Featured What constitutes a Baptist church?

So the first Confession of Faith in 1647 was not for those of the Presby churches then?

 

What are the main differences?

 

I am at present on holiday and don't have access to any documents whatsoever. But if everyone had been blissfully happy with the 1644/46 Confession there would have been no pressure for a new one. Don't forget that Knollys and Kiffin signed both confessions.

However, if you are familiar with the history of the Western Association of the Particular Baptists you will know that in the 1720s a number of churches lapsed into Unitarianism, including Trowbridge and, if memory serves, Taunton. In the light of this growing apostasy, Bernard Foskett, who was the Pastor at Bristol and the Principal of what was then the only Baptist seminary in the country (in the world?), pressed the Association churches to accept the 1689 Confession. there was some resistance to this, but most eventually accepted and the apostasy was arrested.

The problem in the 1720s was that many churches refused to have any confession save the Bible (the 1644/46 was a dead letter by this time). It sounds great but the trouble is that if there is no agreement on what the Bible actually teaches, it opens the door to all kinds of false teaching.

I will try to document some of this when I get home next week.

 

Both are based on paedobaptist confessions. The 1689 is based on the Westminster Confession and is much fuller.

 

Wow, nasty attitude combined with a pious but absurd response! So, get off your computer and do something about what is around you instead of condemning others who are doing something in their own areas.

 

Let's see, 1720's seems to be after 1689 and just another step in "a growing apostasy" begun in 1689 instead of what happened in 1640-1660? Yes, "growing apostasy" from 1689 when even you admit there was a major shift from the 1644/46 confessions. So how in the world can you pin a "growing apostasy" on the 1644/46 Baptists??????

 

If you mean the 1644/46 was based on a paedobaptist confession I would like the see the proof as I know of no paedobaptist confession previous to the 1644/46 that embraced the same ecclesiology but I do know of previous Anabaptist confessions prior to Calvin that embraced divine election.

 

You of all people are calling people absurd?!? Why aren't you ...oh never mind...nobody's paying attention to you anyway.

 

Ok. Be that as it may, it does not tie them to paedobaptism or infer that was their origin.

 

Take responsibility for yourself. You are the one that claimed you have a virtual mission field in your own back yard. You are making senseless attacks on others as though you have some omniscient insight that makes you judge and jury to condemn others for not doing what you have no way of knowing. As for myself, you have no idea of my circumstances, if you knew, you would be ashamed to make that accusation against me.

 

Theology of the day: God has a remnant from every generation. Whatever their names, they do not baptize their babies. Many of them have died along with their babies as a witness.

How soon we forget.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James

 

What accusation are you accusing me of? You know Bib, I accuse you of nothing...that's something going on in your own head...deal with that. We all have our crosses to bare. And these are the trials that make us stronger,more empathetic, more resilient. God comes to us all disguised as our lives, and that's probably where we didn't want to be...it disrupts us, causes untold trials and tests our hearts. Just look at this board...depression, sickness, divorce, job loss, floods, national disasters to name a few but we have to trudge on ...hopefully with more empathy because as believers we are shown how to do it by our Lord.

And yes,you are correct...my mission field is my home. My wife, my son, my neighbor's all need Christ and I am joyful that God has revealed that to me. I hope you find joy and be not afraid to announce it to the world...to the refugees, slum dwellers, prisoners, angry prophets. Now and then we must even announce it to ourselves.

So in this cynical and sophisticated age of sin, we believers continue to cry out..Come Lord Jesus.

 

It does, could you elaborate?

 

Good point!

Brilliant....so it was somewhat modernized as well & is a proof text to Christian beliefs....minus the erroneous sacramental & infant baptist dogma that is a Presbyterian carryover from the Roman Catholics. Thanks Steve for the history lesson & enjoy your holiday.

 

Since the 1689

The 1647 Confession was for Presby, the ones tha you see as not being in valid NT cuch, and the1689 was for te Baptist. Since based on Westminister Confession, are y sayintha also was in Apostesy then?

 

It appears that they leapfrogged one another in developing confessions that were considered update and complete. Now a stalwart Presbyterian will stress Infant Baptism & Covenant theology because that's how they see things while the Baptist will contend for John's Baptism and throw out the sacramental business the Presbyterians carried over from the Roman Catholics......both now have an affinity to salvation by Grace.