In the Beginning

I will be completing a series of blogs on the history of Baptists. This is to complete the requirements for my Church History class. In each church history class we are to complete a PEICH (Plan for Eliminating Ignorance of Church History). This semester, I have decided to complete a series of blogs on the topic of the history of Baptists. I have decided that this is a topic that Baptists themselves know very little about. Therefore, in the following entries I will present historical information and facts. I hope that the blogs are informative as well as fun to read.

In the Beginning…
Bill Tuck said, “Baptists have a rich and wonderful heritage. But I have discovered through listening and reading that many persons in our Baptist churches are unfamiliar with this legacy.”[1] I grew up in a small Baptist church and learned about many missionaries, heard many Bible stories, and listened to many sermons. However, I never learned about the history of the Baptists. I have called myself a Baptist for all these years but I truly never knew what it meant to be Baptist. This is the case for most Baptists. I could ask the oldest member of the church or the youngest, and for the most part, neither would know much about Baptist history.

Sometime in late 1608 or early 1609, a group of English Christians gathered for worship in Amsterdam, Holland. They met in their regular place of worship, which was a bakehouse owned by a wealthy Mennonite. This was not a regular worship service, however. This was the group’s first baptismal service in which each person to be baptized was an adult who had confessed belief in Jesus Christ. No one in this group had experience with believer’s baptism. They had all been baptized as infants in the Church of England. The leader of the group was Mr. John Smyth. He suggested that he baptize himself and then baptize the others. After baptizing himself he baptized the others by pouring water over their heads. And so began the first Baptist church in history.[2]

This small group of Baptists was committed to the belief that church membership should be based on a personal confession of faith followed by believer’s baptism. This was a radical belief since at the time all citizens of England were required to be members of the Church of England and have their baptisms as infants. Since they were refusing to be members of the Church of England and to abide by the interpretations and theology of the Church of England, they were subject to fines, whippings, and imprisonments.[3] Members of this newly formed Baptist church in Amsterdam were English citizens. They did not want to follow the Church of England so the group, along with its leaders John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, fled for Amsterdam.

Little information is known about these earliest Baptists. The exact number who participated in the baptismal service is unknown as well. This much is certain: Smyth and Helwys served as able leaders of the group. Smyth was originally a part of a group of Separatists. When his group was fleeing England, Helwys partially funded their passage to Amsterdam. Eventually, he began to believe the things this group did and joined with his wife. While in Amsterdam, Smyth’s congregation encountered Dutch Mennonites, who advocated religious liberty and baptized believers only.[4] We do not know how much these Mennonites influenced Smyth but we do know that sometime in 1608 or 1609 his religious views shifted once again. After he had been studying the Bible and committing himself to New Testament teachings as closely as possible, Smyth concluded that the true church should be made up of believers who professed their faith publically and then were baptized. Based on this new understanding, Smyth asserted that his Separatist church was not a true church. In 1609 Smyth wrote The Character of the Beast and he not only attacked the practices and teachings of the Church of England and of Separatist churches; he also affirmed his own new commitment to believer’s baptism. All of these new understandings led to the congregation’s baptismal service that was previously explained.

Eventually, Smyth began to question his own self baptism and his beliefs about the true church. He came to believe that he should have allowed the Mennonites to baptize him. He soon repudiated his baptism and asked the other members to do the same. Thirty one members, fourteen men and seventeen women, followed Smyth in renouncing their baptisms, and requested membership in the local Mennonite community. Smyth’s ultimate attempt to join this group failed because he died during the summer of 1612. Eventually the Mennonite group granted membership to the others.[5] However, during this process, Helwys and about ten others of the new Baptist church refused to renounce their baptisms and excommunicated Smyth from the group. Shortly after the break with Smyth, Helwys wrote several documents defending the actions of his group, including a confession of faith. A Declaration of Faith of the English People Remaining at Amsterdam in Holland was released as their confession of faith. During this time, Helwys began to feel guilty for leaving England in the first place to escape the persecution. In 1612, Helwys, along with his few church members, sailed home to England. This group settled near London and established the first Baptist church on English soil. It continued as it had in Amsterdam to baptize new believers. Shortly after arriving in England, Helwys published A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity, which was the first document written in English that called for complete freedom of conscience in matters of religion. Smyth asserted that the king of England had no power to control the religious beliefs of the people.[6]

Smyth ended up being jailed after sending a copy of this document to King James. He remained in jail and died there sometime before 1616. The Baptist faith did not die with him. Other leaders stepped in to lead and despite the opposition of the Church of England and the persecution by the government, the small group of Baptists began to grow and organize new churches. Those who had adopted Helwys’s beliefs came to be identified as General Baptists because of their belief that Christ died for all people and that all who believe in Jesus Christ can be saved. These beliefs reflected those of Jacob Arminius, making the General Baptists “Arminians.” About twenty-five years after the Helwys church returned to England, a new group of Calvinist Baptists called Particular Baptists, organized. This group did not split off from the General Baptists, they emerged separately sometime in the 1630’s. The theology of the Particular Baptists was based on Calvin. From Calvin came the belief that Christ died for a particular group of people-the elect, whom God had chosen or predestined before the foundation of the world. By 1638, these two distinct groups of Baptists existed in England. While both Baptist traditions made their way across the ocean to America, the theology of the Particulars became prominent in England and also became dominant among Baptists in America.[7]

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[1] Tuck, William Powell. Our Baptist Tradition. (Georgia: Smyth & Helwys, 1993) ix.

[2] Durso, Pamela R. and Keith Durso. The Story of Baptists in the United States. (Tennessee:
Baptist History and Heritage Society: 2006) 13.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid. 16.

[5] Ibid. 18.

[6] Ibid. 20.

[7] Ibid. 23

(Photo credit: fellowship meeting 17th century www.google.com)

Daydreaming...

I have seen a lot of news stories lately about bus accidents. They may be due to the bus drivers mistakes or something may have happened to the driver. A few weeks back there was a story of a girl who took over the wheel of the bus and got it stopped. The people on the bus did not suffer life threatening injuries. However, the girl who saved the bus got in trouble because it was determined that she was skipping school. After that story, I read one about a teacher having to take over the wheel of the bus when the driver passed out.
Just today I saw a new story about another accident. In this case the driver had stopped the bus to refuel and use the bathroom. After refueling the bus the driver went to use the bathroom. While using the facilities the bus stared to roll down hill. A child took over the wheel and tried to stop the bus. The bus was stopped by steering it into a bridge pillar. The children jumped out of the side of the bus. Initially I had a question of why the driver left the busy in the first place. The children should have never been left alone.

As I have been thinking about these bus situations I remembered the daydreams I used to have when I was in middle school. I rode bus 126. My driver from 6th to 8th grades was named Barbara Edwards. She was a very old lady (I often thought she was too old to be driving.) She attended my church and knew my parents. Usually I sat on the front seat of the bus. I didn't have many friends on the bus so I would usually sit there and watch how she drove the bus. I watched her shift gears, turn on the lights, put out the stop sign and open the door. I had it down. I often wondered what would happen if she ever passed out. I felt assured that I could take over driving the bus and get it pulled over. I never told anyone of my daydreams because I hoped it would never happen. But secretly I thought I would be able to handle the situation. Thankfully it never happened to me and thankfully the children from the accident today will be ok.

Say...

Over the past few days, I've been hearing John Mayer's song Say on the radio quite a bit. You might have heard it or even remember hearing it at the end of the movie "Bucket List." I've taken a liking to this song, I've been listening to it over and over. The last verse of this song has an inspiring message. It says:

Even if your hands are shakin'
and your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closin'
Do it with a heart wide open
A wide heart
Say what you need to say

Each time I've heard this song, I've been reminded of something I needed to say. I've composed a list of some of those things. While I will never be able to include all of the things I "need" to say, these are the ones that came to mind as the most important.

-To the homeless man that resides on the corner of Main and Cherry Streets in downtown Richmond, thank you for the smile that you gave me each day that I attended college. You were always there. Even if I spoke or didn't speak, if I gave you a dollar or nothing at all, you gave me a smile. You will never know what that smile meant to me. Some days that was the only smile I saw.

-To the college history professor that didn't give up on me, thank you. You saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. You didn't let me give up. You encouraged me, you guided me, and most of all you offered me your friendship. I'll be finished with that Masters degree in two semesters that I sat in your office and dreamed about. Thank you.

-To a mother and father who have changed my life. One never realizes how much someone means to them until they are separated. I've caused troubles, cost you money, made you smile, helped you, and loved you. However, I'm not sure you know how much you mean to me.


-To the Administrative Assistant to the Associate Dean, thank you. You always put a smile on my face, you make me laugh, and you listen to me. While we may not always have the answers to help each other out, we listen. I'm thankful for your friendship, love, and support. You are AWESOME.

-To the greatest gift that I could have ever received at the Divinity School, I'm thankful for you. No matter what you have been a true friend. A person who cares about me, who has not given up on me, and who loves me. When I was going in the wrong direction, you told me. You revealed to me how God was speaking. You had the courage to SAY what you needed to say. Your friendship means the world to me. So to you, Laura R. I say thank you.


As I sit here in tears, I can think of many more people I need to "say" things to. If I said them all in this blog it would go on forever. Since I can't say them all here, I have a challenge to share with you: Whatever circumstances you find yourself in, may you say what you need to say.

Shall we dance (around the issue that is)

Last week we had a brown bag lunch with several of the National CBF (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) staff at school. One of the persons there was part of CBF Administration. She was to lead a discussion with us about CBF and about the New Baptist Covenant. As you may remember, I attended the New Baptist Covenant Celebration meeting at the end of January. I have posted other blogs about this topic but it has been brought back into my attention since the meeting last week.

Periodically I receive emails from the New Baptist Covenant stating what the movement is doing. I received on on March 20. This was the handout that was given to us in the lunch meeting.

The woman leading the talks did nothing but dance around the issues. Several students posed questions and made statements about the meetings. The woman didn't answer them. She could hardly even talk about them. On the issue of homosexuality she looked at the student and said, "I've heard that before. I'll take that back with me." Clearly she either didn't want to answer our questions or she didn't know how to answer them.

After reading the email statement from March 20, I was quickly reminded again of the movements talk of diversity. While this meeting was historic because it was the first time that white and black Baptists had come together I felt that it was quite contrived. As I have stated in previous posts, I wonder what would have happened if the meeting had been held in a different place at a different time. The New Baptist Covenant was planned to take place at the end of the National Baptists meeting that was taking place in Atlanta. This would allow for many African American Baptists to attend. So my question is, would that many people have attended otherwise?

Speaking of diversity, remember the lunch meeting I mentioned? As I sat in that room with people who were supposed to be discussing the New Baptist Covenant, I looked around. Surprise, Surprise! There were no African American students present. Where was the diversity in that room? I'm not sure, but it certainly wasn't present.

The email from March 20 gave an overview of what the movement is focusing on now in the in between time. There were 11 points mentioned. These range from evangelism and poverty to global warming and separation of church and state. In the final point, the leaders made suggestions for enhancing the effectiveness of the New Baptist Covenant movement.

There are talks that this movement is going to become a triennial movement which will meet every 3 years. That means that in 2011 there will be another. Will it be purposely planned around the National Baptist meeting so that the term diverse can be used? Or will it be planned around the National CBF meeting and it be a bunch of white folks? Whatever the case may be, I can only look forward to the future. I don't t know what will happen. I don't understand all that has been planned. I can only pray for the leaders and try and determine how I, as one person, can be involved.

Life is Precious

On Sunday morning, I went to celebrate Easter at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Beaverdam, Virginia. This is the church that I grew up in. We arrived at 10:40 as the service was scheduled to begin at 10:45. There was no where to sit downstairs so we made our way to the balcony. The choir led the church in a beautiful cantata which was followed by our pastor's Easter sermon. We found ourselves proclaiming "Christ the Lord is Risen. He is risen indeed!" This was a meaningful service and spoke to me more than I realized at the time I was sitting there.

As the service was beginning, our family friends arrived. Brandon insisted on sitting on the front row of the balcony. He really shouldn't sit there because of his epilepsy. However, since the service had already started his parents allowed him to sit there so that he wouldn't cause a scene. Brandon is not only epileptic, he is mentally handicapped and doesn't always know how to handle situations. Brandon and I have grown up together. He is 24 years old, yet he is on the level of a 5 to 7 year old. He is epileptic and has a seizure nearly every day. In January 2008 he had 29 seizures.

During the service I could tell that he wasn't himself. He was singing when he shouldn't be, he was speaking out and then he began hallucinating. It was very sad for me to watch as he thought that he had bugs coming out of his skin. After the service, he left and went out into the parking lot. As is the norm we were all standing in front of the church talking. After at 15 minutes we were being called over to across the parking lot. Brandon had followed a family to their car. In the meantime, he began to seize and fell out. He hit his head on the pavement and the family had no idea what to do. My father was the first to get over to Brandon. He held his head while I ran over with his mother and father. The pastor called for a nurse. We know that if we leave Brandon to sit he will pass out for 45 minutes to an hour. We had to get him in the van right away. It took 6 men to lift Brandon and get him in their vehicle. Brandon doesn't like to be moved and begins to scream out. Only this time, he was screaming, "Ouch". We weren't sure if he was hurt internally. By this point, many of us were crying because of the severity of the seizure.

We know that Brandon won't get better. He has had so many seizures that it has caused a lot of brain damage. When he begins to seize he just drops out. He has fallen through the oven door at his house, fallen through the bathroom wall, and fallen into a counter and knocked his teeth out. The doctors have told his parents that they there is nothing they can do. Brandon is not a candidate for surgery because the seizures are not coming from a part of the brain that can be operated on. The end result is a Grand Mal seizure that will kill him. Brandon is such an innocent soul and it is so hard to see him in this shape.

After spending the evening at home on Easter evening, I found out that one of my friend's had lost her husband on Saturday. He was rock climbing and fell 180 feet to his death. They had been married three years.


Life is precious. Christ died and arose for all of us. Let us not take anything for granted. We are blessed beyond measure and we often don't realize this until bad things happen. I am not sure why Brandon has these seizures or why my friend had to lose her husband. But I do know that Christ is here for all of us. As we celebrate the risen Christ let us remember that life is precious. It is a gift. Don't take it for granted.

That's not Welch's

On Thursday, at 10:40 a.m. the Campbell Divinity School family gathered together for a Maundy Thursday service. This is a time to celebrate the Last Supper which Christ served to his disciples on the night before he was crucified.

As I entered the gathering place I noticed that the pulpit and communion table were covered in purple, the liturgical color for Holy Week. The communion table was set with gold plates and centered at the front of the room.

We were led through a service of scripture reading, singing, and reflecting. We had a time of prayer and centering before communion was served.

The bread comes first, just as when Christ served the bread. We are to take, eat and always do it in remembrance of Him. When the bread came around I took my piece. It was a nice square of sandwich bread.

After the eating of the bread, we took of the cup. We were each served our little cup of juice. As my professor sat in front of me, I noticed I could basically see through his cup. When I looked around, I noticed on the back table a loaf of Food Lion sandwich bread and a bottle of juicy juice. And it hit me, someone took the cheap route for communion. While I know it should not matter what brand the communion elements are, I do think we shouldn't go cheap. Personally, I am embarrassed for the person who purchased those items.

After having this experience and reacting to the cheap bread and juice the way I did, I was told about the Jesus Movement in the late 60's and early 70's. On beaches in California persons were served communion, only the elements were potato chips and pepsi cola. Personally, I think that is a little far out, I believe that Christ set the example of this communion meal by serving bread as a symbol for his body and wine as a symbol for his blood.

Like I said, the brand of the elements should not matter, but this just hit me the wrong way. Here we are to worship and to remember the sacrifice that Christ made of his own body by dying on the cross for us. Since Christ made the sacrifice for us, why can't we spend a few extra dollars on the communion elements? When I take communion, I shouldn't find myself thinking about the cheapness of the elements. I should be remembering the significance of what Christ did on that cross 2000 years ago.

I've hit that point...

In case you haven't noticed my absence, I've been a little busy. Well, a lot busy. Things in life have been hectic to say the least. Between school, work, family, and trying to have a life, I don't have much time for anything at all really.

As the title hints, I've hit that point. You may ask, "what point?" Well, to be honest, I've hit the point where I just don't care anymore. I really am tired of school. I am tired of tests, papers, going to class...well really anything that has to do with it. While I enjoy most of the people there I find that school would be much better for me if I could just go and hang out. Instead it takes most of my time and quite frankly, I'm tired of it. I keep telling myself I have just two more semesters and I can do this, but some days I just don't want to. I'm dreaming of the day when I am finished with all of this and I can have a real job.

Other than that, I'm doing ok. Work is keeping me busy. The internationals are my passion. I've been excited to hang out with them lately and to plan events for them. It is what I was hired to do and what I enjoy doing.

I'm really ready for May to get here. I need a break and I need it fast.