Baptist History, Heritage & Distinctives B.H. Carroll – Distinctive Baptist Distinctives PART ONE

Thomas E Kresal Admin · 2 hrs June 23, 2020

Baptist History, Heritage & Distinctives B.H. Carroll – Distinctive Baptist Distinctives PART ONE

“A declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us.”—Luke I:I. “It was needful for me…to exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.”—Jude 3.The distinctive principles of the Baptists are those doctrines or practices which distinguish us from other Christian denominations. It is held by some that no doctrine or practice should be classified as distinctive which has at any time been shared, in whole or in part, by any other denominations. But this limited sense of the word distinctive is too narrow for ordinary speech or common sense. For example: The Greek church and the Baptists both practice immersion, but their doctrine of baptism is widely different from ours. Authority, subject, and design all enter as much into the validity of this ordinance as the act itself. More than mere immersion is necessary to constitute New Testament baptism.Again, the Congregationalists agree with Baptists in the form of church government, but their doctrine of the church is widely different from ours.Yet again, the statement of Chillingworth, “The Bible, and the Bible alone, the religion of Protestants,” is widely different from the Baptist principle, “The New Testament, the only law of Christianity.” Moreover, this entire subject has an historic aspect, which may not be ignored. There has been great progress in Baptist principles since the Reformation of the sixteenth century.Throughout the Protestant world there has been steady approximation by nearly all other denominations to many Baptist principles, very materially narrowing the once broad margin dividing us from other people. So that the distinctive in history is much more marked than the distinctive of the present day.Notable among the Baptist doctrines towards which there has been this steady approximations are “Freedom of Conscience” and “Separation of Church and State.” It is one of the best established facts of history that Protestants equally with Romanists once held to the unchristian and horrible maxim: “Whose is the government—his is the religion.” Geneva, Germany, Holland, Old England and New England shared it with Italy, Spain and France, as Baptists found to their cost.While, therefore, the most recent approximations towards our principles are warmly welcomed, and while the hope of still greater approximation is fondly cherished, we are not thereby estopped from entrance into the domain of history in discussing distinctive principles.Before coming to affirmative statements, allow me to clear away the brush obstructing a fair view by disclaiming as distinctive the only two doctrines which in the world’s estimation constitute the sum of our distinctive principles:To be ContinuedPresented by Thomas E. Kresal from: BAPTISTS And Their Doctrines Sermons on Distinctive Baptist Principles BY B. H. CARROLL, D.D. PRESIDENT, SOUTHWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, 1913 pg. 6-7