Concering Baptists
Baptists are quirky people. Baptist trace our roots to the early 1600's in England and Holland -- as cousins of Anabaptists (Mennonites are one group of Anabaptists). There are die-hards who believe we really go back to directly to Jesus as the starter of the First Baptist Church. No, John the Baptist was not a member of a Baptist church.
Baptists are not prone to organization - orderly chaos is often a better image. Baptists hold to basic Christian beliefs. Four important values clustered together define Baptists. Other Christian groups claim one or more of these characteristics, but together these four comprise what make Baptist people "Baptist" and are often referred to as
Four Fragile Freedoms.
Bible Freedom
Soul Freedom
Church Freedom
Religious Freedom:
“Freedom of religion represents a commitment to complete religious liberty and not simply religious toleration.”
“Religious liberty is for all, not for a selected few, nor even for an overwhelming majority.”
“Religious freedom means separation of church and state and not accommodation of church with state.”
The real gift of Baptist values to this great country of ours is found in the First Ammendment to the Bill of RIghts: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; ...
Baptist people cherish this concept of religious liberty and its collarary, separation of church and state.
Unfortunately, far too many Americans combine patriotism with religion. That is a risky and dangerous combination. Most of the evil done by emperors, governments, rulers and dictators through the centuries have somehow invoked "God".
Before the USA was formed Baptists were thrown into jails for preaching the Gospel. Baptists were once a small and persecuted minority. Now that Baptists are much more numerous and powerful, some Baptist leaders will claim that the government needs to give special favors to Christianity and Christian groups (through faith-based government programs, vouchers for Christian schools, posting the Ten Commandments in public buildings, and "prayer" in public schools).
Genuine Baptists realize these notions make a mockery of true faith and actually promote behaviors that Jesus himself instructed His followers to avoid.
Too often we hear the claim that "America is a Christian nation." Yet in the past fifty years with billions of dollars spent on TV and radio promotion, the building of Mega Church Fortresses -- the reality is that not one more percentage of Americans are active in the life of a local church than 50 years ago. The 21st Century life and energy in the Christian movement is coming from Africa, Southeast Asia, and China. I believe that Chinese Christians model what Christianity will look like in the USA in the coming decades.
While Baptists don't claim to hold any special keys to Heaven's Door, we do believe we add perspective to the larger Christian community of faith.
People of all faiths are living through a fascinating time-- perhaps like no time since the invention of the printing press and the Protestant Reformation of the early 1500's.
Whatever descriptive flavor of Christian you are, at the core of it all is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.