Baptists Are Right
Over the weekend, I went to my parents church that I dearly love, the founding church of the PCA. It is jokingly referred to as the largest Baptist church in Birmingham because of all the former Baptists who are now Presbyterian. I have a sneaky suspicion that most who have made that switch did not at one time believe in baptism of believers only and now believe in infant baptism, but probably found themselves dry, unchallenged, hungry for more, deeper teaching, and found it at this church and were all too happy to disregard baptism of believers alone in order to join a more vibrant community of believers where they could grow more in the faith.
That said, over the last 2 years, in looking high & low for every reason to escape out of the SBC, I am committed, barring a movement of God to remove me, to stay in the SBC to bring about any, no matter how little, good to a people who are amazing at getting the Gospel out, but then fail to disciple so often.
So, when I was in my parents Sunday School class (which my dad was teaching on a brief history of major heresies), this one woman, who at one time was a Baptist too, raised her hand to inform us all that Baptists were not Protestant - they were just, Baptist. Then she proceeded to inform the class that Arminianism came from the Baptist. I'm not patient and loving as I should be, so as a Baptist studying at THE Southern Baptist seminary, my blood went cold & I wanted to blurt out a rebuke. Fortunately, my dad, a former Baptist, was teaching, and lovingly informed her that Baptists were Protestant and actually had Reformed roots. To this woman's defense, I can understand today why she would think that Baptists were the Arminian fathers.
But, as a Baptist, I've heard comments like, "what are Baptists anyways?" referring at the minimum to the leadership structure. Methodists, Episcopalian, and Presbyterian all believe their structures are Biblical while ours is a hodge podge of nothingness. Baptist autonomy does separate us from most Protestants, so this may also help clear up misunderstandings like the woman in the Sunday School class. So, because of all the misunderstandings about Baptist, I want to point out Biblically two major areas where I think Baptists are the one's who are right when it comes to local church autonomy.
1. Election of Officers and Appointment of Ministers.
Acts 6 shows the local church in Jerusalem appointing seven deacons who are to oversee the ministry of that local church. Then in Acts 13, it is the local church in Antioch appointing Paul and Barnabas as ministers and sends them out as their missionaries. There is no ruling body or presbytery or bishop that appoints the pastor of a local church.
2. Church Discipline
Matthew 18 deals with disciplining a member of a local church who is in sin. It describes members of the local church meeting with him to discuss the problem. It describes the local pastor desiring to restore that person. Ultimately it involves separation from an unrepentant individual.
That said, over the last 2 years, in looking high & low for every reason to escape out of the SBC, I am committed, barring a movement of God to remove me, to stay in the SBC to bring about any, no matter how little, good to a people who are amazing at getting the Gospel out, but then fail to disciple so often.
So, when I was in my parents Sunday School class (which my dad was teaching on a brief history of major heresies), this one woman, who at one time was a Baptist too, raised her hand to inform us all that Baptists were not Protestant - they were just, Baptist. Then she proceeded to inform the class that Arminianism came from the Baptist. I'm not patient and loving as I should be, so as a Baptist studying at THE Southern Baptist seminary, my blood went cold & I wanted to blurt out a rebuke. Fortunately, my dad, a former Baptist, was teaching, and lovingly informed her that Baptists were Protestant and actually had Reformed roots. To this woman's defense, I can understand today why she would think that Baptists were the Arminian fathers.
But, as a Baptist, I've heard comments like, "what are Baptists anyways?" referring at the minimum to the leadership structure. Methodists, Episcopalian, and Presbyterian all believe their structures are Biblical while ours is a hodge podge of nothingness. Baptist autonomy does separate us from most Protestants, so this may also help clear up misunderstandings like the woman in the Sunday School class. So, because of all the misunderstandings about Baptist, I want to point out Biblically two major areas where I think Baptists are the one's who are right when it comes to local church autonomy.
1. Election of Officers and Appointment of Ministers.
Acts 6 shows the local church in Jerusalem appointing seven deacons who are to oversee the ministry of that local church. Then in Acts 13, it is the local church in Antioch appointing Paul and Barnabas as ministers and sends them out as their missionaries. There is no ruling body or presbytery or bishop that appoints the pastor of a local church.
2. Church Discipline
Matthew 18 deals with disciplining a member of a local church who is in sin. It describes members of the local church meeting with him to discuss the problem. It describes the local pastor desiring to restore that person. Ultimately it involves separation from an unrepentant individual.
