Featured What brand of Baptist are you?

I was lead to the Lord through a Missionary Baptist Preacher.
(15 years later he committed suicide)

Was an Independent Baptist but never could quite seem to meet up to their standards. (Was never doing enough. Didn't give enough, not to mention I use tobacco. A big no-no with the Independents.)

Joined a Southern Baptist Church and grew weary of ducking behind the pews during every business meeting and was never, ever, on enough committee's.

Then started attending a Free Will Baptist Church but just couldn't seem to wrap myself around the idea of either "losing or forfeiting my salvation" so we were allowed to attend and that was about it. We were gossiped about a lot.

...and finally, joined a Baptist Church where our Pastor teaches and not once has he looked down his glasses at anyone in the church.

My wife and I discussed that should something ever happen here, we are never going to "join" another Baptist Church again, ever! We'll just visit.

I'd hate to ask what a Calvinists, Reformed Baptists or Anabaptists are.

We even attended one church where the pastor dumped his wife for his old high school sweetheart. Got hung up in porno. Course, no one is perfect and we can all fall at any time.

I guess I'm glad I "ain't got no edumacation". Life is too short for all these divisions and competition and hey, it should't be a burden to be a Christian. :thumbs:

 

Independent Baptist. (Although some of the questions were not too clear.)

 

Glad to see you out an posting. I grew up as a Presbyterian, and there are many things I appreciate about the Baptist church not there in Presbyerian, such as the invitation, a local autonomous church. mode of Baptism, priesthood of the believer, and an emphasis on visitation and missions. I am a Southern Baptist.

I agree with your points. I use the NKJV and sometimes the NIV when I study. I like the old hymns, and want the Word of God preached, not the Word of Olsteen. There is nothing wrong with praise bands, I just prefer the other. I like congregational government.

I do have a comment about your 150 members. I too prefer a smaller church, but a church can become too small. Not only can a church become to small, if a congregation is missing big chunks of age groups, there are many problems. For example, if there is a church where about fifty attend on Sunday morning and 80% if them are above 70, with a few 55-70, and practically no one teens to 55, then the church can become disfunctional. Usually, there will always be pre teen children. Anyway with that set up, the church is only going to shrink. Members die regularly, and when visitation teams go out, young families with kids do not want to come because there is very little for young people and kids in a situation like that. It is something that should have been fixed twenty years ago, and at some point in time, a point of no return is reached. So, I would look for a church of about 100-150, with all age groups, especially families with children, and a congregation where most people are excited about serving the Lord, and not just a few while the rest sit in pews.

 

I am closest to the General Baptists, but that wasn't an option in the survey. On the survey I scored 100% Free Will Baptist. But I wouldn't fit well into the FWB denomination because they are too fundamentalist, don't accept women as pastors, or divorced and remarried as pastors; I strongly disagree with these policies. Of course, every church is supposed to be autonomous, but I believe the FWB are even more strict on these things than the SBC.

I could be Anabaptist -- Mennonite, etc., or Quaker (Friends United Meeting), but there are none around here.

 

I scored Missionary Baptist 100% with Independent Baptist a close second at 89%

Guess what I scored for Reformed Baptist?

0%

 

Wow, says Im an Independent Baptist....wonder how they will deal with mt DoG beliefs.

 

Changing the answer to #11 changes me from Independent to Missionary Baptist.

 

I scored 100% for Missionary Baptist and 100% for Reformed Baptist.
0% for Freewill Baptist.

But some of the questions were kind of strange, especially the one about taking a covered dish to heaven.

 

I have always considered myself to be an Independent Fundamental Baptist. My pastor now is a Calvinist; it's the only Baptist church within 50 miles of me. I attended his church for a long time before finding that out. I've heard nothing in his teachings or preachings that is unscriptural, and I've read the entire Bible through MANY times and studied much of it.

I don't agree with him that atonement is limited except that it is limited to all those who call upon the Lord for forgiveness and salvation. God made salvation available to EVERYONE, but it is limited to those who call upon the Lord. However, believing in limited atonement doesn't affect the salvation message that "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

 

You've been on this forum for how long and don't know what these are yet?

 

What's in a name?

The Op makes reference to: "baptism for the remission of sins." This is a basic false doctrine which has probably been going ever since some apostasizing churches started baptizing infants and teaching baptismal regeneration. These doctrines have never been taught by true Baptists.

There are dozens of groups called Baptist. They all seem to toot a different horn. Many are not aware that true Baptists were not birthed during nor after the so-called Protestant Reformation. In fact, they were violently persecuted for refusing to baptize their infants--many were killed as directed by the Holy See. Read about the Inquisitions.

Luther was a pedobaptist too along with Calvin and others. They persecuted the anti-pedobaptists as well. The true followers of Jesus have been persecuted in every generation, even today, just as Jesus said. The word witness means martyr. That means following to the death. Many so called Christians have not the foggiest as to what being a witness for Christ.

Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Peace,

Bro. James

 

You've been on this forum for how long and don't know what these are yet?

...yes, I know what they are. More Confusion!

 

Are you suggesting that his being a Calvinist precludes him from believing that? If so, then Jon my brother....you would be Wrong! BTW the correct name is not Limited Atonement but rather Definite Atonement. Remember .... "Whosoever will may come"

 

I scored 100% Reformed and am not surprised even thought I did answer (not sure) on a few questions.

 

Independent Baptist. This surprised me until I realized it didn't say Independent 'Fundamental' Baptist. Actually, I have no brands, tattoos, piercings, or implants.
A few things I noticed in you original post;"... have to accept him as your personal Lord and Savior to go to heaven....baptism (by immersion) for the remission of sins....King James Version...singing old style hymns...Christian radio... churches need to be small and autonomous...fancy projector screens... children's church...pianos, and organs, "praise bands"... brand of Baptist..." are never mentioned in the scriptures as far as I know. Though....? I'm not sure that I really have a point. (Except the one on top of my head.

 

I'm a...

...born-again believer; saved by His grace; washed in the shed blood of Jesus, and with that blood, my name has been inscribed into the Lamb's Book of Life! :thumbs:

As for the term Baptist, it is nothing more than a noun. Unless you are referring to the act of being baptized, at which time the word becomes an adjective.

The fact that I'm an ordained Southern Baptist minister means the world to me; however, I have also discovered that it doesn't matter that much to the majority of those I've encountered in this life. When people need my services, as a minister of the Gospel, very few ask about what "brand of minister" I am!

The key to my identity with Jesus is not the noun or adjective, but rather the act of having professed my faith in Him. Believing that nothing in this life can tear me away from Him, or Him away from me. And the fact that I have an one-on-one, personal relationship with the Father through the sacrifice of His Son on Golgotha.

And that, my friends, is what brand of Baptist I am! raying: