In History

Drawing the Lines

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

More and more of those who profess to be followers of Jesus, and are Baptists, are leaving the Baptists distinctives in order to draw more people.  When we get away from those Baptists teachings which make us Baptists we are no longer Baptists.

If you do not want to be Baptists then go join, or become a part of a church that you can believe with them, but don’t join a Baptist Church and try to get it away from our distinctiveness.  If you don’t love us please leave us.  We will love you anyway.

The following is a quote from a former editor of the former State Baptist Paper, Word and Way,  R.K Maiden, and was posted on a group list I am part of:

“Open communion churches in the south are as scarce as hen’s teeth, and alien immersion churches are almost as scarce. Southern Baptist churches have, so far, consistently and firmly declined to enter into any kind of compromising, entangling, interdenominational alliance. But what of the future? Will the New Testament hold its grip on Southern Baptists through the next fifty or one hundred years? The rising tide of ecclesiastical liberalism will eventually reach the borders of the South and slowly overflow it. . . Fifty or a hundred years hence may show marked changes among Southern Baptists. Unless there is a strong backfire against it, ecclesiastical liberalism will eat into the South. R.K. Maiden, 1926 (R.K. Maiden was editor of “The Word and Way” Missouri Baptist newspaper from 1896 to 1929 and was a leader among Missouri Southern Baptists. In the above quote Maiden hit the nail right on the head. There have been marked doctrinal changes among Southern Baptists in the eighty-two years since he wrote these words. If we are going to see doctrinal renewal come to Southern Baptists we must stand against ecclesiastical liberalism and preach and teach Baptist distinctives to our congregations. The quote is from pages 50-51 of Maiden’s 1926 book “The Rising Tide of Ecclesiastical Apostasy”.)

Posted on the Landmark Southern Baptist Group List, by Ben Stratton

We do not need to be eccleiastically identical with other denominations to get along with them.  The best thing Baptists can do for the world and others is maintain our identity with the Bible as the Word of God, stand on our doctrines and teachings.  If we fail to do that then, we are not worth having around.  Think on these matters for a while before you begin throwing them out the door.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

Separation of Church and State, and Baptists

/ Tim A. / 1 Comment

The phrase “Separation of Church and State” is nowhere mentioned within the Constitution of the United States or the Bill of Rights.  The idea there is for Government to have no State Church which is sponsored by Government.  It is also for the purpose of keeping the government out of Church business, from dictating to the Church how they are to operate, and function.  The people of every church has the right and privilege to have a say in elections, and at the voting booth, and the Church can inform its members of the moral issues, and where candidates stand on those issues.  We have an heavenly authority, and responsibility to do so.

Have Baptists ever been close to becoming a State sponsored Church.  At the last writing we read of a time the Baptists were one of four which were proposed to become State Churches.  The following is more info along that same idea.

“24. Some serious questions have many times been asked concerning the Baptists:  Would they, as a denomination, have accepted from any nation or state an offer of ‘establishment’ if such nation or state had freely made them such an offer?  And would they, in case they had accepted such an offer, have become persecutors of others like Catholics or Episcopals, or Lutherans or Presbyterians, or Congregationalists?  Probably  a little consideration of such questions now wouold not be amiss.  Have the Baptists, as a fact, ever had such an opportunity?’

‘Is it not recorded in history, that on one occasion, the King of the Netherlands (the Netherlands at that time embracing Norway and Sweden, Belgium, Holland, and Denmark) had under serious consideration the question of having an established religion?  Their kingdom at that period was surrounded on almost all sides by nations or governments with established religions — religions supported by the Civil Government.’

‘It is stated that the King of Holland appointed a committee to examine the claims of all existing churches or denominations to see which had the best claim to be the New Testament Church.  The committee reported back that the Baptists were the best representatives of New Testament teachings.  Then the King offered to make the Baptist ‘the established’ church or denomination of his kingdom.  The Baptists kindly thanked him but declined, stating that it was contrary to their fundamental convictions and principles.’

‘But this was not the only opportunity they ever had of having their denomination the established religion of a people.  They certainly had that opportunity when Rhode Island Colony was founded.  And to have persecuted others — that would nave been an impossibility if they were to continue being Baptist.  They were the original advocates of ‘Religious Liberty.’  That really is one of the fundamental articles of their religious faith.  They believed in the absolute separation of church and state.”

From THE TRAIL OF BLOOD, p. 53, by J. M. Carroll.

We Baptists may disagree whole heartedly with some forms of religion, but we also will fight with you for your right to believe it and teach it.  That is after all what Religious Liberty in our Nation is about, and what Religious Liberty the world around is about.

A Baptist State Church???

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

Once again I will be posting a quote from THE TRAIL OF BLOOD by J. M. Carroll.  This is from pages 51 & 52.  This is good information.

“21. We venture to give one early Congressional incident.  The question of whether the United States should have an established church or several established churches, or religious liverty, was being discussed.  Several different bills had been offered, one recommending the Church of England as the established church; and another the Congregationalist Church, and yet another the Presbyterian.  The Baptists, many of them, though probably none of them members of Congress, were earnestly contending for absolute religious liberty.  James Madison (afterwards President) seemingly was their main supporter.  Patrick Henry arose and offered a substitute bill for them all, ‘That four churches (or denominations) instead of one be established” — the Church of England, or Episcopal, Congregationalist, Presbyterian, and the Baptist.  Finally when each of the others saw that IT could not be made the sole established church, they each agreed to accept Henry’s compromise. (This compromise bill stated that each person taxed would have the right to say to which denomination of these four his money should go.)  The Baptists continued to fight against it all, that any combination of Church and State was against their fundamental principles, that they could not accept it even if voted.  Henry pleaded with them, said he was trying to help them, that they could not live without it, but they still protested.  The vote was taken–it carried nearly unanimously.  But the measure had to be voted on three times.  The Baptists, led by Madison and possibly others continued to fight.  The second vote came.  It also carried almost unanimously, swept by Henry’s masterful eloquence.  But the third vote had yet to be taken.  Now God seemingly intervened.  Henry was made Governor of Virginia and left Congress.  When the third vote came, deprived of Henry’s  irresistible eloquence, the vote was lost.’

‘Thus the Baptists came near being an established denomination over their own  most solemn protest.  This is not the only opportunity the Baptist ever had of becoming established by law, but is probably the nearest they ever came to it”

My how we should be grateful for our forefather’s who were wise in seeing the danger of being an established State Church.  This Nation would have been back to what many of the forefather’s of this Nation had fled.

Baptists and Religious Liberty

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

In the pages of the booklet “The Trail of Blood” we find some historical moments within the early development of the United States of America.  The previous article posted here was of three Baptist preachers defended in trial by Patrick Henry, this post has to do with churches receiving goverment support to survive.

“19. Evidently, one of the greatest obstructions to religious liberty in America, and probably all over the world as to that, was the conviction which had grown into the people throughout the preceding centuries that  religion could not possibly live without governmental support.  That no denomination could prosper solely on voluntary offerings by its adherents.  And this was the hard argument to meet when the battle was raging for the disestalishment of the Church of England in Virginia, and also later in Congress when the question of religious liberty was being discussed there.  For a long time the Baptists fought the battle almost alone.”

“20.  Rhode Island began her colony in 1638, but it was not legally chartered until 1663.  There was the first spot where Religious Liberty was granted.  The second place was Virginia in 1786.  Congress declared the first amendment to the  Constitution to be in force December 15,1791, which granted religious liberty to all citizens.  Baptists are credited with being the leaders in bringing this blessing to the nation.”

From THE TRAIL OF BLOOD by J. M. Carroll, p. 51

As Christians we all need to remember what Religious Liberty is all about.  It is not a freedom from religion, but freedom of religion.  It does not forbid Christians from participating in government, keep us from voting, nor to keep us from voicing our opinion during election time.  It, ie., the First Amendment was given to keep Government from establishing a State Church, and from dabbling into church business.

Baptists and Patrick Henry

/ Tim A. / 2 Comments

This is a historical event which took place in the early days of the United States formation.  It concerns three Baptists preachers who were arrested for preaching the gospel.  This is taken from the booklet “The Trail of Blood” by J. M. Carroll, p. 50:

“Three Baptist preachers (Lewis and Joseph Craig and Aaron Bledsoe) were later arrested on the same charge (#16 of the booklet, same page).  One of them, at least, was a blood relative or R.E.B. Baylor, and possibly of one or more other Texas Baptist preachers.  These preachers wer arraigned for trial.  Patrick Henry, hearing of it and though living many miles away and though a Church of England man himself, rode those miles horseback to the trial and volunteered his services in their defense.  Great was his defense.  I cannot enter into a description of it here.  it swept the court.  The preachers were freed.”

In the early days of our Nation many wanted a State established church.  That is why many Baptists were persecuted for their beliefs.  We are grateful for the grace of God which saves us, keeps us, and gives us strength for every day.

We should continue to be a people who  fight for the “Congress shall make no law respecting and establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”.