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Reformed Baptists

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Reformed Baptists,Particular BaptistsandCalvinistic Baptists,[1]areBaptiststhat hold to aCalvinist soteriology(salvation belief).[2]Depending on the denomination, Calvinistic Baptists adhere to varying degrees ofReformedtheology, ranging from simply embracing theFive Points of Calvinism,to accepting a modified form offederalism;all Calvinistic Baptists reject the classical Reformed teaching oninfant baptism.While the Reformed Baptist confessions affirm views of the nature of baptism similar to those of the classical Reformed, they reject infants as the proper subjects of baptism.[3]The first Calvinistic Baptist church was formed in the 1630s.[1]The1689 Baptist Confession of Faithis a significant summary of the beliefs of Reformed Baptists.[1]The name "Reformed Baptist" dates from the latter part of the 20th century to denote Baptists who retained Baptist ecclesiology, and reaffirmed Reformed biblical theology, such asCovenant theology.

Reformed Baptist traditions

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Particular Baptists

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Particular Baptists are a group that broke away from theChurch of Englandin the 17th century. They adhere to a higher degree ofReformed theologythan other Calvinistic Baptist groups and usually subscribe to theLondon Confession of 1689.Significant figures includeJohn Bunyan,John Gill,andCharles Spurgeon.[4]In the last century, the group became more popular as more Baptists identified withPuritanteachings.[5]

Strict Baptists

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See also:List of Strict Baptist churchesandGrace Baptist

Groups calling themselvesStrict Baptistsare often differentiated from other denominations calling themselves "Reformed Baptists", sharing the same Calvinist doctrine, but differing onecclesiastical polity;[6]"Strict Baptists" generally prefer acongregationalist polity.[6]

The group of Strict Baptists calledStrict and Particular BaptistsareBaptistswho believe in aCalvinistinterpretation ofChristian salvation.[7]The Particular Baptists arose inEnglandin the 17th century, led by aradicaltravelling minister namedWilliam Gadsby,and took their name from the doctrine ofparticular redemption,[7]while the term "strict" refers to the practice ofclosed communion.Their religious beliefs continue in theGospel Standard Strict Baptistdenomination.[8]

Primitive Baptists

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Main article:Primitive Baptists

Primitive Baptists adhere to a Reformed soteriology.[9]Primitive Baptists emphasize the teaching that "God alone is the author of salvation and therefore any effort by human beings to make salvation happen or compel others to conversion is simply a form of 'works righteousness' that implies that sinners can affect their own salvation."[10]As such, they have rejected the concept of missions.[10]

Regular Baptists

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Main article:Regular Baptists

Regular Baptists adhere to a Reformed soteriology.[9]Those who areOld Regular Baptistslargely hold to the tenets of Calvinism, "but maintain that God never predestined anyone to hell and that only those who do not heed the Word of God will be lost."[11]

United Baptists

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Certain denominations ofUnited Baptiststeach a Reformed soteriology.[9]

Sovereign Grace Baptists

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Sovereign Grace Baptists in the broadest sense are any "Calvinistic"Baptists that accept God's sovereign grace[12]in salvation and predestination. In the narrower sense, certain churches and groups have preferred "Sovereign Grace" in their name, rather than using the terms "Calvinism", "Calvinist", or "Reformed Baptist". This includes some who prefer the1644 Baptist Confession of Faithto the1689 Confession,and who are critical ofcovenant theology.[13]

All of these groups generally agree with theFive Points of Calvinism–Total Depravity,Unconditional Election,Limited Atonement,Irresistible Grace,andPerseverance of the Saints.Groups calling themselves "Sovereign Grace Baptists" have been particularly influenced by the writings ofJohn Gillin the 18th century.[14]Among American Baptists who have revived such Calvinist ideas were Rolfe P. Barnard and Henry T. Mahan, who organised the firstSovereign Grace Bible ConferenceinAshland, Kentucky,in 1954,[15][16]though groups designated asSovereign Graceare not necessarily connected to them.

Calvinistic Baptist groups presently using the termSovereign Graceinclude the Sovereign Grace Baptist Association,[17]theSovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada,and some among the growing Calvinist strand ofIndependent Baptists,[18]including several hundredLandmarkIndependent Baptist churches.[19]

By region

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United Kingdom

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Particular Baptist Chapel inManchester

Reformed Baptist churches in the UK go back to the 1630s.[1]Notable early pastors include the authorJohn Bunyan(1628–88),[1]Benjamin Keach(1640–1704), the theologianJohn Gill(1697–1771),[1]John Brine(1703–64),Andrew Fuller,and the missionaryWilliam Carey(1761–1834).[1]Charles Spurgeon(1834–92), pastor to theNew Park Street Chapel(later theMetropolitan Tabernacle) inLondon,has been called "by far the most famous and influential preacher the Baptists had."[20]The Metropolitan Tabernacle itself has been particularly influential in the Reformed Baptist movement in the UK. Benjamin Keach, John Gill,John Rippon(1751–1836), Charles Spurgeon, and Peter Masters (mentioned below) have all pastored this same congregation. Their characteristic traits may be the founder (Keach, signer of the 1689), theologian (Gill), hymnist (Rippon), preacher (Spurgeon), and restorer (Masters).

The 1950s saw a renewed interest in Reformed theology among Baptists in the UK.[6]

Peter Masters,pastor of theMetropolitan Tabernaclein London, created theLondon Reformed Baptist Seminaryin 1975.[6]

United States

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Baptist churches in the United States continued to operate under the confessional statement, the 1689 London Baptist, but they renamed it according to the local associations in which it was adopted, first the Philadelphia Confession (1742, which includes two new chapters),[21]then the Charleston Confession (1761, adopted from the London without changes). When theSouthern Baptist Theological Seminarywas founded, its governing confession, the abstract of principles, was summarized form of the 1689 London Baptist Confession, and its founding president,James P. Boycewrote his "Abstract of Systematic Theology" from an evident Calvinist position. The first major shift at the seminary away from Calvinism came at the leadership ofE. Y. Mullins,president from 1899 to 1928.[22]Many of the developments in the U.K. mentioned above during the 1950s and following also made an impact on Baptists in America, seen especially in the Founders Movement (which was connected to the so-called "Conservative Resurgence" in the SBC) and in the works of men such as Walter Chantry,[23]Roger Nicole,andErnest Reisinger.

In March 2009, noting the resurgence of Calvinism in the United States,Timelisted several Baptists among current Calvinist leaders.[24]Albert Mohler,president of TheSouthern Baptist Theological Seminary,is a strong advocate of Calvinism, although his stand has received opposition from inside theSouthern Baptist Convention.[25]John Piper,who was pastor atBethlehem Baptist ChurchinMinneapolisfor 33 years, is one of several Baptists who have written in support of Calvinism.[25]

While the Southern Baptist Convention remains split on Calvinism,[26]there are a number of explicitly Reformed Baptist groups in the United States, including theConfessional Baptist Association,[17]theContinental Baptist Churches,[17]theSovereign Grace Baptist Association of Churches,[17]and otherSovereign Grace Baptists.[14]Such groups have had some theological influence from otherReformeddenominations, such as theOrthodox Presbyterian Church.[27]An example of this is the 1995 adaptation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church'sTrinity Hymnalwhich was published for Reformed Baptist churches in America as theTrinity Hymnal (Baptist Edition).[28]

By 2000, Reformed Baptist groups in the United States totaled about 16,000 people in 400 congregations.[29]

Several Reformed Baptist Seminaries currently operate in the US;International Reformed Baptist Seminary (IRBS),Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary,Grace Bible Theological Seminary, & Reformed Baptist Seminary are four that each subscribe to the 1689 London Baptist Confession in some form.[30][31][32][33]

Sovereign Grace Baptist Association of Churches

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The Sovereign Grace Baptist Association of Churches (SGBA), which was organized in 1984,[17]sponsors an annual national conference and churches cooperate in missions, publications, retreats, camps and other activities. The Missionary Committee serves under the Executive Committee to screen candidates and recommend them to the churches for support. They currently (2009) are supporting one missionary endeavour. The Publication Committee reviews and approves submissions, and supplies literature to the churches.Grace Newsis published quarterly. A Confession of Faith was adopted in 1991. Membership in the SGBA is open to any Baptist church subscribing to the Constitution and Articles of Faith. There are 12 member churches, half of which are located inMichigan.[34]The association is recognised as an endorsing agent for United Statesmilitary chaplains.[35]

Africa

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Notable Reformed Baptist figures in Africa include Conrad Mbewe inZambia,who has been compared to Spurgeon; Kenneth Mbugua and John Musyimi of Emmanuel Baptist Church Nairobi, Kenya.[36]

InSouth Africa,the Afrikaanse Baptiste Kerke's 34 churches follow reformed doctrine, as opposed to the mainly English speakingBaptist Union of Southern Africa,which does not.

Europe

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There is a small but growing network of Reformed Baptist churches in Europe. The Italian churches are organized in theEvangelical Reformed Baptist Churches in Italyassociation; several French speaking churches sprung from the work ofEnglishmissionaryStuart Olyott at the Église réformée baptiste deLausanne,VD,CH,started in the 1960s.[37]There is a growing network of Reformed Baptist Churches in Ukraine. There are few small communities churches in Germany, where the largest is inFrankfurt am Main.[38]In March 2023, a new national association of churches formed in the United Kingdom, organized as the "Association of Confessional Baptist Churches in the United Kingdom".[39]

Brazil

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In Brazil there is a modest association, theComunhão Reformada Batista do Brasil(Baptist Reformed Communion of Brazil) sprung mostly from the work of US missionary Richard Denham at São José dos Campos,SP.[40]As it did not correspond to expectations of dynamism and effectiveness, it is being supplanted by a newer Convention, theConvenção Batista Reformada do Brasil[pt](Baptist Reformed Convention of Brazil).[41]

Canada

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Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada

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Main article:Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada

The Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada (SGF) is a fellowship for Baptist churches inCanada[42]holding to either theBaptist Confession of 1644 or 1689.[43]SGF had 10 member churches when it was formally inaugurated, located inNew BrunswickandOntario.[44]As of 2012, there were 14 churches, including theJarvis Street Baptist Churchin Toronto.[45]SGF is one of the Baptist groups associated with theToronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College.[46]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdefgWard, Rowland; Humphreys, Robert (1995).Religious Bodies in Australia: A comprehensive Guide(3rd ed.). New Melbourne Press. p. 119.ISBN978-0-646-24552-2.
  2. ^Leonard, Bill J. (2009).Baptist Questions, Baptist Answers: Exploring the Christian Faith.Westminster John Knox Press. p. 5.ISBN978-0-664-23289-4.Retrieved17 November2012.
  3. ^Collins, Hercules (1680).An Orthodox Catechism.Q65 - Q78: RBAP.ISBN0980217911.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. ^"What are Particular Baptist churches?".Retrieved7 September2024.
  5. ^"Britons Wed Baptist Ecclesiology with Reformed Theology".Retrieved7 September2024.
  6. ^abcdWeaver 2008,p.224.
  7. ^abNewman, Albert Henry (1911)."Baptists".InChisholm, Hugh(ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 03 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 370–378, see page 372.
  8. ^"Gospel Standard Home - Home".gospelstandard.org.uk.Retrieved23 June2024.
  9. ^abcScott, Morgan (1901).History of the Separate Baptist Church: With a Narrative of Other Denominations.Hollenbeck Press. p. 103.
  10. ^abLeonard, Bill J. (1 April 2005).Baptists in America.Columbia University Press. p. 104.ISBN978-0-231-50171-2.
  11. ^Hill, Samuel S.; Lippy, Charles H.; Wilson, Charles Reagan (2005).Encyclopedia of Religion in the South.Mercer University Press. p. 66.ISBN978-0-86554-758-2.
  12. ^Stevenson, William R. (1999).Sovereign Grace: The place and significance of Christian freedom in John Calvin's political thought.Oxford University Press. p. 10.ISBN0-19-512506-1.Retrieved17 November2012.
  13. ^Brackney 2009,p.472.
  14. ^abWeaver 2008,p.220.
  15. ^McBeth, H. Leon (1987).The Baptist Heritage: Four Century of Baptist Witness.Broadman Press. p.771.ISBN0-8054-6569-3.Retrieved17 November2012.
  16. ^Mead, Frank Spencer; Hill, Samuel S.; Atwood, Craig D. (2001).Handbook of Denominations in the United States(11th ed.). Abingdon Press. p. 62.ISBN0-687-06983-1.Retrieved17 November2012.
  17. ^abcdeJonas, William Glenn, ed. (2006).The Baptist river: essays on many tributaries of a diverse tradition.Mercer University Press. p. 273.ISBN0-88146-030-3.
  18. ^Crowley, John G. (1998).Primitive Baptists of the Wiregrass South: 1815 to the Present.University of Florida Press.p. 177.ISBN978-0-8130-1640-5.Retrieved17 November2012.
  19. ^Wardin, Albert W. (2007).The Twelve Baptist Tribes in the United States: A historical and statistical analysis.Baptist History and Heritage Society.ISBN978-1-57843-038-3.Retrieved17 November2012.
  20. ^Parsons, Gerald (1988).Religion in Victorian Britain: Traditions.Manchester University Press. p. 107.ISBN0-7190-2511-7.
  21. ^Philadelphia Baptist Confession of Faith (1742),The Reformed Reader
  22. ^Mohler, Albert R."E.Y. Mullins: The Axioms of Religion".Retrieved16 July2009.
  23. ^Walter Chantry
  24. ^Van Biema, David (12 March 2009)."The New Calvinism".Time Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon 14 March 2009.Retrieved17 November2012.
  25. ^abWills, Gregory (2009).Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859–2009.Oxford University Press. p. 542.ISBN978-0-19-983120-3.Retrieved17 November2012.
  26. ^Lawless, Chuck (2010).The Great Commission Resurgence: Fulfilling God's Mandate in Our Time.B&H. p. 73.ISBN978-1-4336-6970-5.Retrieved17 November2012.
  27. ^Brackney 2009,p.473.
  28. ^Music, David W; Richardson, Paul Akers (2008)."I will sing the wondrous story": a history of Baptist hymnody in North America.Mercer University Press.p. 491.ISBN978-0-86554-948-7.Retrieved17 November2012.
  29. ^Johnson, Robert E. (2010).A Global Introduction to Baptist Churches.Cambridge University Press. p. 358.ISBN978-0-521-70170-9.
  30. ^"Reformed Baptist Seminary".Reformed Baptist Seminary.Retrieved21 April2021.
  31. ^"IRBS Theological Seminary".IRBS Theological Seminary.Retrieved11 August2021.
  32. ^"Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary".Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary.Retrieved11 August2021.
  33. ^"About GBTS".Grace Bible Theological Seminary.Retrieved17 March2022.
  34. ^"Sovereign Grace Baptist Association Website: Churches".Retrieved17 November2012.
  35. ^"Armed Forces Chaplains Board Endorsements".US Department of Defense. Archived fromthe originalon 9 July 2011.Retrieved17 November2012.
  36. ^Old, Hughes Oliphant(2010).The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church.Vol. 7. Our Own Time. William B Eerdmans. p. 228.ISBN978-0-8028-1771-6.Retrieved17 November2012.
  37. ^Église réformée baptiste de Lausanne[Lausanne Reformed Baptist Church] (in French).
  38. ^"Evangelisch-Reformierte Baptisten"(in German).Retrieved18 May2023.
  39. ^"Association of Confessional Baptist Churches in the United Kingdom".Retrieved9 June2023.
  40. ^Comunhão reformada batista do Brasil[Brazilian Reformed Baptist Communion] (in Portuguese), Google blogger.
  41. ^"Convenção Batista Reformada do Brasil | Convenção Batista Reformada do Brasil"(in European Portuguese).Retrieved26 February2024.
  42. ^Bramadat, Paul; Seljak, David (2009).Christianity and ethnicity in Canada.University of Toronto Press. p. 2008.ISBN978-0-8020-9584-8.Retrieved17 November2012.
  43. ^"Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada Website: Constitution".Retrieved17 November2012.
  44. ^"Introduction".Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada.Retrieved17 November2012.
  45. ^"Member Churches".Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada.Retrieved17 November2012.
  46. ^"Mission".Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College.Retrieved17 November2012.

Bibliography

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