Origins and doctrinal development of the English Baptist Church

Rise of the English Baptists

Introduction and origins

Reasons for the emergence of the Baptists

The early Baptists: The General and Particular.

different views.

Introduction and origins

The rise and growth of the English Baptist Church is generally seen as a response to the dominance and perceived false doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. While there are divergent views and debate among scholars about the actual origins and emergence of the Baptists, yet there is general agreement on central aspects, such as their origins in the Separatist Movement of religious dissenters. These dissenters disagreed with the dominant faith of the time- the Catholic Church.

The term Baptist...is directed to the development of the religious sect that grew out of the English Separatist movement and the merging of certain religious tenets in Holland during the period from 1600-1612. Primary to this development was a former English clergyman John Smyth.

Landis H.)

Some of the greatest Baptist scholars have asserted that the Baptist Church was originally established by Jesus and his disciples and the foundations laid by John the Baptist. (ibid)

Though called by other names (i.e. Waldenisians, Novationists, Dontatists, Montanists, Paterines, Cathari, Paulicians, Arnoldists, Henricians, Albigenses, etc.), true Baptists subscribe to the idea that originally all churches were Baptist churches. (ibid)

2. Reasons for the Emergence of the Baptists

The modern Baptist denomination had its origins in England and in Holland in the seventeenth century. In the sixteenth century two groups emerges that are the antecedents of the modern Baptist movement in England, These two groups are known as General and Particular Baptists. (Traffanstedt C.)

However it was the Restoration which provided the impetus for the Baptist movement in these regions. Martin Luther's objection to the use of indulgences in the Church was the beginning of a debate that would result in a radical questioning and redefinition of Christianity in Europe. Luther had objected to the payment of indulgences which were a form of payment for the pardoning of sins to the church. " Luther saw these payments as an abomination to the forgiving work of Christ." (ibid)

This led scholars and theologians like Luther to scrutinize and question many of the churches' common practices. This scrutiny led to the Reformation of reform movement which sought to go back to Biblical teaching and scriptures which it was felt that the Roman Catholic Church had perverted or added aspects that could not be substantiated by the Bible. This movement had a profound effect on the rise of the Baptist movement in England. " With the spread of the Reformation through the work of Calvin and Knox, we see the next great impact of the Gospel in 17th century England. It is here that we begin to see the seed bed of the Baptist movement." (ibid)

In attempting to understand the development of the Baptist movement in England it becomes imperative to place this movement in its historical context.

With the rise of King Edward VI who came to the throne in 1547, there was a movement within the country towards more Protestant views. This can partly be ascribed to the fact the Edward was trained by Protestant advisers. This led to a gradual but assertive growth of Protestantism. (ibid)

This was all to change with Edward's death which brought Mary Tudor to the English throne in 1553. She was a staunch Catholic and began to restore the Catholic doctrine and ideology and at the same time attempted to decrease the number of Protestants in England. She was very active and cruel in her attack on those of the Protestant faith and she earned herself the title "Bloody Mary" for her actions.

Mary was succeeded by Elizabeth Tudor in 1559. She was less harsh on Protestants and accepted their faith. England once again began to move towards a Protestant view of theology. Elizabeth even drew up an agreement of compromise between the Catholics and Protestants known as the "Elizabethan Settlement." This was intended to stop all religious wars in the country. However the call for more religious reforms grew louder in England. This desire to reform the church resulted in the development of Puritan movement in the country. The Puritans were concerned with the Bible as the centre of faith and religion. "The Puritans wanted to see real biblical reform come to the Church. These early Puritans were led by Bishop Hooker and Thomas Cartwright and they began to call for a "pure" Church." (ibid)

Both the Queen and the Church of England saw the Puritans as dissenters and acted against them. From the Puritan revolt against orthodox religion the Separatist movement developed - which was the precursor of the Baptist moment. The Separatists championed the separation of church and state and the freedom of the church form the rule of the state. The Separatists also worked for a complete transformation of the Church in England. Their emphasis was also on close adherence to Biblical teaching." The Separatists took the Bible seriously and they were determined to order their lives by its teachings. They stressed that the Church was only for those who were the redeemed...." (ibid)

Secondly, the Separatists denied that the Church should have a hierarchical structure. In other words the hierarchical structure that they opposed was the dominance and rule from above. They were of opinion that people should not be dictated to by authorities. This they felt this was counter to the teachings of the New testament which stressed that the true Christian Church should be based on the needs of the people.

They refused to believe that the Bible taught a hierarchical church government (rule from top down), instead calling for a church government that had some form of participation from the people (rule from the grass levels). " (ibid)

The Baptist Church in England developed from the Separatists call for purity of worship and the return to a focus on the Bible and the New Testament. The English Baptists, in general, developed the foundation of their Church on the Separatist motifs of the Bible as sole authority and the rejection of "every thing in the worship of God which was not found in the sacred oracles." (ibid)

3. The early Baptists: The General and Particular.

The two primary Baptist traditions in England were the General Baptists and the Particular Baptists. Both these groups emerged, as indicated above, from the Separatist movement and shared many aspects and beliefs. They generally differed however on the issue of atonement. (English Dissenters)

The General Baptists believed in a 'general' atonement. This means essentially that Christ had died for all people, including those who had lived or would live. The two founders of this movement were John Smyth and Thomas Helwys.

The Particular Baptist doctrine, which emerged from the Separatist movement in the 1630's, on the other hand was influenced by the reformer John Calvin and held the view of particular atonement. Particular atonement relates to the concept that atonement is limited to those of the Christian faith. The difference between these two points-of-view is clearly expressed in the following quotation.

The universalist believes that Jesus died for all mankind and that everyone will be saved and go to heaven, even Esau, Judas, and Hitler. But the Bible is clear that Esau, Judas, and anyone else who does not believe in Jesus Christ is condemned to an eternity in hell, separated from God forever, never to be redeemed. (Himes R.)

The Particular Movement was founded by Henry Jacob (1563-1624). Although he never in fact became a Baptist his views strongly influenced the development of the Separatist Movement. Jacob also attempted to reform the Church of England rather than condemning the Church outrightly. At this time there was a distinct and sharp difference between the particular and general Baptists.

Being stern Calvinists, the Particular Baptists reject any relationship with John Smyth, or the early General Baptists who advocated Arminian or "free will" theology with its popish overtones. The early Particular Baptists rejected any historical relationship with John Smyth and his movement. Some early Baptist authors even postulated a historical tradition in Britain dating as far back as the New Testament. (ibid)

However scholars also point out that the distinction between General and Particular Baptists was not a critical division but rather a difference in point-of-view which did not divide the Baptist movement.

Yes, it is true that the two groups held differing views on atonement and doctrine in general, but they did not divide. Rather, they emerged as two separate groups. As with the General Baptists, the Particular Baptists came out of the Separatist movement. (a Primer on Baptist History) it has also been asserted that modern Baptists Churches have theoir origins in the Particular movement rather than in the General. (ibid)

The issue of baptism was also to prove a contentious but central issue in the creation of the Baptist ethos. For the later Separatist movements only a "valid' church could administer a baptism that could be considered authentic. The earlier view that baptism was valid even if the Church itself was seen to be corrupt was challenged by the later Separatists. "This view would gradually changed among later Separatist congregations that would question or reject all baptisms even their own." (English Dissenters) the issue of infant baptism becomes a highly contentious issue in many English congregations during the seventeenth century.

The first Baptist Church congregations were established by Separatists who had to feel to Holland in 1608. These congregations were comprised of English people under the guidance of John Smyth and Thomas Helwys. Their objective was to "reconstitute' and not just 'reform' the Church." (Traffanstedt C)

There was emphasis placed on personal conversion and on baptism, which was to be given to individuals who had personally professed faith in Jesus Christ, that is, to believers only and on mutual covenanting between and among believers.

4. Conclusion: different views.

The General Baptists experienced numerous doctrinal problems during the Seventeenth Century; even questioning the deity of Christ. As a result the movement began to decline. While this crisis was remedied by various Ministers, the final result was the decline and disappearance of the General Baptists. This was due "... To the fact that the General Baptists had enlisted into their ranks less than knowledgeable pastors and leaders. It only took about one more generation for the General Baptists to largely depart from history." (ibid)

There are numerous views of the origins and development of English Baptism. One view that has been propounded by writers such as a.C. Underwood and William R. Estep is the influence of the Anabaptists. This view states the accepted view that English Baptists developed from the Separatist Movement, but adds that this development was largely determined by the influence of the Anabaptists.

According to this view, some early Baptist 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). (Gourley B.)

Another view is that of the continuation of Biblical teachings. This view states that the Baptist Church is a continuation of the early Christian Church and is therefore a true reflection of valid and authentic doctrine. This view has a large number of advocates such as the early Baptist historian Thomas Crosby as well as a.H. Newman and David Benedict.