What is a Baptist?

Hello!

New to the boards.

Short introduction.

I was raised Catholic, got saved in a Charismatic church, got married in that same charismatic church, left that charismatic church with my husband and found a very liberal Christian church, and now husband and I are looking for a new church, and we have been going to a Baptist church for the past few weeks.

I like the message that I hear at this Baptist church. It is very convicting. My in-laws dont like it because it can be pretty fire and brimstone, but Im attacted to it, and so is my husband. We have definately changed as a couple since attending there. It feels like a pretty good fit.

However, there are some questionable things going on there that may cause us to consider continuing our search.

The first Baptist church that I had ever gone to was an Independent Missionary Baptist Church. I liked it for the most part. THe word was great. THe preaching was great. They used their bibles in church. The music ministry was God-honoring.. but there was just one teeny little tiny problem, and that was with the Baptist "pep-rallies" at the end of the sermon. In such pep-rallies, I heard comments such as

"The Lord was a Baptist"
"John the Baptist was not called the baptist simply because he baptized people, he was called the baptist because he was a baptist"
"If I wasnt a Baptist, I would be ashamed"
"Im a Baptist before Im a Christian"

I have even received literature stating that if I am saved, and not attending an Independent Baptist church, that I am being sinful.

These comments do not seem to be all that uncommon in Baptist churches.

I questioned a girl in the church about the pep-rally, and he said.."Oh, Pastor Smith loves all Christians, he is just proud because we are the first religion"...

I was shocked. I thought that Christians were the first religion... just plain old Christians who were obedient to the word of God.

furthermore, I had no idea that there was anything wrong with my contemporary Christian music..(believe me, from someone who has had this music since I have been saved, it does praise God, and when I sing the lyrics, I am singing to God and they do worship Him)..

I guess Im just confused, because although my husband and I really like this church we dont agree with many things going on there.. We dont think they are biblical, but I guess Im just looking for some insight on just exactly what is a baptist?

 

soo.. Is Independent kind of dangerous then?.. like, because they have nobody above them, they can get all into weird tangents and the like?

One of their big things is autonomy of the local church, and while I do believe that churches should be locally governed, I dont quite understand why they dont see all believers as belonging to "the church".. only the true baptists..

The church I was explaining where I heard those comments from is not actually the church that we are attending now, but the Pastor of the one we are attending now, and most of the people came from that church.

This church, the one we are attending now, is a bit looser, in that I have heard him say "bible believing churches" as opposed to "baptist churches", which, I think makes more sense biblically, but they still are KJV-onlyists, and they hate contemporary christian music (it sounds to me like they hate it because they dont understand it.. They have heard stories, and not actually listened to it themselves to decide)..

We really do like it a lot, and we will definately be praying on it, but I do get scared because it does seem like the attitude is that other Christians are not on par with Baptists, and this just doesnt make sense to me.

 

Walls..

Music is cultural. They used to have Public house hymns as well that sounded very similar to church hymns.. and public houses as you know, are local bars, so that was the worldly music of the day.,

When I was saved in the Charismatic church, that is where I learned about ccm. There is a song by Stephen Curtis Chapman called "Remember your chains".. This song has been so convicting to me so many times... Also, whenever I thought about dating a non-Christian, the song "Two sets of Jones's" by Big Tent Revival reminded me of the reasons God wants us with believers. Sean Groves is another one who has been inspirational to me. When my husband and I first left the charismatic church, it was initially because we felt there were things going on there that werent biblical, but our church search soon turned into laziness and not going anywhere, and then I turned on our Christian radio station, and heard Welcome Home by Sean Groves, and I was completely moves to tears.. the song is still so moving, that I will post the lyrics at the end of this post..

Ccm reaches people.. Most times, hymns do not.. Music is cultural, and I dont believe that a type of music can be evil for the type of music that it is.. There can be evil hints in some of the songs, but that would be up to the individual listening to decide if the music glorifies God or not.. For instance, I have decided that Stacie Orrico uses too many sexual sounds in her singing for it to be Godly.

SUrely surely there are ccm artists who are not living for God and their lyrics reflect that, but that is not a reason to tell your entire congretation that it is all from the devil, and that none of it praises God, because that is what people are believing, and it is no such case.


Shaun Groves-Welcome Home

Take me, make me all You want me to be
That's all I'm asking, all I'm asking

Welcome to this heart of mine
I've buried under prideful vines
Grown to hide the mess I've made
Inside of me, come decorate, Lord

Open up the creaking door
And walk upon the dusty floor
Scrape away the guilty stains
Until so sin or shame remain

Spread Your love upon the walls
And occupy the empty halls
Until the man I am has faded
No more doors are barricaded

CHORUS:
Come inside this heart of mine it's
Not my own make it home
Come and take this heart and make it
All Your own Welcome Home
Take a seat, pull up a chair
Forgive me for the disrepair
And the souvenirs from
Floor to ceiling
Gathered on my search for meaning

Every closet's filled with clutter
Messes yet to be discovered
I'm overwhelmed, I understand
I can't make this place all
That You can

CHORUS

I took the space that
You placed in me
Redecorated in shades of greed
And I made sure every
Door stayed locked
Every window blocked, and
Still You Knocked

Take me, make me all You want me to be
That's all I'm asking, all I'm asking

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