When Is A Non-Baptist A Baptist?

[Anon]

There are a few churches that sort of follow a man instead of a denomination...I think those would be the "baptistic" ones which I agree, that's silly.

 

Ruckmanite and Hyles type churches come to mind, particularly the "Bible" churches.

[Ukulelemike]

I've always chuckled at the descriptive "baptistic" applied to churches that don't have Baptist in the name. If you can't call yourself a Baptist, why describe yourself as baptistic? 

Because some have rejected the term Baptist, while still following the polity, to try not to offend others, and gain a larger group.

 

The college I have my MA through is called Salt Lake Bible College-no Baptist, yet they are firmly Baptist in their doctrines and polity, but they seek to get more to attend and be taught, so they don't use Baptist in the name. After all, their goal is to teach, not Baptist, but Bible, so its appropriate.

 

Why do we put Baptist, or, for that matter, AOG or Lutheran or Methodist or anything else on our signs? because we are advertising to others who we are and what we believe. To just say "Church" or "Christian" anymore means nothing to most. A "Christian" church might teach Jesus is a man, Hell is one earth, and have a lesbian for a preacher. So we say Baptist, or Independent Baptist, or even, for the braver souls, Independent Fundamental Baptist, and those who drive past have an idea of they want to be there. Some will know nothing about it, but some will know, at least within reason, what is being taught there.

 

So really, there's a good reason to have the label, but its not required. I always just wanted to be "the Church at Herlong" but now there is a specific group with a specific set of doctrines who call themselves "The Church". and I don't want to associate with them. Of course, you can't Google them, because try looking up "the church".     Just fouind out they are church of Christ, soo....still wouldn't want to be associated with them.

[HappyChristian]

Oh, I agree that there is no requirement to have the name in there...but (and this is coming from someone who went to "baptistic" colleges) I think it's too often a cop-out to not be identified with Baptists for those agin 'em and yet be identified for those for 'em.

[John81]

Considering Baptists come in all stripes, flavors and sizes who gets to decide which Baptists are really baptists, which doctrines are truly Baptist, what it actually means to be Baptist, etc.?

 

If you are Baptist does that mean you and every SBC member are the same? Even among the SBC Baptists run the gamut from very liberal to very conservative. What about Westboro Baptist, Charismatic Baptists, Seventh Day Baptists, General Baptists, American Baptists, what about even IFBs now running a similar gamut as the SBC ranging from liberal to conservative?

 

Should we not be more concerned about being known as true followers of Christ rather than by a church name?

 

I still love the Baptist name and don't shy away from it, but depending upon where I'm at, when I mention being Baptist I always have to qualify what that means because it means different things to different people in different parts of the country. The one thing that doesn't change is Christ and what the Word of God says regarding Him and how we are to follow Him and how we are to be known as His followers.

[DaveW]

Well this was never meant to be yet another thread where people set out to confuse what it means to be a Baptist. ........

This was about people who, for instance come into your church and say "I am not a Baptist, but I am just the same as a baptist", but when you talk about it you find out that they have no idea what it means to be a Baptist.

However it seems to me that there are a few "baptists" who are not certain what it means to be a Baptist. .....

There really was no need to introduce SBC etc - I OBVIOUSLY was not talking about them..........

This is (was supposed to be) about non-Baptist who don't know the differences and don't think they matter.

[Ukulelemike]

Well, at the risk of sounding contentious, which everyone knows I NEVER am  , maybe we should make an outline as to what is meant by Baptist.

 

There is a historical precedent for what is Baptist. Even some Catholic made a comment that, even though the name wasn't around yet, the earliest church was Baptist in polity.  So what does that mean?

 

Fundamentals, of course: salvation by grace through faith, no works; baptism as a sign of that salvation, not for salvation, but because of it; deity, virgin birth, literal death, burial and resurrection of Christ; the Godhead, (God in Father, Son and Holy Ghost); Congregational, what we call Independent, not part of any larger denomination, each church an individual body, joined in Spirit with like-minded churches, but not by matter of authority; eternal security of salvation; Pre-milennial, literal, bodily return of Jesus Christ to reign on earth for a thousand years. Etc.

 

Many have come claiming to be Baptist, but disbelieve in many of these things, and others which I have not included-feel free to add. And they claim to be Baptist: are they? Many others believe these same things, but don't use the name Baptist-does that make them wrong? This is sort of what the post is about, right?

[John81]

Indeed, anytime we claim to be Baptist or someone says they hold Baptist beliefs, we have to describe or clarify what that means.

 

When IFBs first formed about a hundred years ago they did so around five fundamentals of the faith. Beyond that they typically believed the "independent" aspect of IFB kicked in. There were a few other points most IFBs had in common, but the way they practiced them varied. It wasn't until more recent times that some IFBs began adding more, sometimes many more points to their statement of "fundamentals".

 

The early part of Baptist history is murky due to many factors, but we do know before the time of the Reformation there were followers of Christ who had become known as Baptists. While still not fully detailed, we do have a more clear Baptist history from around the time of the Reformation to this present time.

 

There have long been those called Baptists who held to various differing views. As time has passed, Baptists have become an ever more varied lot which is why one has to explain, or ask, just what is meant by one saying they are Baptist or have Baptist beliefs. That's just the reality of our world today.

[Ukulelemike]

Indeed, and no big surprise, because even as Paul and peter were still preaching, even as the word of God was being put on paper, churches were varying, error was leaking in, and I suspect some had to discuss just what a Christian was, what it meant. So surprise then that we would have to today.

[Genevanpreacher]

I had a book on Denominations put out by the U.S. government for the armed forces, and it said that any denomination that immersed was considered, in their terminology as 'baptistic', and put in the 'Baptist' section of the book. The 'church of christ/christian church' organization was listed as Baptist. I no longer own that book but that is what I remember reading.