situation at Leicester was such that Carey was not formally installed as pastor until nearly two full years had passed. On April, 1791, Carey was officially made pastor of the church. That evening Carey read portions of his unfinished Enquiry and Andrew Fuller preached “The Danger of Delay” a forceful message summoning his fellow pastors to evangelize the world. Though many pastors remained unmoved, the message apparently impacted some pastors to encourage Carey to finish and publish his Enquiry .

The Enquiry

One year later, the pamphlet was published and sent to London, Sheffield, and Leicester. How much exposure the pamphlet enjoyed at first is not known. Yet, this piece survived and so moved many that it has been dubbed “the first and greatest missionary treatise in the English Language. ^”

In those days, titles for books and pamphlets were ponderous. The original name summarizes the content:

“An Enquiry into the obligations of Christians, to use means for the conversion of the heathens. In which the religious state of the different nations of the world, the success of former undertakings, and the practicability of further undertakings, are considered, by William Carey.”

The divisions of the pamphlet are as follows:

Introducción

Una. The Great Commission Hyper-calvinists were teaching that the Great Commission was for only the disciples during the time of Christ. Carey exposes the fallacy of this understanding with the following arguments. First, he appealed to their inconsistency. The practice of baptism is found in the same commission. Second, he appealed to the ordinary practice of giving the gospel. If the great commission was only for the apostles, then everyone who gives the gospel errs. Third, he appeals to the clarity of Scripture. Matthew 28.20 specifically states that the gospel must go “to the end of the world.” Throughout the remainder of this unit, Carey soundly defeats various other Hyperist excuses for taking personal responsibility in delivering the gospel to the heathen.

Two. Earlier Missions Carey recounts the opposition the early apostles received for evangelizing the heathen. He gives the example of the Saducees tried to confound Peter and John's evangelistic efforts. He details the difficulties Barnabus, Mark, and Paul endured on their missionary efforts. Then he turns to evangelist efforts of the early church fathers, enumerating the many countries through which the gospel spread. Through chronological progression, Carey tells of many who spread the gospel through civilized as well as uncivilized countries and how “God has considerably blessed their labours.”

Tres. A World Survey Carey produced page after page of factual data he collected over the years from notes of his handstitched leather globe. After the survey, he states “All these things are loud calls to Christians, and especially to ministers, to exert themselves to the utmost in their several spheres of action, and to try to enlarge them as much as possible.

Cuatro. Can It Be Done? Carey anticipates the fears and excuses for not participating in world-wide evangelism. Son los siguientes:

1. Reaching the heathen is too difficult because they “are too far away from us.” Carey's refutation: Mariners and men of commerce venture into these lands to sell their wares. He notes that “navigation, especially that which is commercial, shall be one great means of carrying on the work of God.”

2. Reaching the heathen is dangerous because they have a “barbarous and savage manner of living.” Carey convincingly responded: “. . .this can be no objection to any except those whose love of ease renders them unwilling to expose themselves to inconveniences for the good of others. It was no objection to the apostles. . . "

3. Reaching the heathen places one in “danger of being killed by them.” Carey calls on the examples of “Paul and Barnabus, who 'hazarded their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:26), were not blamed as being rash but commended for so doing.”

4. Reaching the heathen is involves “the difficulty of procuring the necessities of life.” Carey states: “this would not be so great as may appear at first sight; for though we could not procure European food, yet we might procure such as the natives of those countries.” He then suggests a course of action a missionary may take to provide for himself: “It might be necessary, however, for two at least, to go together, and in general I should think it best that they should be married men. To prevent their time from being employed in procuring necessities, two or more other persons, with their wives and families, might also accompany them. . . . a few articles of stock, as a cow or two, and a bull, and a few other cattle of both sexes, a very few utensils of husbandry, and some corn to sow their land, would be sufficient. Those who attend the missionaries should understand husbandry, fishing, fowling, etc.”

5. Reaching the heathen is impossible due to the “unintelligibleness of their languages.” Carey relates that in a total submersion situation, learning a language is not a lifetime, nor an impossible venture. “It is well known to require no very extraordinary talents to learn, in the space of a year, or two at most, the language of any people upon earth.”

Cinco. Our Duty In this section, Carey answers the question “what means out to be used, in order to promote this work?” The first, and foremost duty, is that of “fervent and united prayer.” It was Carey's practice to engage his church in monthly prayer meetings for the lost ^. He devotes more than half the words of this unity to the matter of prayer. Secondly, he opines that a missionary society be formed to employ missionaries and secure financial resources. The society would also review the progress of the missionaries to make sure they were not “settling in a place where temporal gain invited them, than of preaching to the poor Indians.” He further proposed that this society be made up of those in the “particular Baptist denomination.” He was aware that if groups (with differences of theology and practice) were intermingled, “it is likely their private discords might throw a damp upon their spirits, and much retard their public usefulness.” He then gives examples of how the wealthy, the middle-class, and those few means would be able to financially support the mission society.

Not long after the Enquiry was published, Carey addressed the Northampton Association on May 31, 1792. In a powerful sermon from Isaiah 54, Carey exhorted his audience to engage themselves in missions. He demonstrated from various passages in Isaiah that God implored the sinner to come to Him (“Listen to me,” “Stand up,” “See,” “Come”). Though we do not have the text of this sermon, we do know the theme “Expect great things. Attempt great things. ^”

The next morning, as the association meeting was drawing to a close, it was apparent that nothing more was to be said about missions. Carey grabbed Fuller's arm and asked “Is there nothing again going to be done sir?” These words fanned the flame for worldwide missions. Fuller made the following motion:

“Resolved, that a plan be prepared against the next ministers' meeting at Kettering, for forming a Baptist Society for propagating the gospel among the heathen.”

The Kettering Meeting

Andrew Fuller organized a meeting for October 2, 1792 at the home of a Mrs. Beeby Wallis. It should not be overlooked that Fuller was a man of great devotion to his Lord. He led this meeting only little over a month since his wife died.

Fourteen men met in the parlor. They were young (ranging in age from 26–40), unknown, and with very little financial resources. Their churches were small, located in small hamlets.

Fuller was appointed as secretary. A treasurer was appointed and three others, including Carey, comprised the leadership of the newly formed Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Amongst the Heathen. An offering was collected and placed in a snuff box. They collected that week's proceeds from the sale of the Enquiry equaling a small sum of 13 pounds, 2 shillings, and 6 pence (from proceeds collected that week from The Enquiry ).

His appointment as a missionary

One month later, rumors were circulated that Carey was being considered as their first missionary to Sierra Leone, Africa. Mission work seemed out of the question for Carey. His church in Leicester was beyond the troubles of the past and growing steadily. His wife had never traveled beyond the county in which she was born. His wife was expecting another child. Nevertheless, these were rumors.

The Society secured the name of Dr. John Thomas. He had been to India twice, once as a surgeon and once as a missionary. Dr. Thomas was known to be a man of great character although he had accumulated a considerable debt. The Society overlooked this issue and appointed him as a missionary. They also asked Carey if he would serve as Thomas' associate. Carey enthusiastically agreed without hesitation.

What about Mrs. Carey? ¿Qué le diría? Ella no le gustó en absoluto. Matter of fact, she refused to go. Did it have much to do with the fact that she was due only a month before Carey would board the ship to India? Was it that she had never been away from home and considered Carey to be going insane? Tal vez. It is difficult to say what would cause Mrs. Carey to have such strong resolve not to attend her husband in India. Nevertheless, she firmly refused to go. Only after William persistently pled with her would she let her oldest son go with him. Dr. Thomas, Carey, his son Felix and a few others boarded the ship April 4.

France declared war on Great Britain making the waters too dangerous to traverse. For six weeks, the ship had to dock on the Isle of Wight. Carey received a letter from Dorothy stating that all is well after the birth of their son.

Dr. Thomas' indebtedness caught up with him. His creditors found he was on the ship. Events were such that Dr. Thomas, Carey, and his son were forced off the ship. The others were allowed to continue to India.

Having to secure another way, they went back to London. While there, Carey tried again to convince his wife to go. No lo consiguió. However, Dr. Thomas influenced Dorothy to go. Once she was boarded, she changed her mind, but it was too late.

Within a few weeks of their arrival in India, Dr. Thomas “squandered their entire annual allowance in a few weeks. ^” Dorothy could not cope with their poverty, the death of another child, and living in a foreign land. She became insane and was locked up in an institution for the “last thirteen years of her life. ^”

His ministry in India

For years, Carey did not see any come to know Christ. It was a difficult field, more difficult than Carey had imagined. The Indians feared conversion for it meant total outcast from everything they knew. It took Carey a few years to develop an understanding of their culture and fears so he could reach these Indians for Christ.

India is a land of a “thousand languages.” There were no Bibles in their language. Carey's language learning abilities allowed him to produce many translations in their own language.

Later, Carey moved to Serampore and founded the Serampore Mission which engaged in producing translations of the Bible.

Conclusión

One may wonder, “How did mission work in India help turnaround the Hyper-Calvinism in London?” As Fuller and others traveled throughout London, they preached on missions. Missions magazines were distributed throughout the country (including America) publishing the news of the Carey's mission work in India.

The work of missions so convicted the Londoners that three societies were established to reach the “untouched” areas of Britain. Within five years, the membership of some congregations tripled and churches were established ^.

This carried into the next century in England. The Sunday School was founded, more publications were developed, new schools were established, and the work of foreign missions enlarged ^.

1 George, Faithful Witness, p. 49.

2 McBeth, p. 181.

3 Ibid.

4 Vedder, p. 249.

5 Ibid.

. Fuller 2:343–66. Cited by George, Faithful Witness, pp. 56–7.

” Torbet, History, p. 80.

6 In those days, girls usually married at the age of 12, boys when they were 14.

” From Eustace Carey's work Memoir of William Carey, p. 37. Quoted by Timothy George, Faithful Witness, p. 20.

” George, Faithful Witness, p. 27.

. Carey to his father, Leicester, November 12, 1790. Cited from George, Faithful Witness, pp. 26f.

” by George Smith in his The Life of William Carey (1887). Cited in Faithful Witness, p. 31.

. John Sutcliff, a friend of Carey, actually encouraged the churches involved in the Northamptonshire Association to make it their practice to devote the first Monday of every month to prayer.

” This phrase is often restated as Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God. Though Carey would not disagree, these were embellishes. These additions have been attributed to John Ryland in an account he wrote 25 years later. See George, Faithful Witness, p. 32.

” McBeth, p. 186.

” Ibid.

. Ivimey, A History of the English Baptists, IV, 68–75. Cited by Torbet, History , p. 83.

. Torbet, p. 83.

Hola libertad, propósito Adiós

Durante la última mitad de la década de 1600, los Bautistas en Inglaterra prosperó. Mientras eran perseguidos por su fe, se plantaron cerca de 130 iglesias dentro de los veinte años. Fueron días de gran persecución, pero también un gran crecimiento y la promesa para los bautistas.

Cuando William y Mary subió al trono, que trajeron consigo una nueva tolerancia. Se promulgó la Ley de la Tolerancia en 1689, que proporcionó los bautistas y otros grupos disidente, con relativa libertad. A pesar de los bautistas no podían asistir a las universidades y todavía tenía que pagar impuestos a la Iglesia de Inglaterra, que eran libres de culto sin temor a la sanción gubernamental. Debido a esta nueva libertad, un gran número de iglesias bautistas en Londres se reunieron y adoptaron abiertamente la Segunda Confesión Bautista de Londres (escrito 12 años antes).

Parecería que los bautistas estaban preparados para un gran futuro. Se había establecido claramente sus creencias, que ahora gozan de libertad religiosa, y su número ha crecido notablemente. Lamentablemente, debido a todas estas grandes cosas, los Bautistas del Inglés ¹ perdido el foco y en espiral hacia un siglo de decadencia. ¿Cuál fue la causa de este declive? Se pierde el foco en su misión. En esta lección se conteste las siguientes preguntas:

¿Cuál es la misión de la iglesia?

• ¿Por qué los bautistas del siglo décimo octavo Inglés descuidar la misión de la iglesia?

• ¿Qué hicieron los bautistas del siglo XVIII hacer para que renueven su compromiso con la misión de la iglesia?

¿Qué es la Iglesia a hacer? ²

La misión de la iglesia es reproducirse a sí mismo

La misión corporativa de la iglesia es la de reproducir las congregaciones

Mientras que el testimonio personal busca producir conversos, la misión corporativa busca producir congregaciones mediante la organización de estos conversos en las iglesias locales. La mayor parte del Nuevo Testamento (Hechos de que Judas) se refiere principalmente a la puesta en marcha y el fortalecimiento de las iglesias locales.

Primero de Pablo dos viajes misioneros como resultado la reproducción de las iglesias. (Hechos 13-14)

Durante el primer viaje misionero de Pablo (Hechos 13-14), él y Bernabé siguieron un plan claro: después de haber sido encargado por su iglesia en Antioquía de Siria, establecieron una nueva iglesia en Antioquía de Pisidia, de la que evangelizó las ciudades vecinas, el establecimiento de otras iglesias.

El segundo viaje misionero de Pablo: Pablo siguió el mismo patrón durante su próximo viaje misionero (Hch 15,36-18,22). En esta ocasión, Pablo estableció la "madre iglesia" en Efeso, que encargó a Epafras (Col 1,7) para establecer iglesias en estas ciudades.

En ambos casos, Pablo o un compañero de trabajo comunicó el evangelio, congregaciones organizadas, les enseñó la doctrina, les ayudó a nombrar a los pastores, y se comprueba de nuevo en su progreso. El resultado final siempre ha sido una iglesia local independiente.

La misión corporativa de la iglesia es la de reproducir en especie

Las iglesias deben reproducirse doctrinalmente

Incluso una lectura superficial de las epístolas de Pablo revela que él estaba determinado a ver la sana doctrina establecida en las iglesias que él empezó. A Timoteo, el representante de Pablo en la Iglesia de Éfeso, declaró:

Lo que has oído de mí, mantener el patrón de la sana doctrina, con fe y amor en Cristo Jesús. Guarda el buen depósito que se le ha encomendado. (2 Tim 1,13-14)

Las iglesias deben reproducirse filosóficamente

Pablo no estaba sólo preocupado por la reproducción de un sistema doctrinal de las iglesias que había establecido, sino también asegurarse de que las iglesias siguieron a su aplicación de la doctrina.

A pesar de que la esperanza de ir pronto a vosotros, os escribo estas instrucciones para que, si me retraso, usted sabrá cómo hay que comportarse en la casa de Dios, que es la iglesia del Dios viviente, columna y fundamento de la la verdad. (1 Tim 3,14-15)

La misión de la iglesia es reproducirse a sí mismo en el extranjero

La misión corporativa de la iglesia debe ser marcada por la extensión. Última de Cristo mensaje grabado antes de su ascensión fue:

Pero recibiréis poder cuando el Espíritu Santo venga sobre vosotros, y seréis mis testigos en Jerusalén, en toda Judea y Samaria, y hasta los confines de la tierra. (Hch 1,8)

Esto puede ser visualizado:

Misión de la empresa se lleva a cabo dentro de la comunidad de cada iglesia

When most people hear the word “missions,” they usually think of ministry that takes place on foreign soil. La misión corporativa de la iglesia, sin embargo, incluye la reproducción de las congregaciones en la propia comunidad, siempre y cuando la comunidad es lo suficientemente grande para sostener múltiples congregaciones.

La reproducción de las congregaciones tiende a promover el servicio. La iglesia primitiva se multiplica a través de muchas pequeñas iglesias domésticas, debido a la falta de instalaciones lo suficientemente grandes como para albergar a todos los creyentes en una comunidad en particular. A pesar de las grandes instalaciones están disponibles en la actualidad, puede ser conveniente para limitar el tamaño de una iglesia con el fin de promover el servicio. Como iglesia crece, es posible llegar al punto en que comienza a producir espectadores más que siervos. En ese momento, una nueva congregación se debe comenzar a dar más oportunidades para el servicio entre sus miembros.

Misión de la empresa se lleva a cabo más allá de la comunidad de cada iglesia

La iglesia que se estableció en Jerusalén se espera que el ministro más allá de su propia comunidad. Su objetivo era reproducirse a sí misma en todo el mundo. Cada vez que Pablo comenzó una iglesia y fortalecido hasta el punto en el que podría funcionar por sí solo, se fue a comenzar iglesias en otras áreas.

Nuestra esperanza es que, como su fe sigue creciendo, nuestra área de actividad entre los que ampliará en gran medida, de manera que podamos predicar el evangelio en las regiones más allá de ti. (2 Cor 10,15-16)

La misión de la iglesia es la de reproducir a pesar de la oposición

Lógicamente, tendemos a pensar que la libertad de religión trae automáticamente la expansión. Razonamos que si eliminamos los obstáculos, el crecimiento se producirá automáticamente. Que no es el caso. Aunque la libertad de religión no elimina los obstáculos ciertos, eso no garantiza que la misión de la iglesia se llevará a cabo. La misión de la iglesia sólo se logra cuando es intencionalmente perseguido.

Los creyentes de la iglesia primitiva y los apóstoles vivían en un día en que el cristianismo era visto como una amenaza para el gobierno. Eso es porque el hombre no salva no quiere someterse al señorío de Cristo. Los primeros creyentes sufrieron persecución y muerte por su fe.

Los siguientes versos fueron escritos para animar a los creyentes que la hostilidad no restringe los propósitos de Dios, y no la hostilidad es la "semilla" de la perseverancia y la expansión del evangelio.

Pero alégrense de tener parte en los sufrimientos de Cristo, de modo que usted puede ser feliz cuando se manifieste su gloria. Si sois vituperados por el nombre de Cristo, sois bienaventurados, porque el Espíritu de gloria y de Dios reposa sobre vosotros. (1Pe 4,13-14)

Considere la posibilidad de que la alegría pura, mis hermanos, cuando tengan que enfrentarse con diversas pruebas, sabiendo que la prueba de vuestra fe produce paciencia. Mas tenga la paciencia su obra, para que sean perfectos e íntegros, sin que les falte nada. (Santiago 1,2-4)

Más ahora quiero que sepáis, hermanos, que mi caso se han convertido en el mayor progreso del evangelio, para que mi prisión en la causa de Cristo ha dado a conocer en toda la guardia pretoriana ya todos los demás, 14 y que de los hermanos, confiando en el Señor con mis prisiones, se atreven mucho más a hablar la palabra de Dios sin temor. (Fil 1,12-14)

With the mission of the church in mind, we will now see why the spiritual stagnation settled in among the Baptists of the seventeenth century.

¿Por qué los bautistas del siglo décimo octavo Inglés descuidar la misión de la iglesia?

Durante la primera mitad de la década de 1700, los Bautistas comenzó a declinar. El número de iglesias en 1715 cayó 220 a 146 para 1750. El número de iglesias se redujo en un tercio. Eso no incluye el número de miembros en las iglesias. Muchos perdieron la media de sus miembros durante este descenso. ³

¿Por qué se pierden tantos durante este tiempo? Esta pregunta no puede ser una respuesta adecuada en una lección. Historiadores ofrecen muchas razones para el declive: 1) el agotamiento de la lucha por la libertad religiosa; ⁴ 2) no mantener un liderazgo ministerial; ⁵ . 3) a la cabeza, su incapacidad para evangelizar (es decir, la creencia en la hiper-calvinismo) ⁶ Cerca cada historiador ofrece la última causa de la disminución. This is where we will focus our attention.

La creencia en la tecnología Hyper-calvinismo llevó a la declinación de los Bautistas del siglo XVIII Inglés.

¿Qué es la tecnología Hyper-calvinismo?

In the 1800s there was a clear understanding of Hyper-calvinism. Sin embargo, esa comprensión se ha desdibujado en el último siglo. Algunos (John R. Rice) identificar a una hiper-Calvinista como alguien que cree que todos los cinco puntos del calvinismo. ⁷ Otro (Douglas MacLaughlin) ha señalado recientemente que hipercalvinismo ⁸ es un énfasis excesivo "[de la voluntad soberana de Dios], que tiende el fatalismo y el ritualismo muerto. " ⁹

Ninguna de las afirmaciones anteriores identifica correctamente la herejía de Hyper-calvinismo. La creencia en los cinco puntos del calvinismo no es Hyper-calvinismo. Muchos de los "cinco indicadores" no se Hyper-calvinistas. Ni es el problema de la "excesiva importancia". ¹⁰ ¿Cómo se puede insistir demasiado en la soberanía absoluta de Dios?

Hyper-calvinismo no es igual al calvinismo. No es raro que una de igualar la hiper-calvinismo con el calvinismo. Muchos no distinguen entre los dos. Algunos utilizan la palabra "Hyper-calvinismo" como una polémica contra el calvinismo. Es más fácil derrotar a un oponente por unir la palabra "hiper" a su sistema de pensamiento que desmantelar su sistema de prueba de las Escrituras. Hyper-calvinismo no es una extensión lógica ni necesaria del calvinismo. Se trata de una teología aberrante que distorsiona el pensamiento calvinista real.

La palabra "hiper" significa "ir más allá." Esto es realmente una palabra desafortunada. Para Hyper-calvinismo no es sólo una diferencia de grado, como CH Spurgeon señaló que es un "falso Calvinismo." ¹¹

Históricamente, el calvinismo se ha dividido en dos grupos básicos - el calvinismo moderado y alto calvinismo. ¹² calvinismo moderado acepta todos los inquilinos del calvinismo a excepción de dos (es decir, la expiación limitada y la doble predestinación). El calvinismo alta acepta la común cinco años, incluyendo la doble predestinación. ¹³ Se puede ser trazado de la siguiente manera:

Hyper-calvinism is different from Moderate and High-calvinism. Es un sistema que deduce racionalmente que no se debe ofrecer el evangelio a los no creyentes. Por lo tanto, es a veces (y desgraciadamente) llamado no ofrecen el calvinismo. ¹⁴ hipercalvinismo se caracteriza por lo siguiente:

• Una abierta oposición a los esfuerzos de evangelización.

• La idea que el ministerio de la expansión no es una prioridad de cola.

• Buscando construir un ministerio de las transferencias en lugar de nuevos conversos.

Hipercalvinismo produce un estancamiento y una actitud apática hacia el evangelismo. Esto generalmente resulta en una disminución en el número. Pero eso no es siempre el caso. Históricamente, ha habido muchos Hyper-calvinistas, que atrajo a un gran número de sus iglesias. ¹⁵ El principal problema de la hiper-calvinismo no es la falta de números, sino un desprecio para la evangelización de nuevos conversos.

They did not give up Calvinism, or, in other words, renounce the Confession of 1689, but they overlaid it with an incrustation of something, which approached Antinomianism, and ate out the life of the churches, and f the gospel as preached by many ministers. La soberanía divina se ha mantenido y enseñado, no sólo en proporciones exageradas, pero a la práctica exclusión de la responsabilidad moral, la obligación de los pecadores a "arrepentirse y creer en el evangelio", fue ignorado y negado incluso, y todas las invitaciones del evangelio y los alegatos fueron restringidas a los que se supone que debe dar pruebas de un estado de gracia. ¹⁶

¿Cómo hipercalvinismo se muestran en el siglo XVII? En primer lugar, la disminución de la afiliación y el número de iglesias fue el resultado obvio de Hyper-calvinismo. Curiosamente, mientras que las cifras fueron disminuyendo en general, muchos edificios de la iglesia Bautista fueron construidos. Muchos eran grandes, edificios adornados, que podrían miles de seguridad. ¹⁷ El punto es que trabajó en la consolidación de sí mismos en los ministerios monumental en lugar de sembrar una red de pequeños, los ministerios vibrante para alcanzar a los inconversos. ¹⁸

La misión de la iglesia es reproducirse a sí mismo. Esto no quiere decir que no hay lugar para una iglesia grande. Dios usa a las grandes iglesias para fines especiales (por ejemplo, establecer seminarios, colegios, etc) El problema no es tanto el tamaño sino el propósito. Since the purpose of local churches is reproduction, consolidation should be minimal.

Un escritor se ve de nuevo a principios de los bautistas (Kiffin, Knollys y Keach) y ofrece esta promoción:

These examples give some indication, at least from among the leaders of the movement, for the spread of their message and the desire to see churches multiplied. Para ellos, la iglesia no era simplemente una sociedad de los santos se reunieron en comunión unos con otros, pero era un instrumento para traer luz y vida a los lugares más oscuros. Cuando pudieron, se animó y participó en los esfuerzos de la misión dentro de sus capacidades. Sin lugar a dudas, la relativa pobreza de muchas de las iglesias y sus ministros impedido la expansión. Pero se han hecho esfuerzos, a veces con resultados positivos. ¹⁹

¿Qué hicieron los bautistas del siglo décimo octavo Inglés hacer para que renueven su compromiso con la misión de la iglesia?

Afortunadamente, la hiper-calvinismo se extinguieron y es prácticamente inexistente hoy en día. ¿Cómo recuperar los Bautistas? Las siguientes áreas se caracterizan por los historiadores:

Ellos desarrollaron las asociaciones de Iglesias Bautistas

También en 1768, Abraham Booth publicó El reino de la gracia para refutar la hiper-calvinismo. ²⁰ Él, junto con John Rippon (Cabra la calle Iglesia ²¹ ) y John MacGowan (Devonshire Plaza de la Iglesia) vio la necesidad de aunar sus esfuerzos para establecer iglesias. En 1796, una nueva iglesia fue plantada cada dos años. ²²

En 1770, un hombre con el nombre de Charles Whitfield organizó iglesias en Durham. En Yorkshire y Lancashire, John Fawcett reunió diecisiete iglesias en una asociación en 1787.

El establecimiento de estas asociaciones ayudó a recuperar la misión bíblica de reproducir iglesias de fe y práctica.

Ellos apoyaron a sus pastores - educativo, financiero

La Ley de Tolerancia prohibido pastores bautistas de asistir a Cambridge y Oxford. Añadido a esto, muchos no podían pagar la educación superior.

Los pastores bautistas recibieron una compensación menor que otros disidentes, y mucho menos que los de la iglesia del estado. ²³ No era infrecuente que el trabajo de otras ocupaciones para mantener a sus familias. Para ayudar a los pastores, un "Fondo de Londres" fue establecido. Esto se usaría para ayudar a los necesitados y los ministros de educar a los jóvenes para el ministerio. ²⁴ Este fondo fue diseñado exclusivamente para aquellos que se suscribieron en su totalidad con la Segunda Confesión de Londres Bautista. Tampoco se permiten los Bautistas Generales arminiano de contribuir a este fondo. Esto no se ha logrado sin la oposición. ²⁵ El fondo sigue funcionando hoy en día y se ha utilizado para ayudar a sobrevivir a muchos pastores en sus ministerios.

Este fondo, junto con otra universidad el apoyo de Bristol. Desde 1760-1820, Bristol graduados de la academia llena de Londres calvinista púlpitos Bautista. Esta afluencia de evangelísticamente, los hombres bien educados ayudó a revertir los estragos de la tecnología Hyper-calvinismo.

. . . . by the turn of the century [Hyper-Calvinism ²⁶ ] was, to all intents and purposes, a dead issue among Baptist Board-related churches. ²⁷

Misiones de movimiento y las reposiciones

This is probably the most important factor that turned the Baptists away from hyper-calvinism. Hombres como Andrew Fuller y Guillermo Carey encabezó un movimiento misionero que elimina virtualmente la hiper-calvinismo. El espacio es limitado para ampliar este factor. The next lesson will focus entirely on the missions movement and its impact on Baptist Life.

1 A lo largo de esta lección, debe tenerse en cuenta que todavía estamos buscando sólo a los Bautistas del Inglés. Los bautistas americanos tienen una historia diferente en el siglo XVIII. Que se desarrollarán en las clases de 8ss.

2 Este punto se extrajo de la Lección 29 de los fundamentos bíblicos para la serie Living.

3 McBeth, pp 172-3.

4 McBeth, p. 122, ". Sigue preocupado por la conquista de la libertad religiosa" Torbet tiene una visión modificada de lo que ve que se p. 69.

5 Torbet,

6 Vedder, pp 239ff; Torbet, pp 68ff; McBeth, 171ff pp.

7 John Rice, algunas doctrinas graves, falso Popular (Nashville, TN: La espada del Señor Editores, 1970), p. 274.

8 Él utiliza los términos "calvinismo excesivo." Ver varios nombres usados ​​para "hiper-calvinismo" Nota al pie de la página .

9 Douglas McLachlan, Reclaiming fundamentalismo Auténtico (Kansas City, MO: Asociación Americana de Escuelas Cristianas, 1993), p. 63.

10 Se dice que la hiper-calvinismo es una exageración del calvinismo. Esto es más exacto.

11 Iain Murray, Spurgeon v. Hyper-calvinism, p. 40.

12 Antes de que el término "hiper-calvinista" fue acuñado, que eran llamados "calvinistas de alta." Desde la década de 1900 el término "calvinista alta" se ha definido como lo es en esta lección.

13 Véase ibíd. 737ff pp;

14 hipercalvinismo también ha sido llamado calvinismo excesiva, ultra-calvinismo, el calvinismo extremo, Pseudo-calvinismo, el calvinismo duro, el calvinismo concienzudo, el calvinismo rígido, el calvinismo no balanceadas, y el calvinismo-volvería loca. "Ver Daniels, Hyper-calvinismo , p. 747ff.

15 , por ejemplo, William Huntington, William Gadsby, James Wells. Ver Curt Daniels, Hyper-calvinismo y John Gill, p. 448.

16 espada y el palustre, 1889, p. 600. citado por Ian Murray, Hyper-calvinismo y Spurgeon

17 McBeth, p. 191;

18 Torbet, p. 68.

19 Jim Renihan, plantación de iglesias y de las Confesiones de Fe Bautista de Londres.

20 McBeth, p. 179.

21 Más tarde se convirtió en Tabernáculo de Spurgeon.

22 Torbet, p. 78.

23 McBeth, p. 191.

24 Torbet, p. 70.

25 McBeth, p. 187.

26 El original decía "calvinismo de alta." Hasta que el término "hiper-calvinismo" fue acuñado, "calvinismo alta" fue utilizado.

27 Continuidad y cambio, pp 130-1 citado por Iain Murray, Hyper-calvinismo, p. 133.

Defining, Declaring, and Defending the Faith

Baptists are committed to Scripture as their final authority of faith and practice. Perhaps nothing has solidified and proclaimed this commitment more than their writings. As we have seen in the last lesson, God has used and continues to use the writings of men to define and defend the faith. They took great pains (and received them as well) in declaring the faith to their friends, neighbors, and enemies.

Some say “Baptists do not use creeds.” ¹ While it is true that Baptists do not view creeds and confessions ² as Scripture, they certainly have produced them. Fact is, once you proclaim a truth of Scripture, you have articulated a creed. Their value lies only in their precise, clear proclamation of Scripture. A proper creed does not add to Scripture, it merely explains and proclaims God's truth.

Literally hundreds of Baptist writings can be found in the seventeenth century, however for purposes of this lesson, we will focus on the most influential of them all – The London Baptist Confessions of Faith.

Do Confessions Conflict with Scripture?

Roman Catholics, Charismatics, and others have elevated their teachings to the same level as Scripture. There is a danger in relying on the teachings of men rather than Scripture. Yet, the apostles and early church believers rightly uses confessions (either written or verbal) for the purpose of teaching Scripture.

Certain “faithful sayings” were inscripturated.

The apostles did not criticize or rebuke people for saying and writing things that were true about Scripture. Instead, they encouraged the use of confessions.

The apostles called them “sound words” and most usually “trustworthy sayings.” Paul incorporated certain “faithful sayings” into his writings. ³

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. . . . (1Ti 1.15)

Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. (1Ti 3.1)

This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. (1Ti 4.9–10)

Early believers used writings and things taught to increase their understanding of Scripture.

We have a tendency to think that everything an apostle spoke and wrote was God's Word. That is certainly not the case. On two occasions, Paul refers to his own writings that are not a part of our Bible. He used those writings to warn, encourage, and teach the early believers. ⁴

Preaching is one mode (the primary mode) for communicating the truths of God's Word. It is a verbal confession. Notice that the Bereans did not reject the preaching and teaching they received, rather, they studied the Scriptures to see if the teachings were accurately conveying God's Word.

Y éstos eran más nobles que los de Tesalónica, pues recibieron el mensaje con gran impaciencia y examinaron las Escrituras todos los días para ver si estas cosas eran así. (Ac 17.11)

The use of confessions helps believers practice what Scripture teaches.

Some confessions were written either because a heresy was introduced and needed to be denounced. Others were written to provide a common statement of faith whereby fellowship could take place. The earlier confessions made clear statements about the Triunity . This doctrine was one of the first controversies among early believers. Some of the earliest confessions were written to clearly enunciate the truth of the Triunity. Church historian, Robert Torbet, makes the following observations regarding the use of confessions:

• Maintain purity of doctrine
• Clarify and validate the Baptist position
• To serve as a guide to the General Assembly or local association in counseling churches
• To serve as a basis for fellowship within associations
• To discipline churches and members by withdrawing fellowship. ⁵

Summary : Do good confessions conflict with Scripture? No. Quite the opposite. They are tools which God has providentially used to define, declare, and defend His truths as found in Scripture. Our job is to make sure that what we write is consistently clearly in tune with Scripture.

Confessions used by Baptists

Baptists were among the first to produce modern confessions. “Modern” in the sense that the confessions were written in the last few centuries and in the sense that they are still used. This lesson will focus primarily on the mother ⁶ of them all – The London Baptist Confessions .

The First London Baptist Confession

The history behind the First London Baptist Confession

During the reign of Charles I, Baptists endured physical mistreatment and slanderous accusations. These oppressions were doled out by the secular government as well as other religious bodies.

Many tried to link the Baptists with the Anabaptists. They said “Baptists are rebellious people who disobey authority.” This was a notorious accusation for earlier, Thomas Müntzer (May 15, 1525), considered an Anabaptist by most, led a mass of frustrated, confused, and discouraged peasants into a war that ended with their slaughter. Though history is replete with the testimonies of many godly Anabaptists, this famous massacre left a bitter scar on the minds of the monarchy and the people of Europe. ⁷

Another difficulty for the Baptists during the 1600s was that another group of Baptists (ie, General Baptists) bore the same name. That group had many differences as we have seen on pages 19ff. This was cause for concern for the Particular Baptists for their identity was confused. They wrote to show they were orthodox and not “out of that common road-way” of Scriptural truth.

The content of the First London Baptist Confession

The First London Baptist Confession was neither the first confession, nor the first confession in London. It was the first confession that the Particular Baptists drafted.

The framers (among whom were Kiffin and Knollys) of the London Baptist Confession relied on an earlier confession by separatist Henry Ainsworth – A True Confession of 1596.

Seven churches in London gathered to publish this confession to clearly identify themselves and their beliefs. In their words, people were falsely charging them with

. . . holding Free-will, Falling away from grace, denying Originall sinne, disclaiming of Magistracy, denying to assist them either in persons or purse in any of their lawfull commands, doing acts unseemly in the dispensing the Ordinance of Baptism, not to be named amongst Christians ⁸ : All of which Charges wee disclaime as notoriously untrue . . . ⁹

This confession includes the following doctrines:

• Doctrine of God (articles 1–6)
• Doctrine of Scripture (7–8)
• Doctrine of Christ (9–20)
• Doctrine of Salvation (21–30)
• Doctrine of Spiritual Warfare (31–32)
• Doctrine of the Church and Ordinances (33–47)
• Doctrine of Christian Submission to Government (48–52)

Note what one person has to say about this confession

“This significant document of 1644 embodies practically every doctrine that present-day Baptists hold dear, and is, therefore vastly important in Baptist history. ¹⁰ ”

The Second London Baptist Confession

The history behind the Second London Baptist Confession

The First London Baptist Confession did not enjoy a wide distribution. Given the times during which the confession was drawn, few copies were made. Thirty-three years later, a more complete document was necessary. Since the production of the First confession, the Presbyterians produced a more elaborate confession – the famed Westminster Confession of Faith. The Congregationalists adopted the same confession for themselves making some adjustments in their document called the Savoy Declaration.

In a time when religious liberty was threatened, the Baptists also aligned themselves with the Presbyterians and Congregationalists by reworking their First London Confession. They used the Westminster Confession as their base and produced the Second London Confession in 1677.

The content of the Second London Baptist Confession

Though the Baptists aligned themselves with the Presbyterians and Congregationalists, they did differ. Baptists refused to use the word “sacrament” and chose to use the word “ordinance” instead. Matters regarding baptism and the Lord's supper were not followed.

This second confession did improve upon the first in many ways:

• Based on the more complete Westminster Confession
• Chapter 1 challenged the Quakers and Seekers by 1) demonstrating a high view of Scripture; 2) promoting a proper view of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives.

1.1 The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible ¹¹ rule of all saving Knowledge, Faith, and Obedience . . . 1.6 The whole Councel of God concerning all things necessary for his own Glory, Mans Salvation, Faith and Life, is either expressely set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture; unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new Revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of men.

• Chapters 9–18 expand the great doctrines of salvation including definitive sections on election and perseverance.
• Chapter 20 is a clear statement regarding the necessity to “preach the gospel in all ages and nations.”
• Chapter 21 promotes religious freedom and liberty of conscience.
• Chapter 22 section 5 was obviously influenced by Keach who promoted the singing “hymns and spiritual songs.” Many would only sing from the Psalms.
• Chapter 26.11 made provision for lay preaching. That is, preaching was not “confined” only to the Bishops or Pastors.
• Chapter 29 clarifies that Baptism does not remit sins but only “those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience, to our Lord Jesus, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance.”

Notable areas where we would not follow the Second London Confession:

• The confession demonstrates their current reliance on covenant theology. Throughout the confession one will find their use of the term “covenant” and “Sabbath.” As well, Chapter 19 speaks of the believer as being under the moral law and not the ceremonial law.
• Chapter 30 includes many items regarding the Lord's Supper with which we would disagree. 1) the duty of those ministers administrating communion to “bless the Elements;” 2) the Lord's Supper is not restricted to scripturally baptized people. 3) the belief that Christ is “spiritually present” in the elements.

The Philadelphia Baptist Confession

The Baptists in America used the London confession across the “pond.” The first Baptist Association in America (Philadelphia Baptist Association [PBA]) adopted the Second London Baptist confession as their own. It only differed by the addition of the following sections:

• Chapter 23: Of Singing Psalms, &c. This expansion came as a result of the diminishing singing controversy.
• Chapter 31: Of Laying on of Hands. Strangely, the churches of the PBA considered this to be an ordinance alongside baptism and the Lord's Supper. This practice developed into what we know now as the “hand of fellowship.” ¹²

Conclusión

Baptists have a high view of Scripture. They have not remained silent regarding the gospel and all of the other precious truths found in God's Word. In our day, many do not verbally express their faith for fear of ridicule. In the 1600s, when lives were ended, the Baptists daringly wrote, signed, and published the truths of Scripture.

Baptists are confessional people – at least they should be. Acquaint yourself with the confessions of the past and learn the precious doctrines of Scripture. ¹³

1 John Christian, A History of the Baptists (Texarkana, TX: Bogard Press, 1922), 1:4.

2 Throughout this lesson we will use the terms “confession” and “creeds” synonymously.

3 For more on Paul's use of quotations see George Knight's book The Faithful Sayings in the Pastoral Epistles.

4 Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthians and Laodiceans, both of which we do not have today.

5 Torbet, p. 46.

6 The London Baptist Confessions were used by CH Spurgeon, the Philadelphia Baptist Association, and now the Reformed Baptists and certain independent fundamental Baptists.

7 Anabaptists (modern-day Mennonites) also disassociate themselves from this radical. For more information on this situation see The Mennonite Encyclopedia, sv Muentzer, Thomas, 3:785ff.

8 Some were charging the Baptists of baptizing people without clothes.

9 Preface of the London Confession of 1644. Original spelling maintained.

10 Harold Brown, “The History of the Baptists in England to 1644.” The Chronicle, January 1945, o. 14. Quoted in Wiliam Lumpkin's Baptist Confessions of the Faith, p. 152.

11 This is the first time the word “infallible” appears in any Baptist confession.

12 Vedder, A Short History of the Baptists, p. 236.

13 Read William Lumpkin's, Baptist Confessions of the Faith (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press), p. 1969.

Kiffin, Knollys, and Keach

What is a Baptist? Primarily, a Baptist is one who trusts the Bible as his only ultimate source of faith and practice. He seeks to apply Scripture to every facet of life. Along with other distinctives ¹ , this simple belief spearheaded our Baptist forefathers into a web of controversy and persecution.

During their formative years the foremost difficulty Baptists faced was persecution from many fronts: the monarchy, Church of England, and certain protestants who desired to maintain their political clout. These institutions and groups tried to restrict others from three basic freedoms ² :

• Freedom of conscience: The Baptists wanted to freely express their beliefs from the pulpits and in books without fear of punishment.
• Freedom of religion: The Baptists wanted to freely practice their beliefs by attending to formal worship without government restrictions.
• Freedom from the state: The Baptists wanted the church to be a separate entity from the state. That is, they did not want the state to impose laws that restricted their freedom to worship.

Baptists were not the only ones to face these difficulties. Yet, they shouldered the load and eventually brought religious freedom to England and America. They “paved the way” for future generations of Baptists.

The Rocky Road of English Politics

1629–1649

Under the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the Baptists enjoyed a period of liberty previously unknown in England. This taste of freedom, even though it was limited, gave them a desire for more.

King Charles I changed all of that. He was a dictatorial king who wanted sole power. He unilaterally took control of the Church and secular governing bodies. He called himself the “Supreme Governour of the Church” and established William Laud to oversee the Church of England. He dissolved the Parliament in 1629, which commenced a civil war. Note McBeth's observation of these times in relation to the Baptists:

In this oppressive environment Baptists emerged as a separate denomination. They made their early witness despite dangers, persecution, and great personal risks. Numbers of early Baptist suffered loss of goods, whippings, and imprisonments for their faith. Some were physically maimed; cutting off the ears and slitting the nose were favorite ways to impress upon Baptists the disfavor authorities felt for their views. . . . Many had their death hastened by being crowded into filthy and disease-ridden prisons. ³

King Charles' “reforms” did not come without opposition. One Member of Parliament, Oliver Cromwell, had achieved leadership status by this time. He formed an army that assassinated King Charles 1, beheading him in the dead of winter at Oxford University.

1649–1660

Oliver Cromwell's army restored liberty for the Puritans, Baptists, and many other groups. Baptists made up a large contingency in his army. Some of whom were high ranking officials and members of Parliament.

These were glorious years for Baptists. Their number grew considerably.

1660–1665

Upon Cromwell's death, no one was suited to carry his agenda forward. Charles II who fled to “the wilderness” after his father's execution, returned and took the throne. In five years, he completely abolished religious liberty by the means of several new laws.

• Law 1 (The Corporation Act): No one could serve in public office without having taken communion in the Church of England and conforming to the church.
• Law 2 (Act of Uniformity): Required officers of all corporations to be ordained by the Church of England. They were to sign a statement agreeing to the doctrine and practice of the Church of England. 2000 ministers were forced to resign.
• Law 3 (Conventicle Act): No more than five people (non-family members) could meet for worship in one's home.
• Law 4 (Five Mile Act): Prohibited all ministers of dissenting groups not to come within 5 miles of their former churches. That is they were not allowed to preach, teach, or even live within five miles.

These acts did much to restrict religious liberty. Even so, Baptists still met and worshiped.

1688

When William and Mary of Orange ascended to the throne in 1688, they found that the above laws were politically unpopular and practically impossible to continue enforcing.

• Dissenters (including Baptists) still had to pay taxes to support the state church.
• Dissenters could not serve in government or military posts.
• Dissenters could not attend Oxford or Cambridge University.

The Early Baptist Pavers

It was during this time of history that the Puritans, and others fled to America to seek freedom – Religious and Political. However, three men (among many others) stayed in England – William Kiffin, Hanserd Knollys, and Benjamin Keach. ⁴ Unfortunately one may only find their names in Baptist history tomes. Only Keach has received broader attention, and that because he is known primarily as a hymnwriter. These men deserve much attention for they were men who formulated the most defining confessions of Baptist belief. Each also contributed greatly to Baptist thought in various other writings. One defended the faith against the onslaught of mysticism. Another challenged the error of open church membership. ⁵ They all contributed so greatly to the Baptist faith that their names ought to be commonplace among Baptists.

William Kiffin (1616–1701)

Young Kiffin was orphaned at the age of nine. His parents died as a result of the bubonic plague. Although Kiffin himself was infected by the plague, he was able to overcome the nine plague boils on his body. ⁶

He apprenticed himself to a glover (brewer). Feeling dissatisfied with that occupation, he sunk into a deep depression. It was not long before he ran away from his master.

In God's providence, Kiffin heard Thomas Foxley, a puritan preacher, speak on “the duty of servants to masters.” He returned to his master in deep conviction. Foxley's message so impacted him that he would attend puritan preaching as often as he could. This soon led to his conversion.

As a young, single man, Kiffin showed an insatiable desire for God's Word. He found other men who shared his passion. Note his testimony regarding their practice on Sunday mornings:

[We would] meet together an hour before service, to spent it in prayer, and in communicating to each other what experience we had received from the Lord; or else to repeat some sermon which we had heard before. After a little time, we also read some portion of Scripture, and spake from it what it pleased God to enable us; wherein I found very great advantage, and by degrees did arrive at some small measure of knowledge. I found the study of the Scriptures very pleasant and delightful to me. ⁷

He joined the separatist church of John Lathrop and became a preacher of God's Word. He was imprisoned for preaching and eventually fled to Holland for reprieve.

While in Holland, he became a very wealthy man in the shipping industry. His wealth gave him the ability to establish a relationship with Charles II. On few occasions he would float Charles II “loans.” Kiffin's influence and wealth protected many poorer Baptists and Dissenters.

Kiffin was a prominent disputer. An issue commonly disputed was that of infant baptism. He along with three others in October 17, 1642, disputed on this very issue against Daniel Featley, a minister of the Church of England. That debate was published in tracts, which influenced others to the Baptist views. ⁸

Kiffin, along with other Baptist leaders called a national assembly in 1689. Over one hundred Baptist churches were represented at that assembly. At that assembly, they approved and adopted the Second London Baptist Confession.

Another important matter settled at this assembly was that of fellowshipping with other churches that practiced open membership. Eight years prior to this assembly, Kiffin published his Sober Discourse which soundly refuted John Bunyan's position of open membership. At the assembly, fellowship with, and recognition of, open membership churches was discouraged.

During the last decade of Kiffin's life, his three children died, including his wife. He remarried a woman who eventually stole money from him and made false accusations against him. She was excommunicated from his own church. Nevertheless, he never failed in his commitment to Christ. In one of his final writings, he wrote:

The world is full of confusions: the last times are upon us: the signs of the times are very visible: iniquity abounds, and the love of many in religion waxes cold. God is, by his providence, shaking the earth under our feet; there is no sure foundation of rest and peace, but only in Jesus Christ. ⁹

Hanserd Knollys (1599–1691)

Unlike the formally uneducated Kiffin, Knollys received an education at Cambridge University and became a minister of the parish church at Humberstone in London.

He resigned his position in 1631 when Archbishop Laud forced ministers to use the “sign of the cross at baptism.” Neither could Knollys admit wicked people to communion which was common in the Church of England.

In 1635 he left England to find religious freedom in America. While in America, he ran into the Congregationalists. They did not provide religious freedom either. He went back to England in 1641.

Within three years he became a Baptist and became a spokesperson for Baptist thought. He was an influential pastor of a large London church, approaching 1,000 people in attendance.

He was involved in the printed word. During a preaching tour, he preached a sermon which he later published entitled Christ Exalted. He revised the First London Baptist Confession (1646). He took part of public disputations and promoted the Baptist cause in London.

Within twenty years, during the Oliver Cromwell era, 130 churches were planted.

For a couple of decades (1640s–50s), a small sect of Puritans called the “Seekers” began to introduce mysticism. They were called “seekers because they “represented themselves as being continually engaged, that of seeking for the true Church, ministry, Scriptures, and ordinances, all of which, they alleged, had been lost. ¹⁰ ” One of their chief heresies was that they considered one's faith to be null if it was not attended to miracles. They believed that they had the “full gospel” because they had the miraculous gifts. Many Seekers eventually became Quakers. The Quakers' mysticism went so far as to downgrade the Bible as a “mere history. ¹¹ ”

God used Knollys to battle this heresy. He reasoned that the miraculous gifts were given to the first century believers to bring the Gospel into the world. They were special gifts used to establish the church and spread the gospel throughout the first century of Christianity. Knollys used the following Scriptures for support:

How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Heb 2.3–4)

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. Estas han sido escritas para que creáis que Jesús es el Cristo, el Hijo de Dios, y para que creyendo, tengáis vida en su nombre. (Jn 20.29–31)

Knollys did preach and believe that believers are gifted today, just not with the miraculous ones. He believed just as the Puritan preacher Thomas Adams:

Even still God works miracles, though we take no notice of them. That our hearts should be converted, this is a miracle. That our faith should believe above reason, this is a miracle … If he does not fetch water out of a rock, yet he fetcheth repentance out of sin, and makes the stony heart gush out tears; this is a greater miracle. ¹²

Benjamin Keach (1640–1704)

Keach also had a Church of England background. He was baptized as an infant. While in his youth, he studiously read the scriptures. He realized that infant baptism was wrong. When he turned 15, he joined the General Baptists. He began preaching at 18 years of age. The precise date is not known, but he later left the General Baptists and became a Particular Baptist.

Benjamin Keach did much to promote religious liberty during the reign of Charles II. He wrote numerous pamphlets and documents. One such book entitled The Child's Instructor; or, A New and Easy Primmer sent him to prison. For two days (two hours at a time) he was pilloried (bound in stocks). Customarily the townspeople would pelt the pilloried offenders with eggs. Not so with Keach. They stood and attentively listened to Keach proclaim the Word of God. He was imprisoned numerous times for preaching about believer's baptism.

Keach was also the first to promote singing in church. This was a point of conflict back then. Some believed that singing in church was wrong. Why did the early Baptists find this to be so controversial? There were many factors. Isaac Marlow, the leading spokesperson against singing reasoned the following in his tract “The Controversie of Singing Brought to an End: A Tract on Singing.”

“There is no Example nor Command for such a Practice in the Worship of God under the Law.”

“Neither do our Brethren sing after the Example of the Primitive Christians in the first Gospel Churches” They believed that singing involved the exercise of a miraculous gift. Knollys caused confusion on this point because he believed the sung words and tunes were “dictated by the Holy Spirit.” Furthermore, he elevated singing to an ordinance.

“The singing practised in the primitive Gospel-Churches, differed from the common way of singing now in use.” Singing led to formalism since it was much like a written prayer. They also believed that singing in the early church was performed by only one voice and not that of the entire congregation.

“The Women's vocal singing in the Church, a practice in common use, is chargeable with breaking to positive and express Laws of Christ, which are so plainly, clearly and fully worded.”

Others added that congregational singing compromised the purity of the church in that it was participated in by the unsaved as well as the saved.

The controversy of singing was so great that when Keach introduced singing it was only reserved for times after the observance of communion. It remained that way for six years. The church added singing to their services at times of public thanksgiving. It continued that way for another fourteen years. It was not until twenty years had passed that singing was practiced every Lord's day. Those members who defied the practice of singing were excused to the chapel-yard while the rest of the congregation sang. Eventually they formed a church of their own. ¹³

Conclusión

God used Kiffin, Knollys, and Keach to “pave the way” for future Baptists. Together, they defined and defended the faith through public disputation, printed materials, and the drawing up of the London Baptist Confessions. These men ministered together and fought for religious freedom. Some closing thoughts are:

• God uses the written word to disseminate truth. In the days of Kiffin, Knollys, and Keach, books and pamphlets were distributed to spread the Good News.
• God places scripturally prepared individuals in key positions to accomplish His purposes. There was great disparity in education between the orphaned Kiffin and Knollys, but God used both because they both devoted their minds to Scripture.

1 Other distinctives include: Priesthood of the believer, Two ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, Regenerate, immersed membership, Soul liberty, Two offices of pastor and deacon, Separation of Church and State.

2 These freedoms are explained and further developed in Nettle's By His Grace and for His Glory , pp. 26–28.

3 McBeth, p. 101.

4 One may wonder why John Bunyan is not included in this history of Baptists. John Bunyan surely had an impact on Baptist life and his book the Pilgrim's Progress is still a favorite read. However, Bunyan would not have considered himself a Baptist. He was a separatist.

5 Open membership is the practice of accepting non baptized people into local churches.

6 Armitage, p. 467.

7 From B R. White, William “Kiffin, Baptst History and Heritage,” 2, No. 2 (July 1967), 94. quoted by Michael Haykin in Kiffin, Knollys, and Keach, p. 43.

8 H. Leon McBeth notes: “Between 1641 and 1700 at least 109 such public debates involving Baptists were held in England, with 79 of these between 1641 and 1660. These debates pitted one or more Baptist champions against opponents from Anglican, Quaker, Independent, or sometimes, Roman Catholic groups. Baptists welcomed these occasions, for they gave opportunity for declaring the gospel to large crowds, helped defend Baptists against unjust slanders, and often led to numerous conversions and the planting of new Baptist churches.” p. 64.

9 From a quote by Joseph Ivimey, The Life of Mr. William Kiffin, quoted in Haykin's Kiffin, Knollys, and Keach, p. 52.

10 McClintock, and Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, 9:506.

11 McBeth, Sourcebook, p. 69.

12 Quoted in Haykin, Kiffin, p. 57.

13 Maze Pond Church February 1693.