Essay On Baptist Religion

Religion is a strong foundation in my family, it has always been since I was a small child. It has been instilled in me and I have been taught to lean on it when there is nothing else to lean on. I have been a part of only a few churches; each a different denomination. Interestingly, I have not always been a part of the Baptist religion. I was baptized Catholic and even went as far as my first communion. Even though I have been Baptist since I was around twelve, I have only somewhat looked at the history of what the religion is. So what is the Baptist religion? Wikipedia describes Baptists as “Baptists are individuals who comprise a group of denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing

believers (believer's baptism, as opposed to infant baptism), and that it must be done by complete immersion (as opposed to affusion or sprinkling).”
The originating events and the founders of the Baptist religion is less clear than it is for most other Protestant religions of Christianity. History shows that the Baptist religion can be traced back to the English Separatist movement and is one of the largest of the Protestant Christian denominations. Some history shows that one of the first Baptist churches, led by John Smyth along with Thomas Helwys, was founded somewhere around Amsterdam, Holland, in the early 1600s. Even though the church was not founded on English soil it is still considered the first English Baptist Church. Not many years after this, Thomas Helwys led a portion of the congregation that was founded with smith back to England to establish a church near London. Its members were English refugees who had fled England to escape religious persecution and the constant conflict that the Separationists had with the Church of England.
Even though the Baptists were in search of freedom for their beliefs and practices in the early 16th century by leaving England for the North American colonies; upon settling in North America they once again faced persecution from Puritan colonies in the north and the Anglican-dominated colonies in the south. Through all the challenges and persecutions the Baptist church continue to preserver. From the late 1600s, when the first Baptist church in the United States was officially established, through the end of the 18th century, the Baptist church and associations were established in most of the colonies and regions in the developing United States.
One of the biggest differences that set apart the Baptist religion from others at that time was; the Baptist tradition has emphasized the Lordship and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. They believed in believers’ baptism, the ability of all believers to be in direct relationship with God. It was also believed that they should be able to interpret Scripture, and believed in the influence of the Holy Spirit on individual lives and ministries. Baptist had the need for independent congregations free from government interference. A lot of the earlier Baptist embraced components of worship and mission the notions of the individual’s “soul competency” and responsibility before God. This was the view of the General Baptist, which differed from the view of the Particular Baptist. The particular Baptists believed that Jesus Christ died only for those who are elect, or chosen, by God. This view is associated with Calvinist theology. The first Particular Baptist congregation in England was established by John Spilsbury around 1633; Spilsbury was a part of the congregation that Hewlys’s had led back to London. The Baptist view of salvation and what happens after death is very much the same as many Protestant Christian religions. It is believed that because of man’s sinful nature, everyone stand in need of salvation, and God's gracious provision. Those who do not trust and believe in Christ will enter into eternal damnation and the people who trust in Christ for salvation will enter into the presence of God for all eternity.
From its beginnings in England and the Netherlands in the early 16th century, the Baptist tradition soon spread to the colonies of the United States as Baptists searched for freedom from religious persecution.

One of the unique traditions of the religion that are still in place today is the mission efforts, which became a part of the Baptist tradition in the 17th century. The first Baptist missionary society was established in England, in 1792.The purpose of this mission effort was simple and straightforward. The miss was to communicate the gospel of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to those in other lands who had not heard. From this the hope was that they would come to believe and trust in Christ for their salvation; and as the United States grew, so did Baptist evangelism and mission efforts. Throughout their history American Baptists have been led by the Gospel that mandates believers to be directly active in the institutions of society and social outreach and ministry. Baptists have played a key role in encouraging religious freedom and separation of church and state. . Some Baptist churches have been among the leaders in the so-called "mega-church" movement that flourished in the 1980s and 1990s, and continues today. Even still the Baptist religion is rooted in revival and missionary

works.
Baptists in America, like their English Baptist forefathers, desired the larger fellowship and united strength for Christian responsivities that could come only through joining together. In 1707, Baptists around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, organized the first Baptist association in America by sending messengers from nearby churches. In recent years, the Baptist tradition has wrestled with many of the same issues and experienced some of the same changes as many other Christian traditions. Such as ordination of women and the roles they could or could not fill. In today’s Baptist church you now see women filling the roles of Deacons and Minister, not just missionaries as they have done in the past.
Like many other Protestant Christian traditions, the modern controversies of the 20th century expressed itself in divisions within the Baptist tradition. It is hard to say where the Baptist religion is headed. It seems that it has become a bit more relaxed and lenient than it has been in the days before. It seems, much like the rest of the world, it has become accepting to those things which we have been commanded by God not to accept or do. While the Baptist tradition of missionary work continues through services like evangelization, education, medical, and community avenues.
Work Cited
"Our History." American Baptist Churches USA. Web. 9 Sept. 2015. .
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 9 Sept. 2015. .
"Our National Family." Web. 22 Sept. 2015. .
"Library." Missions and Expansion. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. .
"Baptist Overview." Baptist Overview. Web. 23 Sept. 2015. .