I read no essay, only what Biblicist said and I am in general agreement with that.
Can a person go out and start a Primitive Baptist Church on his own or does he need authority from another PB Church? I know that is not allowed by Old Regular Baptists unless they have changed mightily in recent years.
No. The question is almost funny (actually it does make me chuckle), knowing the PBs. Elders would roll over in their graves...
Now many years ago Eddie West started his own Church in Augusta, Georgia but I think it is gone now. Really don't know.
From the article:
" There is no biblical promise of an unbroken, traceable line of succession between New Testament churches.
Neither can the succession premise be proven from history. We can identify groups of “back-to-the-Bible” people throughout church history. We can identify several of the beliefs and practices that we call “Baptist” distinctives among them. But to prove the “unbroken, historical succession” is impossible.
In point of fact, history seems to demonstrate the opposite. We cannot divert this discussion into a study of Baptist history, but it is noteworthy that around the world many Baptists have come into existence as believers read the Word of God and came to Baptist convictions apart from other influences.
We can briefly point to the testimony of the Separate Baptists in the United States. Shubal Stearns and Daniel Marshall were converts under Whitefield’s ministry during the Great Awakening. Though they were brothers-in-law, they came to Baptist convictions independent of each other, through reading the Scriptures. They had a good ministry in Virginia and later removed to North Carolina where a great revival ensued.
Johann Gerhard Oncken was a German who was saved in England. Later, in Hamburg he became convicted of the truth of believer’s baptism. After waiting for someone to immerse him, he, his wife, and five others were baptized by Barnas Sears under cover of darkness. God used him to establish a Baptist testimony in Germany, and he was the driving force of missionary outreach into Russia, Hungary, and several of the Scandinavian countries.
Gustavas Schroeder was a Swedish sea captain who was saved in a Methodist revival meeting in New Orleans. He came to Baptist convictions by reading the Bible and was used of God to plant churches in the United States (including Hamilton Square Baptist Church, San Francisco) and in Scandinavia.
These stories can be repeated countless times. The Landmark Baptists face the horns of a dilemma when deciding if these godly leaders, and others like them, are true Baptists. How does their coming to biblical convictions apart from any influence but Scripture “square” with the Landmark theory of historical succession?"
I believe Baptist Churches are the closest to the Apostolic Churches of any.
ALL one hundred fifty something odd kinds of Baptists?
All of them?
It may or not be true. I doubt that any local body in existence has only regenerate members. I do believe in the Universal Church which includes all the redeemed of all time!
After looking the word up O'Reilly I will say this.
Some folks believe the local Church is a visible manifestation of the Kingdom of God.
Well, we are ambassadors for Christ you know. Would it be harebrained to consider the assemblies to be embassies of His kingdom, a kingdom not of this world that can neither be touched with the hand nor seen with the eye?
I believe it is much more than that. Scripture states Jesus Christ died for the Church. I don't recall it saying He died for the Kingdom of God but when we are saved we are translated into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ [God] {Colossians 1:13}. The Church is called the Bride of Jesus Christ, a chaste virgin. The Church, the New Jerusalem, is pictured in the New Heavens and New Earth with the Triune God. That is about as far as I can go but I would appreciate enlightenment.
Too much involved for me to get into right now. Maybe later. I doubt I'm any more enlightened than you.
Who do Primitive Baptists preach with?
I'd get in trouble, but I'd let R.C. Sproul preach at my church, wouldn't you?
I doubt they were called Baptist. Do you believe that God has always had a people on earth?
Yes, including Catholics.