Baptists are NOT
Protestants!
I recently heard a sermon by
a preacher wanting a reformation renewal.
He assumed that many in his congregation were from a Protestant
background. That assumption may have
been false.
The Church in which that Pastor
served is considered to be independent.
The congregation comes from several backgrounds such as
Let me make this very
clear: Baptists are the ones Catholics
and Protestants murdered just as Catholics murdered Protestants. Why do you think that the Puritans left
Protestant England? They left to seek a
place where they may worship God in a proper manner, which was not available to
them under the Protestant Church of England.
Catholics operated under totalitarianism, so did Protestants! They
persecuted those who were not in their religious camps! Catholics and
Protestants persecuted Baptists and other groups that looked to the Bible for
guidance!
Christianity in
The preacher knew very little
about the historical reformation.
On October 31, 1517, a Roman
Catholic Priest, Reverend Father Martin Luther nailed what are known as his 95
Theses to the door of the
Thesis #49---Christians are to be taught that the pope's pardons
are useful, if they do not put their trust in them; but altogether harmful, if
through them they lose their fear of God.
To Baptists, the Popes’
pardons are worthless now and always have been!
But that is not the only distinction between Baptists and Protestants.
Baptists, under and variety
of names from Anabaptists to re-baptizers have been around for many centuries
prior to the Reformation. For those of
the Baptist faith the reformation preachers were late bloomers.
Today, Baptists are called
Baptist, because they Practice a believers’ baptism. All Protestant Churches and some others such
as the “Church of Christ” denomination practice “regenerational” baptism, which
is theologically questionable.
For the record, the Greek
Orthodox Church practices regenerational baptism by immersion. They also practice infant baptism that is not
done in the Baptist denomination, but in the Greek Orthodox Church all baptisms
are by immersion, as are Baptist baptisms.
Also for the record, Greek Orthodox is not a Protestant denomination!
Some questionable (so-called)
Baptists Churches preach baptism but have lost their desire to baptize. They no longer require public baptism as a
symbol of rebirth, and commitment to Christ.
Baptists have never practiced
infant baptism. We prefer to wait until
such time as a personal commitment can be made.
Protestants are Church
denominations that truly came out of the Roman Catholic Church. The “re-baptizers” were never a part of the
Roman denomination, and never practiced infant baptism.
A partial list of protestant
Churches are:
Lutheran
Presbyterian
Church of
England/Anglican/Episcopal
Dutch Reform
And (by association)
Methodist and its associated Churches
Baptists/re-baptizers
have been around since, at least,
the second century and predate the reformation by several centuries.
When I speak of
“re-baptizers,” I am including all non-Protestant Churches that practice
baptism by immersion, but do not practice infant baptism.
Historically, both Roman
Catholics and true Protestants have attempted to eliminate the
re-baptizers. In the 500’s the code of
Justinian, the last of the great Roman emperors, made re-baptizing a criminal
act. So, Baptists were around even then!
The term “reformation” came
from the attempt by “father” Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic
Church. Baptists and non-Protestants
have never made a concerted effort to reform Catholicism.
Catholics and Protestants
sprinkle children in fear of infant death.
That sprinkling is a regenerational act induced by lack of faith and
biblical ignorance. The believer’s baptism as is practiced among the Baptists
and most other non-Protestant Churches due to faith and biblical instruction.
So, the next time somebody
says, Baptists, or one of the other non-Protestant denominations are
Protestant, stand up and correct their ignorance!
***Recently
a Baptist Pastor offered this article by
the late Dr. Noel Smith. I offer it to you for the purpose of learning Church
history.
Why I am a Baptist
By the late Dr. Noel Smith
Baptists are a people. They have a historical identity. They have a historical
image. Their continuity is the longest of any Christian group on earth. Their
doctrines, principles, and practices are rooted in the apostolic age. I am not
a Pharasaical sectarian but I don't confuse Baptists
with the Reformers. The Reformers wanted to reform the Roman Catholic Church;
the Baptists were against the church, because it was not a New Testament
church.
Protestantism originated in the Reformation. Protestantism is "protestism." That's a Negative. Negativism has within
it the seed of its own disintegration. The Baptists were not reformers. They
were not protesters. They were positive.
Freedom of conscience is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist
doctrine.
Religious liberty is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine.
Believer's baptism is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine.
Baptism of the believer by immersion in water, symbolizing the believer's
death, burial and resurrection with Christ is not a Reformation doctrine; it is
a Baptist doctrine.
The local, visible, autonomous assembly, with Christ as its only head and the Bible
as its sole rule of faith and practice, is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a
Baptist doctrine.
Worldwide missions are not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. The
Reformers had no missionary vision and no missionary spirit. For almost two
hundred years after the Reformers, the Reformation churches felt no burden to
implement the Great Commission.
What kind of world would the Western world have been had Protestantism became
its master? Who but the Baptist kept Protestantism from becoming master? The
general attitude today is that the truth is determined by the passing of time;
that there aren't eternal, abiding truths. "You can't turn the clock back.
Time invalidates all truth. Time invalidates one set of truth and fastens
another set upon us." Baptist history repudiates this philosophy of
fatalism. Baptists today are believing, teaching, preaching and practicing the
truths that they believed, taught, preached and practiced two thousand years
ago. It gives me a feeling of stability to reflect that I, as a Baptist, am in
the stream of this long continuity of faith and practice. The Baptist people
are a great continuity ... a great essence ... a great dignity. The world never
needed them more than it needs them today.
For further study on this subject go to this URL http://nonprotestantbaptists.com/