Baptist Influence on Constitutional America: A Historical Perspective

Constitutional America Its Dem Baptists, I tell Ya!!

Constitutional America America, According to G K Chesterson, is a nation with the soul of a church and the only country founded on a creed. We are a religious people and that influenced the Constitution. John Adams: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other

Constitutional America Gouverneur Morris: therefore education should teach the precepts of religion and the duties of man towards God. James Wilson: Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine. The idea of government and law was founded in their religious heritage. The idea of federalism was because they were Congregational.

Constitutional America The Congregational idea meant Local church autonomy Association rather than denomination. This became the Baptist Creed. Baptists in the Colonies and the US Most people claim Roger Williams. He did believe as we do. He was a bit free in his approach to Scripture I think he was a Congregationalist but he liked Baptist Ideas.

Constitutional America So, how did we get here? John Smyth (Not John Smith), one of the Puritans who fled England with the Puritans, went to Holland and joined a congregation of Mennonites. He and his followers became Anabaptists (rebaptizing believers on confession of faith) And eventually Baptists. He never made it to the New World, but his followers did. He was Arminian Christ died for all, but salvation comes from confession. Generalist doctrine

Constitutional America John Spilsbury (1633) established the Particularist Baptist sect in England. They held to traditional Baptist doctrine, but believed as Calvin did in limited atonement. The Particularists were true Baptists baptizing on confession of faith by immersion. The Generalists followed Mennonite tradition of pouring water over a believer.

Constitutional America Baptist Influence on America Divided Government Separation of Church and State Federalism Local Autonomy and Home Rule Baptists faced persecution even in America, but Found a home in Rhode Island.

Constitutional America Baptist doctrine became standardized in two confessions: The Philadelphia Confession in 1742, which is the most common, is what we believe today. It has 34 Articles of Faith. It asserts that the Church has a duty to Sing Praises. It asserts a doctrine of Election rather than Free Will

Constitutional America Our Doctrine has led current historians to say that early Baptists were Deists. www.spurgeon.org/~phil/creeds/phila.htm This is a good text of the original creed. Baptists spread south into New Jersey and into Pennsylvania, where they found a home. We eventually spread South.

Constitutional America The American Baptist Convention was mission minded, with The Home Mission Society Foreign Mission Society Baptist Publication Society Baptists were generally users of the King James Bible.

Constitutional America Baptists, unlike other denominations, moved away from the Apocrypha fairly early in our history. We could listen to Roger Williams with only mild discomfort: Christians are most spiritually healthy when they walk aware of their insufficiencies (Psalm 143) Roger Williams, 1643

Constitutional America Baptists split into American and Southern Baptists in the 1850s. Two Issues Slavery Local Autonomy. This division led to the split, which led to the SBC and its organization, The RBC grew out of this, because even the ABC had rules that limited local autonomy We are an association, not a convention.

Constitutional America If you go into Fairmont, you will see a sign: No New Taxes: Oppose Home Rule That is a consequence of us Baptists on American Politics. The right to vote by all citizens. Baptists. The Priesthood of the Believer led Baptists to push for expanded voting rights. We helped create the nation as we know it. But we also fought against secularization. John Leland (1789) made this case best.