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General Baptists

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General Baptists, also called Arminian Baptists, are Baptists that hold to the doctrine of general atonement, the belief that Jesus Christ died for the entire world and not only for the elect. General Baptists over time embraced all the Five Points of Arminianism while still maintaining a Calvinistic language. General Baptists have produced two major confessions of faith: The Standard Confession (1660), and the Orthodox Creed (1679).[1]

History

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In the late 16th century and early 17th century, Puritan activity was strong in the English Midlands. There was a Puritan congregation gathered in Gainsborough led by John Smyth dissatisfied with the Church of England. This congregation would later develop a distinctive Baptist theology and be the precursor of the General Baptists.[2] Under Thomas Helwys' ministry, the congregation reestablished itself at Spitalfields outside London in 1612, after a brief period of exile in Amsterdam.[3] Helwys is credited with the formation of a church in Coventry in 1614 or earlier when he gathered with Smyth and other Puritan leaders to lead Coventry Puritans at the residence of Sir William Bowes and his wife, Isobel, in 1606.[4]

In 1660 the General Baptists assembled together in London to draw up a confession of faith defining their theology, to be adopted by the General Assembly of General Baptist, and elected Thomas Grantham, along with Joseph Wright, to present the confession of faith to King Charles II of England in the same year.[5]

A respected French Biblical scholar,[6] Dr. Charles Marie Du Veil, became a General Baptist and was baptised into the St. Paul's Alley church, published his new views, and helped the General Baptist influence after 1685.[7][8] In 1733 a case against several Northamptonshire churches was presented to the General Assembly for "singing the psalms of David or other men's composures" which determined no fixed rule on congregational singing, but deferred to the local church to set forth their own reasons as the General Assembly had in 1689.[9]

In 1825, opponents of the Free Will Baptists, English General Baptists in North Carolina, dubbed them as "Freewillers" for their Arminian doctrine, and then they assumed the name.[10][11][12]

Arminian Baptists who accepted the existence of a second work of grace during the Holiness movement established denominations such as the Ohio Valley Association of the Christian Baptist Churches of God and Holiness Baptist Association.[13]

Denominations

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References

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  1. ^ Chute, Anthony L.; Finn, Nathan A.; Haykin, Michael A. G. (2015). The Baptist Story: From English Sect to Global Movement. B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4336-8316-9.
  2. ^ William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 243
  3. ^ Leonard, Bill J. (2005). Baptists in America. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 9. ISBN 9780231127028. Retrieved 2013-06-21. isbn:9780231127028.
  4. ^ "The City of Coventry: Protestant nonconformity, Introduction." A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 8, the City of Coventry and Borough of Warwick. Ed. W B Stephens. London: Victoria County History, 1969. 372-382. British History Online. Web. 28 April 2020. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol8/pp372-382.
  5. ^ Taylor, Adam. (1818). The History of the English General Baptists. Printed by T. Bore, London. pp. 359f. Google Books website Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  6. ^ Agnew, David Carnegie Andrew. (1886). Protestant exiles from France, chiefly in the reign of Louis XIV; or, The Huguenot refugees and their descendants in Great Britain and Ireland. Book one. Chapter VIII – Refugees being Converts from Romanism during the First Half of the Reign of Louis XIV. pp. 166f. Wikisource website Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  7. ^ Taylor, 1818, pp. 346-349.
  8. ^ WorldCat website Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  9. ^ Julian, John. editor. (1985)."Baptist Hymnody, English." Dictionary of hymnology : origin and history of Christian hymns and hymnwriters of all ages and nations. Grand Rapids, Michigan : Kregel Publications. Vol. 2, pp. 110f. Google Books website Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  10. ^ Brackney, William H. (13 April 2009). Historical Dictionary of the Baptists. Scarecrow Press. p. 245. ISBN 9780810862821.
  11. ^ Garrett, James Leo (2009). Baptist Theology: A Four-century Study. Mercer University Press. p. 119. ISBN 9780881461299.
  12. ^ Jonas, W. Glenn (2008). The Baptist River: Essays on Many Tributaries of a Diverse Tradition. Mercer University Press. p. 151. ISBN 9780881461206. General Baptists in North Carolina (the Palmer/Parker heritage) were often called "free willers" by their Regular (Reformed) Baptist neighbors. The name was becoming popular by the beginning of the nineteenth century, and in 1828 the group there adopted the name "Free Will Baptists." The reference, of course, was to the doctrine of General Atonement taught by the General Baptists.
  13. ^ Lewis, James R. (2002). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Prometheus Books. ISBN 9781615927388.
  14. ^ Robertson Co, TN. Turner Publishing Company. 1996. p. 183. ISBN 9781563113055.
  15. ^ McBeth, H. Leon (29 January 1987). The Baptist Heritage. B&H Publishing Group. p. 857. ISBN 9781433671029.
  16. ^ Kurian, George Thomas; Day, Sarah Claudine (14 March 2017). The Essential Handbook of Denominations and Ministries. Baker Publishing Group. p. 82. ISBN 9781493406401.
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