Baptist
Baptist
Definition of the word „Baptist“
“Baptists” comes from the Greek word “baptizein”
which is related to the verb “to immerse or dip” and in figurative sense has
the meaning “to baptize”.
The name "Baptist" was not a
self-chosen one. In the early Protestant Reformation
time this particular group of Christians made baptism on a profession of faith a
condition of church membership. This rejection of infant baptism and this insistence on believers' baptism
were so distinctive of these Christians that they were stigmatized with the
pejorative "Baptists."
History of Baptismus
During the final years of the 16th century
radical groups emerged in the Anglican church impatient with the church's slow
pace of reform. Many of these broke away from the established church and became
known as Separatists. One such group was established in Gainsborough,
Lincolnshire under the leadership of Thomas Helwys and John Smith, a former
Anglican preacher.
In 1608 this group moved to Amsterdam in
order to escape persecution in England. In Amsterdam Smith became convinced
that baptism should be available only to those who are convinced believers.
Smith baptised himself and his followers, thus forming the first Baptist
church. In 1611 Thomas Helwys and some of his followers returned to London and
established the first Baptist church in England. These came to be known as General
Baptists because they believed that Christ died for everyone, and not an elect
few.
In 1638 a Baptist church was formed in
Southwark, London whose theology was Calvinistic. Those churches that followed
this theology came to be known as Particular Baptists because they
believed that only a particular elect group would be saved.
The Baptist church grew steadily during the first half of the17th century.
However, the restoration of the British monarchy in 1660 led to renewed
persecution of dissenting churches. During this time the Baptist preacher John
Bunyan spent 12 years in prison.
The 18th century saw renewed growth in the church. In 1792 the English Baptist
Missionary Society was organised under the leadership of William Carey,
planting Baptist churches in India and other parts of Asia.
Church membership continued to grow throughout the 19th century. Concomitant
with this growth was the quest to establish cooperation among different Baptist
churches. In 1891 the General and Particular Baptists were united in the
Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland. Baptist churches were also set up
throughout central and eastern Europe.
The twentieth century has witnessed a growth in international cooperation among
Baptist churches. In 1905 the World Baptist Alliance was set up in
London. Since then meetings have occurred in different cities roughly every
five years. Today there are Baptists in all continents of the world.
Membership
Most Baptist churches do not have an age
restriction on membership, but will not accept as a member a child that is
considered too young to fully understand and make a profession of faith of
their own volition and comprehension. In such cases, the pastor and parents
usually meet together with the child to verify the child's comprehension of the
decision to follow Jesus. There are instances where a person makes a profession
of faith but fails to follow through with believers' baptism. In such case they
are considered "saved" but not a church member until baptized.
Some churches, especially in the UK, do not
require a member to have been baptised as a believer, as long as they have made
an adult declaration of faith - for example, been confirmed in the Anglican
church, or become a communicant member as a Presbyterian. In these cases,
believers would usually transfer their membership from their previous church.
This allows people who have grown up in one tradition, but now feel settled in
their local Baptist church, to fully take part in the day to day life of the
church, voting at meetings, etc. It is also possible, but unusual, to be
baptised without becoming a church member immediately.
Baptist beliefs and principles
Each Baptist believer priest with soul
competency is equal to all other Baptists in a church, so each church is equal
to every other church. Baptist churches do not have a central governing
authority. Therefore, beliefs are not totally consistent from one
Baptist church to another. However, on major theological issues, Baptist
distinctive beliefs are held in common among almost all Baptist churches.
Baptist churches are careful to emphasize
that worship is not limited to the Sunday gathering, but is a lifestyle of love
and service to Christ and dedication to God's truth as revealed in the Bible. Most Baptist churches expect the members to
carry the message of the gospel into the world among their family and
friends.
Baptists generally believe in the literal
Second Coming of Christ at which time God will sit in judgment and divide
humanity between the saved and the lost and Christ will sit in judgment of the
believers, rewarding them for things done while alive.
Some who reject the label Baptist prefer to
be labeled as Christians who attend Baptist churches. Also, a recent trend is
to eliminate "Baptist" from the church name, as it is perceived to be
a "barrier" to reaching persons who have negative views of Baptists,
whether they be of a different church background or none.
Overview
The Bible alone is a sufficient and
authoritative guide to faith.
Each member of the church has equal say in
the running of the church, and, therefore, the minister does not have any
special priestly authority.
Each local church is autonomous.
Church and state are separate. Behind this
principle lies the belief that the state should guarantee freedom of belief.