Baptist Theology: A Four Century Study

Baptist Christianity is very popular in the USA. I always believed it’s because the churches are independent of each other, and here in the USA, we like that sort of thing. Back in England, the churches were all part of the “Church of England” where the king or queen was head of the church. Now just try telling that to an American, and the king or queen will end up face down in the baptismal pool!

Just kidding, Baptist theology doesn’t encourage that kind of defensiveness or persecution. It’s a centuries-old system of thought, and it began in England by theologians who desired independence from established religion. This wonderful book by James Leo Garrett tells the story of how those philosophers developed their own way of thought, starting with men like John Bunyan. These men did not believe in an over-organized doctrine, where you memorize prayers and recite them like parrots. It had to come from sincere belief.

When Baptist theology came to the Americas, it caught on quickly through the same philosophy. America was a place where people developed independently, and likewise they wanted to find God in their own way. Every church was on its own to raise funds, find the minister, conduct the services, etc. There was no Church of England to fund you with royal money.

Religion in the USA is different from that of other countries. In Britain, not only is there a Church of England, but there is a similar one for Jewish people too! The country has a Chief Rabbi, who the Queen contacts whenever she has anything to say to the Jewish community. Independent Jewish congregations, especially the Reform or Conservative ones, are derided and the Queen doesn’t recognize them.