| Recommended Baptist History Web Sites
Not all websites are created equal. Among the foremost, trustworthy Baptist history web sites
are the following:
The Baptist History and Heritage Society
The Center for Baptist Studies
American Baptist Historical Society
Center for
Baptist Heritage and Studies
Baptist
Historical Society (UK)
Selected Baptist Archives
(Location of archives included)
American Baptist Historical Society (Mercer University, Atlanta, GA)
Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives (Nashville, TN)
Georgia Baptist History Depository (Mercer University, Macon, GA)
Kentucky Baptist Archives (Louisville, KY)
Canadian Baptist Archives (McMaster Divinity College, Ontario,
Canada)
Texas Baptist
Historical Collection (Dallas, TX)
Primary Baptist Sources Available Online
For the researcher, many primary Baptist sources
are now available online, including the following:
The Baptist Catechism, Charleston Association (1813)
The Baptist Mission in India by William Staughton (1811)
"Exposition of the Views of Baptists, Relative to the Coloured Population
in the United States"
by Richard
Furman (1823, 1838)
Fifty Years Among the Baptists by David Benedict (1860)
A History of the Baptists, Volume 2 by John T. Christian
"A History of Clear Creek Church, and Campbellism Exposed"
by John Taylor (1830)
The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptance by Andrew Fuller (1781, partial)
The Millennial Harbinger, Volume 1
by Alexander Campbell (1830)
New Hampshire Confession of Faith (1833)
Notes on the
Principles and Practices of Baptist Churches by Francis Wayland
(1857)
"Remarks on Church Discipline" by Daniel Parker (1824)
A Short History of the Baptists by H. C. Vedder
The Trail of Blood by J. M. Carroll
William Carey's Works
Many other primary sources are also available.
Following are links to two collections of works, including a note
regarding each collection's particular bias:
Baptist Library Online -- a General Baptist collection of materials
The Reformed Reader's Baptist History Collection -- Calvinistic or
Reformed
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A Very Brief
Introduction to Baptist History, Then and Now
by
Bruce Gourley, Baptist Historian
(Baptist Origins;
The Reformed Debate;
The Southern Baptist Controversy and Beyond)
Those who would research Baptist history via the Internet be warned: there is an abundance of information about Baptist history,
much of which comes from biased perspectives originating from personal agendas.
A old saying among Baptists notes that
when two Baptists get together, three different opinions result!
This is quite evident
when one reads online Baptist history resources, and the discerning
reader will pay attention to biases evidenced within web sites.
History, in fact, is subject to various (and often
contradictory) interpretations, and Baptist history is not exempt from
the interpretive confusion. Indeed, Baptists have long been in disagreement over how they originated!
Historical Views of
Baptist Origins
1. Outgrowth of English Separatism --
The accepted, documented historical view of Baptist origins is that the
Baptist faith originated from within the Separatist movement that arose
in Europe with the goal of breaking away from the Church of England
(itself a split from the Catholic Church, although it retained many of
the trappings; those within the Church of England who wished to remain a
part of the Church and yet purify it became known as "Puritans;" they
were, in a sense, cousins to Separatists). The influence of Anabaptists
upon early Baptists is considered minimal or non-existent, according to
this viewpoint. The earliest Baptist church is traced back to 1609 in
Amsterdam, with John Smyth as pastor and Thomas Helwys as a key lay
leader. The group's embracing of "believer's baptism" became the
defining moment that led to the establishment of this first Baptist
church. Shortly thereafter, Smyth left the group, and Helwys took over
the leadership, leading the church back to England in 1611, and in turn
other congregations arose in the footsteps of Smyth/Helwys. Later, in
1638 a Calvinist expression of Baptists (Particular Baptists) arose, and
became the first to embrace baptism by immersion. The 1609 Separatist
view is widely accepted by scholars within and without Baptist life. Representative
Baptist scholars include late 19th through early 21st century
Baptist historians such as William H. Whitsitt, Robert
G. Torbet, Winthrop S. Hudson, William G. McLoughlin, Robert A. Baker,
Leon McBeth, Douglas Weaver, Walter Shurden, and Bill Leonard. Apart
from Baptist life, most all religious historians also accept the 1609
theory of Baptist origins. However, in recent years as modern Calvinists
Baptists strive to lay primary claim to Baptist history and identity, some
Calvinist Southern Baptist historians have utilized the 1638 Particular
Baptist recovery of immersion as a springboard to position
Calvinism/covenant theology as the foundation of true Baptist origins
and identity, in the process largely dismissing the formative influences
of the 1609 Arminianist Smyth/Helwys spiritual lineage.
2. Influence of Anabaptists -- This view holds
that although Baptists originated from English Separatism, their emergence owes much to
the earlier Anabaptists. According to this view, some early Baptists were influenced
by some Anabaptists. The Dutch Mennonites (Anabaptists), for example, shared some
similarities with General Baptists (believer's baptism, religious liberty, separation of
church and state, and Arminian views of salvation, predestination and
original sin). However, there were significant differences between
Anabaptists and Baptists: Anabaptists tended towards extreme pacifism,
communal sharing of earthly goods, and an unorthodox optimistic view of
human nature. Therefore, few Baptists today hold to this theory of
Baptist origins. Representative Baptist historians include A. C.
Underwood and William R. Estep. Among
some contemporary Baptist scholars who emphasize the faith of the
community over freedom of conscience, Anabaptist ideals have found a
new resonance in terms of Baptist identity.
3. Continuation of Biblical Teachings -- Some
Baptists "seek to go back beyond the Anabaptist movement to trace the continuity of
Baptist forms of faith through the centuries" (Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage,
1987,
page 56). While advocates of this view do not claim a succession
of organized Baptist churches (see below), they believe the Baptist
faith and practice has existed since the time of Christ. This view is
represented by some historians of earlier generations, many of whom were concerned with presenting the
validity of their faith (denomination) over and above that of other denominations. Some representative writers of
an earlier era include Thomas Crosby (one of the earliest Baptist historians,
he wrote in the early 1700s), A.H. Newman and David Benedict.
4. Succession of Baptist Churches -- This
viewpoint goes beyond mere "continuation of biblical teachings" and declares
that Baptist churches actually existed in an unbroken chain since the time of Christ and
John the Baptist. Commonly referred to as "Landmarkism" or the "Trail
of Blood" theory (J.M.Carroll wrote a book of supposed Baptist
history by this name), this view declares that some churches that
stood outside the influence of the Roman Catholic Church at various
times in church history were, in actuality although not in name, Baptist
churches. Refusing to embrace infant baptism, these churches
rejected the legitimacy of the Roman
Catholic Church as a Christian entity. However, many of the
identified historical churches/groups that Landmarkists label as Baptist
churches were heretical in regards to
orthodox doctrine. Although absent of historical documentation and
scholarly support, the Landmarkist view
yet remains popular among certain Baptists, particular in rural areas of
the South and Southwest. In addition, the ascendancy of the Internet has
provided a new platform for promoting Landmarkism. The contemporary
popularity of this view of Baptist history stems to some degree from a
long-standing dislike of Catholics on the part of many Baptists. J.M Carroll, G.H.
Orchard and J.M. Cramp - all three 19th century Baptist leaders and
writers - are the "fathers" of Landmarkism.
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The Reformed Debate
In addition to the long-running debate over
Baptist origins, a new debate is now prominent in Baptist life: the question over whether or not Baptists (and particularly
Southern Baptists) are historically Calvinistic. The Founders
Journal (see below), along with Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary, champions the view that Southern
Baptists have always been strict (5 point) Calvinists. While it is
true that Southern Baptists have long been influenced by Calvinism, they have also been much influenced by Arminianism,
which historically served to moderate Calvinism and produce a warmly
evangelistic theology that existed at the formation of the SBC in 1845. Most Baptists today hold beliefs from both
Calvinistic and Arminian schools of thought. The current
Calvinistic debate regarding Baptist history has reached the point of
directly impacting many Baptist churches throughout America. Many of the online Baptist history
resources listed below are from the Reformed (or Calvinist) perspective.
Also, within the past few years, some Reformed (or Calvinist) Baptists
have shifted to using the milder-sounding terminology of "doctrines of
grace" rather than "Calvinism" (this is reflected in many of the
referenced web sites).
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The Southern Baptist Controversy and a Baptist Renewal Movement
Finally, the 1980s to the present have witnessed a
new fundamentalist controversy (also often referred to as a "political"
and / or "Bible" controversy) within the largest Baptist
denomination, altering the course of Southern Baptist history,
and Baptist history in general. Minority fundamentalists, now
firmly in charge of the national Southern Baptist Convention, have
changed the direction and nature of the Convention, resulting in
unprecedented denominational decline. Striving to re-fashion Baptist history to reflect their theology,
politics, and ideology, fundamentalists have caused much confusion
about Baptist history among Baptist laity and the general populace.
Whereas Baptists are historically non-creedal, the
fundamentalist leaders of the SBC forced creedalism upon Southern
Baptists through the implementation of the
Baptist Faith and Message 2000. While Baptists traditionally
believed in freedom of conscience, fundamentalists reversed this course,
replacing it with theological and political correctness. Whereas Baptists
historically held to the truthfulness of Scripture in matters of faith,
looking to Christ and the Holy Spirit as
the criterion for interpreting the Bible, the fundamentalist leadership
claims that looking to Jesus and the Holy Spirit as the authority for
faith is a unacceptable, liberal position. In the place of
Christ-centric faith, they have positioned the Baptist Faith and Message
2000, and/or a modern interpretation of Biblical authority known as
"inerrancy," as the only valid manner in which to
approach Scripture.
At the state Baptist level, some traditional state
Baptist conventions asserted their autonomy in distancing themselves from the creedalistic,
fundamentalist SBC, refusing to enforce the Baptist Faith & Message
2000. Many, however, followed the wishes of the national leadership.
The year 2004 witnessed a significant new
development within the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC
leadership defunded the
Baptist World Alliance, charging (with no factual basis) the BWA as a
liberal, un-American institution. In response, many state Baptist
conventions and local Southern Baptist churches have since increased their
support of the BWA.
In 2006, a new rupture within the Southern Baptist
Convention occurred as
some younger SBC agency trustees and pastors accused the older
leadership of being too narrow-minded; the older leadership, in turn,
considers the younger leadership as too liberal;
this latest skirmish demonstrates the nature of fundamentalists' quest for purity.
Today, Southern Baptist
leaders search for solutions as their denomination's
decline quickens. Convinced that fundamentalist theology is not to blame,
many point to a lack doctrinal purity and/or too little emphasis on
evangelism as the culprit.
During the course of the Southern Baptist
controversy, a broader Baptist renewal movement has taken place,
evidenced in the birth of a number of new entities championing historic principles and
a cooperative spirit long ago abandoned by fundamentalists. The new
entities include the national
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship organization, birthed in 1990 and evidencing the
trappings of a denomination and including numerous state and regional
organizations. Other moderate Baptist organizations, many of whom
partner with CBF, include the
Baptist Center for Ethics,
Baptist Women in Ministry,
Baptist History and Heritage Society, the national news journal
Baptists Today, the
Associated Baptist Press,
Smyth & Helwys Publishers, some fifteen
new Baptist seminaries / divinity schools, and
other entities.
For more information on current events in
this ongoing struggle from a traditional Baptist perspective, visit
BaptistLife.Com,
Mainstream Baptists,
The
Baptist Standard,
Baptist History and Heritage Society,
Center for Baptist Studies, or
Baptists
Today. To view the fundamentalist perspective, go to
Baptist Press,
SBC Life, or
Baptist2Baptist.
A published chronology of this
controversy (through the mid-1990s) can be found by
clicking here.
Finally, Bruce T. Gourley's
A Capsule History of Baptists provides a broader, and brief, summary
of Baptist history that includes modern developments.
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