“Basic Baptist Doctrine, Lesson 4”
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Bethel MBC
Basic Baptist Doctrine
January 30, 2008
From a lesson taught by Elder Aaron Hood
11/01/01 at Calvary MBC
“Aren’t All Baptists the Same??”
As we have discussed previously, the answer to the above question is “NO!” The name Baptist should distinguish us from many of the denominations in the world. By stating we are Baptist, we tell the world that we are not proponents of the teachings of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. In addition, we are further distinguished from other Christian denominations such as Methodism, Episcopalians, the Church of Christ, Catholicism, Lutherans, and the like. The remaining issue before us tonight has proven to be a problematic to many of our brethren. How ARE we different from other bodies identified by the name “Baptist”? If all Baptists AREN’T the same, then how are they different and are those identified variations of importance??
Our lesson this evening will primarily be to identify some of the other “Baptist” bodies existing in the USA and to illuminate just a few facts of each. Virtually all the information for this lesson is derived from a book entitled, “The Handbook of Denominations in the United States” by Frank S. Mead. It is a wonderful source of information which I have referenced many, many times. It is commonly found in local Bible book stores or online at Christian Book Distributors.
I. Baptist Overview
Ø Not a Protestant people as we did not form out of the reformation of the Catholic church. We believe that have been Baptist principles (although not by the Baptist name) in the world from the time Jesus established His church here on earth.
Ø Important to note is the fact that many historians (including Mr. Frank S. Mead as mentioned above) classify Baptists as a reformation group that appeared in England about 1610. This is primarily due to the fact that this was about the time that the term “Baptist” was rendered in reference to a church.
Ø Primary points of belief:
o Only professed believers (regenerated) eligible for membership
o Intensely Biblical (Sola Scripture)
o Evangelistic – credited for founding the modern missionary movement
o High standards for membership
o Require notable conversion experience
o Emphasize purity in personal life and habits
o No founder but Christ
o Independence (from the State and each other)
o Congregational Polity (no hierarchical authority)
o Personal freedom of the individual to approach God
o Salvation by Grace through Faith
o Two Ordinances – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
o Life after death
o Ultimate victory of God’s kingdom
Ø Largest “denomination” in the USA (at the time of Mead’s book)
Ø 1994 – reported membership of 32 million with about 100,000 local churches
II. General Distinctions between Baptists:
Ø General – believe in a general atonement for all
Ø Particular – hold to predestination teachings; a limited atonement
Ø Later became the debate of Arminian vs. Calvinistic teachings
Ø American divisions of Baptists:
o “Old Lights” or Regulars – distrusted revivals and emotionalism
o “New Lights” or Separates – demanded a reborn membership and were known for their outstanding fight for religious freedom in the new world
o Later division was that of Southern vs. Northern Baptists
III. Specific Groups of Baptists in America Today:
Ø AMERICAN BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
a. Sometimes called the Landmarkers because of their belief of no universal church or ecclesiastical authority being higher than a local congregation
b. Claim those organized in conventions are not faithful to the Bible
c. Believe that they are the only true form of the New Testament Church
d. Adamantly oppose the “Protestant” label
e. Premillenial
f. Denounce abortion, homosexuality, and premarital sex
g. 5 seminaries, 3 colleges, and 27 Bible institutes
h. Mostly in the South, Southeast, Southwest and West of the USA
i. 1986 – Had 1,075 churches with 250,000 members
j. Comprehensive publishing program – 14 monthly and semimonthly periodicals, Sunday school literature designed to cover the entire Bible in 10 years, literature for young people and vacation Bible schools.
Ø AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES / USA
a. The first Baptist church in US, Rhode Island 1638
b. Philadelphia Association 1707
c. Formed first national Baptist organization – General Missionary Convention of the Baptist Denomination in the United States of America for Foreign Missions
d. Lots of home and foreign mission societies / conventions
e. Has a 200 member general board that is the policy-making body
f. A general council of chief executives of regions and other American Baptist bodies serve to coordinate the corporate affairs of the denominations under the leadership of the general secretary
g. 5,827 churches with 1,537,400 members
h. Operates 20 children’s homes, 77 retirement homes / communities, 27 hospitals / nursing homes, 9 seminaries, and 16 colleges / universities
Ø BAPTIST BIBLE FELLOWSHIP, INTERNATIONAL
a. Fastest growing “evangelical independent” group
b. Teach ultra-conservative Baptist doctrine
c. Teach Jesus was a Baptist in his thinking and work
d. They are Biblical literalists, denouncing all modernists and liberals
e. Baptism by immersion only; communion only with members of their own church
f. Opposed to dancing, drinking, smoking, movies, gambling, and sexual promiscuity
g. no formal membership stats are kept – estimated at 1 million
h. Operate Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO and Baptist Bible College East in Boston, Mass
Ø BAPTIST GENERAL CONFERENCE
a. Illinois, 1852
b. Swedish origins
c. 3 baptized in the Mississippi River which began as a sect
d. 135,000 members, 821 churches
e. Organized Swedish Baptist General Conference of America
f. Changed from Swedish to English language services after WWI
g. Has Bethel College and Seminary in St. Paul, MN
h. 3 Children’s homes, seven homes for the aged
i. The Standard, official publication and Sunday school materials
j. Conservative with the other major Baptist beliefs
Ø BAPTIST MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
a. Organized in Little Rock, Ark in 1950
b. Focuses on missionary efforts (home and foreign)
c. 1,312 churches and 230,127 members in 25 states
d. “Militant Fundamentalists” - strong emphasis on the verbal inspiration and accuracy of the scriptures
e. Consider the following unscriptural: open communion, alien baptism, pulpit affiliation with heretical ministers, unionism, modernism, modern tongues movements, one-church dictatorship, and “all kindred evils arising from these practices”. Baptism is considered “alien” unless administered to believers by “divine authority as given to the Missionary Baptist churches.”
f. Landmark Baptists
g. 3 Junior colleges and several orphans’ homes, and one seminary in Jacksonville, TX
Ø CONSERVATIVE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
a. Voluntary fellowship of “sovereign, autonomous, independent, and Bible-believing Baptist churches…separate from all other organizations”
b. Originally with the Northern Baptist Convention, but split over “infiltration of liberal and modernist teachings.”
c. 200,000 membership in 1,127 churches
d. Provide resources and personnel in areas of education, new church planting, financial services, literature, pastoral placement, etc
e. Have national magazine, the Conservative Baptist
f. Supports 5 schools and 2 seminaries
Ø DUCK RIVER (AND KINDRED) ASSOCIATIONS OF BAPTISTS (BAPTIST CHURCH OF CHRIST)
a. Originated in 1825 as Elk River Association, which was strongly Calvinist and so they broke away
b. In 1843, split again over missions, the support of a publication society, and denominational school
c. Those who withdrew became known as Missionary Baptists, the others as Separate Baptists or Baptist Churches of Christ
d. Mostly in TN, GA, AL, and MS
e. Division still exists; there are two Duck River Associations
f. Doctrinally, they are liberally Calvinistic
g. Foot washing as an ordinance
h. Ministers are ordained by a vote of two or more ministers
i. As of 1993, 10,508 members in 100 churches
Ø FREE WILL BAPTIST
a. From Arminian-minded Baptists
b. Teach free grace, free salvation, and free will
c. Open communion
d. Foot washing as an ordinance
e. Two Bible colleges, 2 liberal arts colleges, 209,223 members in 40 states with 2,500 churches. Highly concentrated in 7 Southern states.
Ø UNITED FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH
a. Same lineage as the white Free Will Baptist Church, but formed independently in 1901.
b. Congregational polity, but extremely hierarchical in authority with limited power at the local level (similar to the Catholic system)
c. Kinston College, NC and 100,000 members in 836 churches
Ø GENERAL ASSOCIATION OF REGULAR BAPTIST CHURCHES
a. 22 churches of the American Baptist Convention left it in 1932 to found the above; protest was over the “modernist tendencies and teachings”, the denial of independence and autonomy of the local congregation, the control of missionary work by conventions, and the whole convention principle in general
b. Any church wishing to be in this association must “withdraw all fellowship and cooperation from any convention or group which permits modernists or modernism within its ranks”
c. Participation in union evangelical campaigns or Thanksgiving services or membership in local ministerial associations where modernists are involved or present is considered unscriptural
d. New Hampshire confession of faith with a premillenial interpretation of the last article
e. In 1993, 1,532 churches with 300,000 members
f. 9 schools, over 2,175 missionaries on the field
g. The Baptist Bulletin, a monthly magazine
Ø GENERAL BAPTIST
a. Claim beginning from England and Holland in 1611
b. Arminian
c. Similar to Free Will Baptists (foot washing not an ordnance however, but practiced by some)
d. 876 churches with 74,156 members
e. Liberal arts college
f. World headquarters in Poplar Bluff, MO along with their publishing house, Stinson Press
g. Publish monthly paper, General Baptist Messenger
Ø LANDMARK BAPTIST
a. “Landmarkism” is a position held by some Baptists concerning the nature of the church and certain details of church practice. Name originated with the writings of J.M. Pendleton and J.R. Graves from KY and TN during the 19th century – insisting their concepts go back to Christ.
b. Four tenets of Landmarkism”
1. The church is always vocal and visible. The expression “the church” is used only when speaking of the institution. All saved people make up the “family of God” not “the church”. While members of other churches may be saved, they are not members of true churches.
2. The “commission” was given to the church; consequently, all matters covered by it must be administered under church authority. Ministers of other denominations are not accepted in Landmark Baptist pulpits.
3. Baptism, to be valid, must be administered by the authority of a New Testament (Baptist) church. Baptisms administered by any other authority are not accepted.
4. There is a direct historic succession of Baptist churches from NT times- that is Baptist churches have existed in practice, thought not in name, since Christ.
c. These principles are held primarily by the churches of the American Baptist Association, though an estimated 1.5 million members of different Baptist churches hold to the Landmark principle.
Ø NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION OF AMERICA, INC & NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION, USA, INC.
a. These two bodies were united at first, formed in 1886
b. Made up of African-Americans
c. Did lots of mission work
d. Provide education to emancipated people, founded some colleges and published Sunday School materials
e. 1915 split over legal ownership of the publishing house
f. “America” version had over 3.5 million members and “USA” has over 7.5 million
g. Active in Civil Rights issues and voter registration drives
Ø NATIONAL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CONVENTION OF AMERICA
a. Originated in 1998, consists of African-Americans
b. Split from the above groups over the ownership of publishing house. Has approximately 2,140,000 members
Ø PROGRESSIVE NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION, INC
a. Came into being in 1961 breaking away from the “USA” side over absence of term limits for the elected convention president and the policy of disengagement from the civil rights movement after the 1954 segregation decision of the Supreme Court
b. Included on past membership rolls: Martin Luther King Sr & Jr.
Ø NORTH AMERICAN BAPTIST CONFERENCE
a. Originally German Baptist churches
b. Follow the New Hampshire Confession of Faith
c. 61,084 members in 388 churches in the USA and Canada
Ø NATIONAL PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CONVENTION OF THE USA
a. Formerly the Colored Primitive Baptist Church
b. These members attended white Primitive Baptist churches until the time of emancipation, when their white co-worshippers helped them establish their own churches, granting them letters of fellowship, ordaining deacons and ministers, etc.
c. membership of over 1 million in 1,530 churches
d. Similar to the white Primitive Baptist churches of today, but more progressive in the work of publications, aid societies, and conventions
Ø PRIMITIVE BAPTIST
a. Have the reputation of being the most strictly orthodox and exclusive of all Baptists
b. Unique in that the group has never been organized as a denomination and has no administrative body of any kind (each church should “govern itself according to the laws of Christ as found in the NT, and no minister, association, or convention has any authority over the churches”.)
c. Adamantly protests “money-based” missions and benevolent societies and the assessing of churches to support missions, missionaries, and Sunday Schools. Its position being that there were no such institutions or practices in the days of Christ and Apostles and not directed by the Scriptures
d. Believe in the religious training of children, but not in Sunday schools. Also believe in evangelism as a missionary effort, but by individual responsibility and individual expense, not under sponsorship or a money-based society.
e. Their various associations adopted the custom of printing their annual minutes, with articles of faith, constitutions, and rules of order. These statements were examined by other associations and it they were approved, there was fellowship and exchange of messengers and correspondence; if not, they withdrew fellowship.
f. Strongly Calvinistic
g. Not premillenial
h. Pastors must be called of God, come under the laying on of hands, and be in fellowship with the local church of which they are members in order to administer the two ordnances; they are to deny any clergy lacking these qualifications the right to administer the ordinances.
h. No theological training is demanded of ministers. While there is no opposition to such education, the position is that the Lord might call an educated person, but lack of education should not bar a person from the ministry
i. Some practice foot washing, but not as an ordinance
j. They are extremely evangelistic. Their preachers travel widely and serve without charge, except when hearers wish to contribute
k. Membership is granted only after careful examination and vote of the congregation
l. Estimated membership of 72,000 in 1,000 churches, but is likely much larger since they organized into a national body.
Ø REFORMED BAPTIST
a. This is a fellowship of churches rather than a denomination, not all use the name reformed and some do not use the name Baptist
b. Their bond is a strict adherence to 5 point Calvinism (TULIP)
c. Agree with the doctrines of the Synod of Dort, the “Anabaptist doctrine of a called-out church”, and the Philadelphia Confession
d. They differ from other Calvinistic Baptists, who may deny the necessity of preaching to all or hold to a “Baptist succession” concept of the church
e. Completely autonomous, support missionaries and publish literature. No membership number s are available
f. First “Sovereign Grace” conference held in Ashland, KY in 1954 (City in which the Trail of Blood was published, by the way)
Ø SEPARATE BAPTISTS IN CHRIST (GENERAL ASSOCIATION OF SEPARATE BAPTISTS)
a. Arrived in USA in 1695. Especially active during preaching of George Whitfield and during the Old and New Light sect conflict
b. Milder Calvinism. Reject the “election, reprobation, and fatality” of Calvinism
c. In 1787, Separate and Regular Baptist churches in Virginia merged into the United Baptist churches of Christ in Virginia. Some remained independent.
d. In 1988 there were 101 churches with 10,000 members. Seven associations (one member from each form the mission board)
e. All creeds and confessions of faith are rejected by them; however, there is an annual statement of articles of belief be some of their associations and the general association
f. Foot washing; mission minded and monthly publication
g. Adamantly opposed to the term Protestant.
Ø SEVENTH DAY BAPTIST (SABBATARIAN BAPTIST) GENERAL CONFERENCE
a. Hold to Saturday as the Sabbath (7th day of the week)
b. Organized in 1671 in Rhode Island
c. 5,250 members in 90 churches
d. Practice open communion
e. All independent, but support the united Denominational Budget
f. 8 regional associations and a General Conference (Convention-type body); churches throughout the world
Ø SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
a. They split from the Northern convention over the slavery issue. Also left over central denominational organization issue (N wanted independent; S wanted one centralized body to oversee)
b. Organized in 1845 (Northern in 1907)
c. Boards for home and foreign missions
d. An anti-missionary movement caused a severe decline and when African-American Baptists withdrew to form their own societies and conventions. However, the SBC’s recovery was quick
e. 1845 – 351,951 members with 130,000 being black; 1890 – 1,235,908 members (all white); 1993 – 15,365,486 members in 38,458 churches. SBCs reported 397,000 baptisms in 1992.
f. More conservative than the Northern group
g. Predominantly Calvinist; New Hampshire Confession of Faith
h. 20+ agencies operational
i. Home mission board has over 5,000 missionaries in the USA
j. Foreign mission board at work in 131 countries on 5 continents
k. Sunday School Board provides literature for 8,262,521 students in 36,883 Sunday Schools, 6 theological seminaries, 53 colleges, 8 academies, and 4 Bible Schools
l. Fast growth = net gain of 4 churches and 22,400 members each week!
m. Suffers greatly from factionalism (especially the fundamental conservative vs. the moderate conservative debate). The fundamentalists have most of the control, however, a group of moderates have taken form as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and their own missionary, educational and social causes even though they still support the Convention treasuries. They have debated forming their own denomination.
Ø UNITED BAPTISTS
a. A merging of several groups of Separate and Regular Baptists (mostly in Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, and the Carolinas)
b. Contain both Calvinistic and Arminian theologies, yet maintained perfect freedom in preaching and polity in uniting
c. Many churches have gone either to the Southern of Northern Baptist Conventions, but still have 63,641 members in 586 churches, 26 associations. Independent, yet work together some as well
d. Most have closed communion
e. Most have foot washing as an ordinance
Conclusion:
If nothing else, I hope that you are hopelessly lost as to what a Baptist really is! It really IS a big mess if we attempt to define ourselves as “Baptists” only. We need to know more. We must have something else that distinguishes us from these other “Baptists” which we have spoken of briefly this evening. That something else, of course, is our Bible-based doctrines. Next time we will discuss “Baptist Continuity and Peculiarities”, the things that are unique to Baptists. This will serve as our next step in defining who we are before we discuss what we believe.
