Old Baptist Union in the UK

[rlvaughn]

I’ve made a hobby of ferreting out small Baptist sub-denominations, mostly in the US, but discovered this one – the Old Baptist Union – in the UK several years back. I’ve done some further research, and put together some information that might prove interesting.

The Old Baptist Union was founded in 1880 by Henry Augustus Squire and others,i] but they consider themselves “true representatives” of the General Baptist Confessions of 1611 and 1660. It seems the idea of “Old Baptist” in the name is that they believe they represent the first or oldest Baptists in the UK. After the death of Henry Squire in 1914, his son Thomas H. Squire seems to have become the primary leader.[ii]

Perhaps the following is currently accurate numerically – “the Old Baptist Union has 17 member churches (16 in England and 1 in the Netherlands) with about 700 members.” The Union itself is a member of both the Free Churches Council and the Evangelical Alliance. Some of its churches may also participate in local associations of the Baptist Union of Great Britain.

The churches of the Old Baptist Union are:

• Evangelical, holding “that the Gospel should be preached to all creation”
• General Atonement, holding “God has made a full provision for’ the salvation of all men, but that those only will be saved who repent of their sins and accept Christ, by faith”
• Six-Principle, holding “that those who are baptised should receive the ‘laying on of hands’”
• Possibly lean charismatic? holding that the Holy Spirit’s “gifts may still be claimed and exercised, subject to His will”[iii]

Old Baptist Union website (very basic, but contains their articles of faith)
Old Baptist Union

Emmanuel Baptist Church Eastleigh website
Emmanuel Baptist Church » We Believe - Eastleigh

A mission in the Netherlands, Providence, has a website with information
OBU Today

i] One odd thing about the ministry of Henry Augustus Squire is that he joined the Mormon Church about 1847, and moved to Utah in 1856. He moved back to England circa 1866 and returned to his Baptist faith. His children who stayed in the U.S. use the spelling Squires and seemed to have remained in the Mormon Church. His children who lived in England (and he & his wife) use the spelling Squire and seem to be Baptists. A bit of history from a Mormon descendant of Squire is HERE and HERE.
[ii] Thomas Squire’s view of original sin approached Pelagianism (see HERE), but that doesn’t seem to be reflected – or at least clearly stated – in their current articles of faith.
[iii] Emmanuel at Swanage, Dorset says on their website they are “an evangelical charismatic church.”

 

[Martin Marprelate]

I've not been able to find out much more about the 'Old baptist Union,' but as you yourself have revealed, it's not very old (1880). As I wrote elsewhere, most of the original General Baptist churches had succumbed to Arianism by about 1750. I understand that the Particular baptist Abraham Booth was baptized into an Arminian Baptist church in the east Midlands in 1755. However, this church was entirely independent of the 'old' General Baptists. If you look at this Wikipedia page: General Baptists - Wikipedia you will see that most of the surviving G.B. churches are Unitarian.

Around 1770, Dan Taylor, having left the Wesleyan Methodists, started the New Connexion of G.B. churches. These tend to be the ones found today in the Baptist Union. The Baptist Union today is doctrinally liberal. If you read its website and magazine you will see that it has become favourable to same-sex 'marriage.' Quite a few B.U. churches would like to leave, but the B.U. often has possession of the property deeds of the church and makes things very difficult for departing churches. There is one near me that wants to leave but is stuck in bureaucracy.

 

[David Kent]

Churches, as charities cannot hold property, so they have to have trustees. If the BU hold the deeds they must be the trustees. Churches can hold deeds, and therefore own the property if they become a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation, which is a relatively recent inovation). It is a legal process to change, and can be fairly costly.
They should stll be able to leave and the BU hold the deeds, and therefore own the property.

 

[Squire Robertsson]

Which is different from US law. Here a church can own property either as a corporation or as an unincorporated association. Years ago, some churches had problems when they sought to leave the Northern Baptist Convention. They had been [lanted as mission works by the Northern Baptist Home Missionary Society. Since the NBHMS had fronted the money for the building and property, its name was on the deed. And the name was still on the deed even after the church had paid back the fronted funds.

Churches, as charities cannot hold property, so they have to have trustees. If the BU hold the deeds they must be the trustees. Churches can hold deeds, and therefore own the property if they become a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation, which is a relatively recent inovation). It is a legal process to change, and can be fairly costly.
They should stll be able to leave and the BU hold the deeds, and therefore own the property.

 

[rlvaughn]

I've not been able to find out much more about the 'Old baptist Union,' but as you yourself have revealed, it's not very old (1880).

Right; "old" doesn't seem to refer to the age of the churches or association, but to their real or perceived theological connection to those whom they think are the "old" English Baptists -- the General Baptists. It is also interesting that at least at some point in their history, they had some connection to the General Six-Principle Baptists in the U.S. (See newspaper article on T. H. Squire Find-A-Grave memorial.)

Around 1770, Dan Taylor, having left the Wesleyan Methodists, started the New Connexion of G.B. churches...

It would be interesting to find the kind of Baptists with which Henry Squire was connected in the 1840s. I have found no information on that.

The Baptist Union today is doctrinally liberal. If you read its website and magazine you will see that it has become favourable to same-sex 'marriage.'

It is good to see that the Old Baptist Union is not liberal in this area. From their articles of faith:

WE BELIEVE that marriage is the union between one man and one woman, ordained by God and acknowledged by the Lord Jesus Christ as attested to in the Scriptures. It is a building block for sound community and a safe place to bring up children.