From a careful study of history around the Reformation times through the early 1600s, it seems to become more clear that Baptists arose out of influences related to the Radical Reformation wing of the Reformation.
Estep notes this in his two books Renaissance and Reformation and The Anabaptist Story. McBeth takes a slightly different approach in The Baptist Heritage but acknowledges the Reformation roots.
Hello PJ,
I have been wanting to ask you for awhile now a few questions here as I believe you said you had some serious study in Church history along your path.
I have seen some trace baptist history back to apostolic times.....not the
BH Carrol trail of blood.....but ...sort of a mix of some groups, that eventually are identified and vilified for many reasons....
Waldenses, Cathari, Bugameli, Donatists, anabaptists ,etc...
sometimes Rc sources demonized these groups....sometimes the reformers did also....because they all had believers baptism in common...they had some error mixed with truth also
from your study;
1] which of these groups seemed to be closest to biblical christianity
2] do you agree that the Rc and protestants had a slanted view of them
3] at what point did the roman church become corrupted?was it the Constantian change?
4] how much common ground do we share with the roman church that we are just stuck with,ie...they helped establish the canon of scripture and stood against many of the heretics?