BAPTIST WORLD

    It is reported that John Smyth, who originally was a bishop in the church of England, left that church and fled to Holland. He, along with others, formed the first Baptist church around 1610. Shortly after he died, the church there ceased. Some that helped found it in Holland, returned to England and established other Baptist churches. As time passed, the number of churches grew. The Calvinistic or Particular Baptists were a different group in England which also spread. These eventually migrated to what is now the USA.

    It is reported that Roger Williams founded the first Baptist church in America around 1639 in Providence, RI. There is no record of other Baptist churches coming forth from this one. Later, other Baptist churches sprung up. One in Boston, another in Maine which relocated to South Carolina. Another was started in New York, another in Long Island in the 1700's, another in Philadelphia, and another in New Jersey. Very severe persecution awaited these people that made their stand for God’s Word. Once the Revolutionary War ended and religious freedom was established, the Baptists spread far and wide.                                                                                                                                          

    Some Baptists hold the view that they are not Protestants and that they did not come out of the Reformation, such as the Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Methodists. However, there are now some Baptists that did split off from Protestant churches as they did not hold to their unbiblical teaching. Other Baptists consider themselves a denomination of Protestant believers, who believe water baptism is to be done solely by immersion and only after one has trusted in Jesus Christ as their only hope of salvation. Baptists believe the Bible clearly teaches that infant baptism and baptism before believing on Jesus Christ is not scriptural.
    The Baptist church believes the Bible teaches that once a person is truly saved it is not possible to fall from salvation. They believe a person is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise and cannot be unsealed.
    The Baptist church does not believe that spiritual gifts, such as prophecy, speaking in tongues, laying on of hands for healing, etc., are for today. They believe once the canon of Scripture was completed by John, such spiritual gifts ceased.                                                                

    The Southern Baptist Convention and National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., are the largest Protestant denominations in the US with approximately 34 million members.

    Associated Baptist Press (Independent)
    Baptist Press—Southern Baptist, Nashville, TN
    Baptist Sunday School Board News Releases—SBC
    Facts and Trends Newsletter—Baptist Sunday School Board SBC
    Fundamentalist Baptist News Service—press service
    Indiana Baptist Newspaper—SB news journal
    Louisiana Baptist Message—Southern Baptist news journal
    SBC Life—published 10 times a year
    The Baptist Bible Tribune—Baptist Bible Fellowship International, Springfield, MO
    The Baptist Standard—Southern Baptist news journal of Texas Baptists
    The Commission—magazine of the International Mission Board SBC

    Association of Baptists for World Evangelism
    Baptist Bible Fellowship
    Baptist General Conference
    Baptist International Missions
    Baptist Mid-Missions
    Baptist World Alliance, McLean, VA, founded in 1905
    Conference on Evangelizing Black America
    Conservative Baptist Association
    Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
    Fundamental Baptist Fellowship
    General Association of Regular Baptists
    National Association of Free Will Baptists
    National Baptist Convention USA
    Primitive Baptists
    Progressive National Baptist Convention
    Southern Baptist Convention
    World Baptist Fellowship

    The Southern Baptist Convention is the name of a denomination and also its annual meeting.
    Organized in 1845 in Augusta, GA.
    Currently about 16 million members and about 40,000 churches in the USA.
    They sponsor about 4000 missionaries in about 126 nations.
    It is said that they average about 4 new congregations each day.
    To become a member entails receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and as a believer, being baptized by immersion.
    They have 6 seminaries which average about 2000 students each. It is said that about 1 of every 6 students of theology attend one of these seminaries.

    For the most part, Protestant churches practice infant and sprinkling baptism. These practices are unscriptural.                                                
    Many Protestant denominations hold to the doctrines or writings of their founders along with the Bible.                                                              

    Lutheran is a state church in Germany.
    The Anglican Church is the state church of England.
    The Roman Catholic Church is inseparable with Rome.