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Featured What Do Baptist Believe?

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Matt22:37-39, May 3, 2013.

  1. Matt22:37-39

    Matt22:37-39 New Member

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    Mods on here keep trying to tell me I'm not a Baptist....well I don't label myself as one, for I am a Born Again Christian.

    But my foundation is one spent mostly in Baptist churches even now. My foundation is one of IFB...but the pastor taught God's word not a DENOMINATION. Sounds like this board only wants those who AGREE WITH IT...wonder how you are all going to feel when you all go to heaven and stand in your little corner?



    Question: "What is the Baptist Church, and what do Baptists believe?"

    Answer: First Baptist, Second Baptist, American Baptist, Southern Baptist, General Baptist, Independent Baptist, Primitive Baptist – the list goes on and on. Just who are these groups, and where did they all come from? Do they believe the same things or get along with each other? Depending on whom you ask, the Baptist church can be the oldest of all traditions, or a newcomer hanging on the coattails of the Reformation. It can be the standard-bearer of old-time, orthodox doctrine or the breeding ground of heresy. The truth is that the answer depends on whether you are examining a particular group or the fundamental doctrines of that group. Each Baptist group can trace its history to a particular starting point as an organization, but the roots go back to the very beginning of the Christian faith.

    Tracking down the origins of the Baptist Church in general is an exercise in ancient church history. From the days of the apostles, there was one Church of Jesus Christ, with a single body of doctrine taught by the apostles. The various local churches preached repentance and confession of sins, along with baptism by immersion as an outward sign of the new life in Christ (Romans 6:3-4). Under the authority of the apostles themselves as to doctrine, each church was independently governed by the leaders God placed in them. There was neither denominational hierarchy, nor distinction of “us/them” within the various churches. In fact, Paul soundly rebuked the Corinthians for such divisions (1 Corinthians 3:1-9). When disputes over sound doctrine arose, the apostles declared God's teaching based on the words of the Lord and the Old Testament Scriptures. For at least 100 years, this model remained the standard for all churches. Thus, the characteristics that defined the earliest churches are the same that most Baptist churches identify with today.

    Starting around A.D. 250, with the intense persecutions under Emperor Decius, a gradual change began to take place as the bishops (pastors) of certain notable churches assumed a hierarchical authority over the churches in their regions (e.g., the church of Rome). While many churches surrendered themselves to this new structure, there was a substantial number of dissenting churches who refused to come under the growing authority of the bishops. These dissenting churches were first called “Puritans” and are known to have had an influence as far as France in the 3rd century. As the organized church gradually adopted new practices and doctrines, the dissenting churches maintained their historical positions. The consistent testimony of the church for its first 400 years was to administer baptism to only those who first made a profession of faith in Christ. Starting in A.D. 401, with the fifth Council of Carthage, the churches under the rule of Rome began teaching and practicing infant baptism. As a result, the separatist churches began re-baptizing those who made professions of faith after having been baptized in the official church. At this time, the Roman Empire encouraged their bishops to actively oppose the dissenting churches, and even passed laws condemning them to death. The re-baptizers became known as Anabaptists, though the churches in various regions of the empire were also known by other names, such as Novatianists, Donatists, Albigenses, and Waldenses.

    These Anabaptist congregations grew and prospered throughout the Holy Roman Empire, even though they were almost universally persecuted by the Catholic Church. By the Reformation, Martin Luther's assistants complained that the Baptists in Bohemia and Moravia were so prevalent, they were like weeds. When John Calvin's teachings became commonly known, many of the Waldenses united with the reformed church. Menno Simons, the founder of the Mennonites, organized the scattered community of Dutch Baptist churches in 1536. From this point on, the various Anabaptist churches gradually lost their ancient names and assumed the name “Baptist,” though they retained their historic independence and self-rule. The first English Baptist church was founded in 1612 by Thomas Helwys and John Murton, who had come under the influence of the Dutch Puritans in Amsterdam. This group became known as General Baptists, for their Arminian belief in general atonement. Another English Baptist church was formed after a schism from Henry Jacob's congregation in London in 1633. This group held a Calvinistic theology of particular atonement and became the main influence in the English Particular Baptist movement.

    The first Baptist church in America was founded by Roger Williams in 1639. During the colonial and federal periods, the Baptist churches prospered and spread, while being only loosely organized as a fellowship. The first clear national organization was the General Missionary Convention of the Baptist Denomination in 1814. This was called by Luther Rice to address the need of raising funds and workers to carry out the missionary mandate in foreign countries. Some Baptist churches resisted this missionary emphasis and became known as Primitive Baptists. When the Civil War broke out, the Baptists in the North and the South broke their fellowship and formed separate denominations. Today, there are at least 65 different Baptist associations or denominations in the United States. Some retain a strict autonomy for the local church, while others have more of a denominational structure. Some have very conservative views of doctrine and practice, while others are quite progressive and liberal. Even within some groups there is a wide divergence of practice, so it is hard to pin down exactly what they believe.

    The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a denomination comprised of over 16 million members in over 42,000 churches in the United States. Individual church membership is typically a matter of accepting Jesus Christ as personal Savior and submitting to believer's baptism by immersion. The SBC is considered to be an evangelistic, mission-minded church with a generally conservative doctrine which focuses on the fact that Jesus died for our sin, was buried, and then rose from the grave and ascended to heaven. Unlike some other denominations, the churches in the SBC generally identify themselves as independent, autonomous congregations which have voluntarily joined together for mutual support.

    The American Baptist Church, USA, has roughly 1.3 million members and was formerly known as the Northern Baptist Convention, which formed after the split with the Southern Baptists. A key distinctive of the American Baptists is the freedom of the individual churches to have differing beliefs. The denomination's unity is based on functional cooperation rather than doctrinal agreement. This practice led to a split in 1932, which resulted in the formation of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC). The GARBC holds a conservative doctrine and emphasizes evangelism and missionary work.

    The name “Baptist” has come to mean many things to many people, and so can sometimes cause confusion. As with any other church, the name above the door isn't as important as what is taught within. As we examine any church, we would do well to follow the example of the Berean believers in Acts 17:11, who “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (KJV).

    www.gotquestions.org
     
  2. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    Ma'am,
    Respectfully, that's why there's a section on this message board for ALL Christians.

    The sections designated "For Baptists Only" are so that those who are Christians by second birth and Baptists by preference can discuss the idiosyncracies of this particular denomination. Many of the Baptist welcome, encourage, and do a LOT of discussion in the "ALL Christians" sections.

    When you signed up to be a member of this board, you agreed to a set of rules, just as the rest of us did. But for some reason, you don't believe you have to abide by those rules.

    Instead, you raise this message board to some level of a Christian standard, and imply that you should be allowed to post anywhere you want; that by not allowing you to post in this section because you identify yourself as non-denominational is somehow going to be judged by God as making the Christian Baptists here less than Christian in His eyes.

    I'm not a moderator. I come on this board, I look at what's posted, and I call things as I see them. I don't get along with everyone here; and I've had my share of run-ins with posters on this message board. But I've learned a lot from everyone here, even (sometimes especially) the ones I disagree with.

    You need to put your haughty, prideful spirit aside and ask yourself: If you can't abide by the simple rules of an internet message board without making it some kind of international incident, how can you say that you're truly obedient to God? What kind of example are you to those that do "follow" you?
     
  3. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    There is NO such organization know as the Baptist Church. There are thousands of local independent autonomous Baptist churches*.
    Though many have similar beliefs - there is a wide variety of differences.

    Now, how does one become a Baptist?
    By joining a local Baptist church*!

    * note the small "c"
     
  4. Matt22:37-39

    Matt22:37-39 New Member

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    I didn't break any rules I just showed by all intense and purposes I AM A BAPTIST...duh!

    My profile has always stated I attend 2 churches one Baptist the other Calvary...so where is the problem?
     
  5. jonathanD

    jonathanD New Member

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    My guess would be Calvary...:smilewinkgrin:

    just jokin'
     
  6. Mexdeaf

    Mexdeaf New Member

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    Baptists believe that you can only be a member of one church at a time.
     
  7. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    correct a-mundo :thumbsup:

    BTW, there is a big difference between ( just ) attending and being a member!
     
    #7 Salty, May 3, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: May 3, 2013
  8. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    I'd like to follow up Don's excellent response by saying: We are aware of the website gotquestions.org. You may stop copying-and-pasting whole articles verbatim from their site.
     
  9. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Wow, here I am agreeing with two posters I often disagree with! I wonder if any certian member might be surprised at this!:1_grouphug:
     
    #9 Salty, May 3, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: May 3, 2013
  10. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Copyright laws do not allow for posters to copy the entire articles. We can copy a couple paragraphs and link to it.

    The name of this web site is "Baptist Board". It might serve you well to take note of that.
     
  11. Matt22:37-39

    Matt22:37-39 New Member

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    The Calvary one doesn't do membership, only the Baptist one...and it is no ones business anyway. BTW, one can lie and say they are anything if they want.

    You guys are beating a dead horse
     
  12. Matt22:37-39

    Matt22:37-39 New Member

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    WOW such controlling people on these board...don't tell me what I can and can't do.

    Thank you....:)
     
  13. Matt22:37-39

    Matt22:37-39 New Member

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    That is not true!

    It is now on your job to prove it...good luck.
     
  14. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    as far as "and it is no ones business anyways" you are incorrect! It is the business of the BB. For one that is their rule - and second - I often look at someones profile, so I can get an ideal of their background.
    I have broken a couple of rules - and corrected them per the rules.
    No one is forcing you to be part of BB. As stated before - just post in the non-baptists section.
    As for me, this is my last response to Matt in the Bapt section. All in favor - say :thumbsup:
     
  15. awaken

    awaken Active Member

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    Most Baptist believe...
    A spiritual church, Christ is its founder and only head and law giver.
    Two ordinances Baptism and the Lord's supper. Neither saving, just typical.
    Officers only two Pastors/deacons and they are servants of the church.
    Democracy government
    Its law and doctrines..the New Testament
    Its members Believers only, they are saved by grace, not works, through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.
    Believers must be baptized by immersion.
    Separation of church and state.
    Religious liberty for all.

    This is what I was brought up to believe as a baptist!


    Some ABA missionary churches I was raised in did not believe in integration . They believed in closed communion. They also taught that only certain saved people would be in the Bride of Christ...not all saved! (These I do not hold to but was taught).

    But I also believe in the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is for today!
    I believe in the five fold ministry is also for today! Just to name a few differences in the way I was rasied!

    I am still in a Baptist church. Still in a SBC! Alot of SBC in the south have change alot of their teachings!
     
  16. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    http://www.baptistboard.com/postingrules.html
     
  17. Iconoclast

    Iconoclast Well-Known Member
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    This not baptist teaching...it is error.You are not really a baptist as you follow those who depart from scripture....who say adding to scripture is okay.
     
  18. Mexdeaf

    Mexdeaf New Member

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    I personally do not care if you are a member here or not. But I do care when someone tries to bully everyone else who has followed the rules. If I was a moderator - I'm not - but if I was, you wouldn't be posting here much longer.
     
  19. Van

    Van Well-Known Member
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    Hi Matt22:37-39, Baptists include a range of beliefs. There are general Baptists, who believe Christ died for all mankind, and Particular Baptists who believe Christ died for the Elect. In the SBC there are many Calvinistic churches and many non-Calvinistic churches.

    Perhaps you could list four or five doctrinal beliefs that others have said are not Baptist. For example we believe those that govern should not dictate doctrine, i.e. separation of church and state correctly understood. We believe in Believers Baptism, which is to say folks should be old enough to understand and commit to the gospel of Christ, and we do not baptize babies. We believe in the Trinity, that Jesus is God Almighty, and that the Bible is the final authority for faith and practice, which is to say we disavow additions by the traditions of men.
     
  20. Matt22:37-39

    Matt22:37-39 New Member

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