There were Anglican
Christians who believed that the Church of England had not gone far
enough to correct the errors and abuses that had crept into the
church. Some who felt strongest about this decided they must leave the Church of England
and became known as Separatists.
Separatist John
Smyth organized the first Baptist church in 1609. The name was given
to them because of their practice of only baptizing believers. If
salvation is by faith than the person being baptized must have faith.
This is known as soul competency. Each person is free to accept or
reject Christ.
These early
Baptists contributed other significant reformations to the Christian
faith. They believed in the autonomy of the local church; the Bible
does not dictate any authority over the local church other than Jesus
Christ. Baptists also championed religious liberty for all; the state
should not interfere in the affairs of the church.
Other groups held
these beliefs but it was this unique combination along with tenets
inherited from the Protestant Reformation that continue to define
Baptists. Following the principle of ecclesia semper reformanda
est, Baptists throughout history
have used the Bible to ensure that there doctrine and practice was
pure. This led to many divisions among Baptists ever the years but the freedom to
examine the scriptures and act accordingly still continues. This may explain why whenever you have two Baptists you get three opinions.
It
is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand
firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of
slavery.
Galatians
5:1
2 comments:
I usually get in trouble for having an opinion. It was much easier when I used to just agree with the opinion of everyone else. But of course then I was liked by everyone because I would never disagree with them. But now I guess I am Baptist and because I don't always agree with others; I am not liked much. It sure is hard to know when you should speak up and when you shouldn't. Is there a time when you should just keep your opinion to yourself? And how do you know when it is your opinion oppose to being a complaint???
I've noticed that people who speak last tend to be listened to more. Also, opinions are better received if they aren't seen as judgmental. As for me, I have rarely regretted keeping my mouth shut about stuff that did not impact me directly.
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