“The Collegiate Baptist History Workbook With Short Biographies and Articles by the Classic Baptist Historians” by James R. Beller, Third Printing 2006

“The Collegiate Baptist History Workbook With Short Biographies and Articles by the Classic Baptist Historians”  by James R. Beller, Third Sprinting 2006

Notes on the Second Edition, third printing  The first edition of The Collegiate Baptist History Workbook was published in 2002 and saw use across America and foreign countries.

A timeline has been added and an appendix. The appendix includes the author’s ten affirmations, and a helpful map. The map will help the student identify Baptist groups from each era.

Included in the appendix is the article Which Church was the First Baptist Church in America? This controversy is briefly discussed in chapter twelve. The first edition has been corrected by better evidence.  The new edition includes several useful changes.

Although the layout is essentially the same, the size of the publication has been changed to enhance viewing and study.

Every student of church history must be versed in the false theology of Augustine. Every student of the Baptist Christian view of history must understand Augustinianism. A brief discussion of the difference between Pauline and Augustinian theology is found in chapter four. Please note that this third printing gives slightly more detail on this matter on page 56. Also note “identifying marks” on page 59.

For this edition, we have included information on the origin of the camp-meetings and the great Baptist evangelists. We have also documented the controversial Mosheim and Hosius quotes on pages 72, 121, and 130.

Our main historians:

• Heny D’Anvers

• Thieleman J. Van Braght

• Thomas Crosby

• G. H. Orchard

• Isaac Backus

• David Benedict

• William Cathcart

• Thomas Armitage

• J. M. Carroll

• John Taylor Christian

For this edition we have added some information on the long forgotten but immensely important Henry D’Anvers, one of the first English Baptist historians. D’Anver’s Treatise on Baptism has finally been reprinted for the glory of God and the benefit of this present generation. Timelines are from Robinson’s Compilation of History, with edits by the author.

“The Collegiate Baptist History Workbook With Short Biographies and Articles by the Classic Baptist Historians”, ISBN 0-9668766-0-1 Copyright 2002 Prairie Fire Press, Second Edition Copyright 2005, Third Printing 2006.
Compiled, Edited and Written by —James R. Beller, Page iii

Prepared by Roger Fulk: Excerpt from “The Collegiate Baptist History Workbook” by James R. Beller, Third Sprinting 2006, pg. iii

Available at: prairiefirepress.com

Appendix B Ten Affirmations Concerning Our Baptist Heritage

Page 262, “The Collegiate Baptist History Workbook”, by James R. Beller.  Prairie Fire Press,  Copyright 2002, Second Edition Copyright 2005, Third Printing 2006

1.  Baptists are ancient, and our ancestry can be traced through the vital principles established and set forth by our Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples in New Testament churches.
2. Baptists are not “Protestants,” as our testimony extends much further in history than that of Martin Luther or John Calvin.
3. Baptists are not “Reformed” in theology or practice, for our view of the church could never allow the marriage of church and state.
4. Baptists are not “Calvinists,” for the doctrines of grace were believed and preached long before John Calvin preached in Geneva.
5. Baptists are not “Arminian” in theology, for our forefathers preached the Gospel with fervor long before the time of Jacob Arminius, and believed they were enabled by God to persevere.
6. Immersion was in common use among Baptists before 1641.  We reject the 1641 theory of William Whitsitt and oppose the conclusions of Henry Veddar about baptism.  We view as suspect the modern histories of Robert Baker, Leon McBeth, Walter Shurden, Robert G. Torbet, and James Edward McGoldrick as they submit to the thoroughly disproved theory of William Whitsitt.
7. Baptist heritage is far older than Fundamentalism*, (*Interdenominational Fundamentalism of the turn of the twentieth century) or the era of the city-wide revival campaigns, or the old Evangelical Alliance.
8. Because Baptists have suffered at the hands of Papists and Pedobaptistic Protestants alike, we ought to venerate and remember our historic testimony far above the testimony of persecuting enemies.  That is, we ought to revere the testimony of the Paulicians, Peter de Bruys, Henry of Clugny, Balthasar Hubmaier, Henry D’anvers, John Clarke, Obadiah Holmes, Valentine Wightman, Isaac Backus, Shubal Stearns, Samuel Harris, John Leland, John Taylor, Isaac McCoy, et. al. These names should be more commonly known among Baptist than those of D.L Moody, Ira Sankey, R.A. Torey, Sam Jones, Gipsy Smith, John Wilbur Chapman or Billy Sunday.
9.  Infant baptism is the badge of antichrist, and flirtation with the badge is akin to treason against God’s word.
10. Ignorance of Baptist heritage, which is so infectious in our pulpits and pews today, is dangerous and must be over come with a renewed teaching of our Baptist heritage and heroes of past generations.

Brother Beller was the most prolific Baptist historian of our generation. I highly recommend his many books on Baptist history such as America in Crimson Red, Sacred Betrayal, The Collegiate Baptist History Workbook, Soul of St. Louis, etc. Please visit his book store at: click below …

http://www.prairiefirepress.com/collegiate-baptist-history-workbook.html?SID=6f97b8d1e79f068b27e15a58a7e39ffc

America in Crimson Red – The Baptist History of America

America was just an idea in the minds of non-conforming believers who came to her shores in the early 17th century. With the outbreak of the “Great Awakening” in 1740, numbers of colonists were faced with the real crucible of baptism. Embracing “believer’s baptism” in huge numbers, the converts of the Great Awakening faced a firestorm of opposition. Unknown to most Americans today, refusing infant baptism meant a loss of citizenship in the colonies. But a new nation with independent citizenship, apart from the chains of mother England was in the making.

The part that the banished and persecuted Baptist people played in securing the liberties of this new nation has long been ignored.  In these pages their long-forgotten testimony is retold with vivid fervor. This is the story of scorn, ridicule, and hatred conquered by sacrifice and devotion. It is the story of one group of Americans who through patience and suffering gave us the America we all now enjoy.

Presented by Thomas E. Kresal from:

America in Crimson Red by James R. Beller. Quote from inside jacket cover.

NOTE from Pastor Tom: This book should be required reading in every Baptist home school and Bible Institute lest our history die and future generations of Baptist succumb to the revisionist history of our persecutors. The America we enjoy today is due to the sacrifices of our Baptist forefathers who fought and gained our liberty of conscience to lay the spiritual foundation for our great nation.Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”

Book available at:  http://www.prairiefirepress.com/

Why Study Baptist History

Short answer: The vast majority of “Christendom” is a masquerade and built by the father of lies. (John 8:44). When satan could not defeat Christ, vanquish his Holy Scripture or martyr all Christ’ disciples ‘ol Beelzebub created a counterfeit church. By studying Baptist history we can identify the New Testament church that Christ built during his earthly ministry.

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who cannot lie (Titus 1:2) promised the perpetuity of his church (Mt.16:18) to which he founded and built upon the foundation of the Apostles of which he was the Chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20)

Church by definition is a “called out local assembly” (ekklesia) of baptized (immersion) believers who are organized to preach the Gospel to the lost, and teach/make disciples of all professed and baptized members. It has officers and elders as described in Eph. 4:11, 1 Tim 3:1,10; 5:17; 1 Peter 5:1,5 and has the Lord’s table (Mt. 26:28-30; I Cor. 12:23-29) & Baptism (Mt. 3:13-17; 28:19-20; I Cor. 12:13) as the only two visible ordinances and an autonomous Biblical theocentric church governance (Col. 1:18, Eph. 3:21, I Cor. 1:3;12:12).

Scriptural baptism – the authority, subject, method and purpose has separated the true NT church from pseudo church organizations since the days of Romish apostasy. Countless millions of our Baptist forefathers have been martyred (many by professing “Christians”) for “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 1:3)

For this purpose NT churches are founded under the ordaining authority of NT churches (Acts 13:1-3, Heb. 6:1-2). When individuals start a church & baptize w/o authority they are operating by means of the earliest doctrinal divisions in Christendom. Their doctrine will ultimately reveal an invisible, universal church synonymous with salvation. (Folks who believe the body of Christ is composed of all the saved & who believe the “true church” is the realm of salvation to which they are Spirit baptized into this universal body of Christ) Thus their baptism depicts their doctrinal root that is tied to the great whore (RCC) and her daughters (Protestants) of a federal church/state. We find many Baptists have traded the apostolic faith for the deluding influence of ecumenical, Protestant fundamentalism particularly evident since the Niagara Conferences of the 1890’s and early 1900’s of which the protestant Scofield gained much influence among unsuspecting Baptists. Since baptism was not considered a “fundamental” of the faith it was effectively marginalized and therefore “Protestantized”.

We see from Christ’s example that baptism is not simply a matter of immersion. It is a matter of God-ordained authority. Jesus Christ identified with John in receiving his God-ordained baptism (John 1:6, Mt.3:15-16). It was that same baptism that He gave to His disciples, who baptized under His authority (Jn. 4: 1-2, Mt.28:19-20). We have external evidence that the Lord’s church practiced this ordinance from the early part of His earthly ministry. The commission came with a promise of an empowerment (Acts 1:8) on the day of Pentecost. The preaching of the word on that day resulted in 3k souls being saved & then “ADDED UNTO” the Lord’s church by means of baptism (Acts 2:41).

Many peoples in history have held to the Biblical doctrines delivered by Christ and his first church and are recognized throughout history as the Waldenses, Donatists, Novations, Albigenses, Henricians, Petrobrussians, Paulicians, Anabaptists and Baptist.

It is incumbent upon us not only to publish our history, heritage and distinctives as a beacon of light for every generation to follow but to honor those folks who have sacrificed their life and treasure for the cause of Christ and his kingdom.

To God be the glory!

Thomas E. Kresal

The 8 Baptist Distinctives prepared by Thomas E. Kressal, January 15, 2020

B (Biblical Authority): God’s Word is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. As the I (Individual Soul Liberty): inspired, inerrant, and preserved Word of God, it bears the absolute authority of God Himself. No human opinion or church decree can usurp the teachings of Scripture. Whatever the Bible dictates, we, as Baptists accept as true.
(2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 3:15-17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Psalm 12:6-7, 119:128)
A (Autonomy of the Local Church): The local church is an independent body accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the church. The church is autonomous, or self-governing. No religious
“hierarchy” outside the local church may dictate a church’s beliefs or practices.
(Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 3:21, 1 Corinthians 11:3, 12:12)
P (Priesthood of the Believer): Every believer is a priest of God and may enter into His presence in prayer directly through our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. No other mediator is needed between God
and His people. (1 Peter 2:9, Hebrews 4:14-16, 1 Timothy 2:5)
T (Two Ordinances): The local church must keep the ordinances as delivered to the apostles in the New Testament: (1) Baptism by immersion for believers who have evidenced “fruit meet for repentance” picturing the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and giving entrance for the believer into the local church body. (2) The Lord’s Supper which commemorates Christ’s sacrificial death for our sins. Participants of the Lord’s Supper are born again, baptized believer’s of the local church body.
(Mark 16:15-16, Luke 3:7- 8, Acts 8:12, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 1 Corinthians 11:2, 23-32)
I (Individual Soul Liberty): Every person, whether saved or unsaved, has the liberty to choose what he believes about God. Baptists have always been opposed to religious persecution. This liberty, however,
does not exempt one from responsibility to the Word of God or from accountability to God Himself.
(Romans 14:5, 12; 2 Corinthians 4:2, Titus 1:9)
S (Saved, Baptized Church Membership): Every member of a Baptist church must be a born-again believer who has been subsequently baptized by immersion upon evidence of salvation and that by
public profession within the local body.
(Acts 2: 38-41,18:13, 18:8, Matthew 28:19, Mark 1:4, 1 Corinthians 12:13 )
T (Two Offices): Baptists have maintained only two offices in the local church as set forth in the New Testament: Pastor and deacon. The terms “pastor”, “elder”, and “bishop” or “overseer” all refer to the same office. (1 Timothy 3:1,10; 1 Peter 5:1,5;)
S (Separation of Church and State): God has established both the church and the civil government, giving each its own distinct jurisdiction. No church or government should control each other, nor should
there be any alliance between them. Believers can and should promote righteousness in all areas of living, government included. (Romans 13:1- 7, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 5:29, Proverbs 14:35, 29:2)

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