What really is Baptistic?

I don't believe in the word Baptistic.

Joseph Botwinick

 

istic: adv. on this occasion

I also don't believe there is any such thing as baptistic. On any occasion, any church or denomination can sort of sound like another.

 

Well, true that can happen. But I think it is a legitimate term.
For example, there are Mennonite churches in my area. They are Baptistic in any historical sense of Anabaptist.
Evangelical Free certainly would count. Bible churches usually would.

All three of these groups hold to "Baptist Distinctives" such as believer's baptism, and congregational govt. Yes, some of each of these have multiple elders. But then so do more Baptist churches than formerly.
At least implicitly, these groups believe in concepts such as soul competency and priesthood of the believer.

Baptist or Baptistic, in other words, goes to the history of Anabaptists, Separatists, English Baptists, Scandinavian Free Churches, and other such groups. Not just our present Southern Baptist list of beliefs.

Karen

 

I would say that Baptist theology is this:

1) Believer's baptism.
2) Eternal security of the saints.
3) Free will salvation. (although there are plenty of Reformed Baptist churches).
4) Certain gifts like speaking in tongues ceased in the first century. (at the final rejection of Christ by the Jews in Acts 28).
5) Many are independent with congregational rule.

Assembly of God churches believe that saints can lose their salvation.

 

But I would have to disagree with you.

FreeWill Baptist is a Baptist denomination, and it does teach that one can lose salvation.

As far as tongues, John Piper, Reformed pastor of a Baptist church, is one of many who does not think that such gifts have necessarily ceased.

In some ways, beyond basic orthodoxy, Baptist or Baptistic is more a framework of organization than the specific components.

Karen

 

Karen,

This is the reason I think the term Baptistic is a farce because not even all Baptist denominations agree on what they believe.

Joseph Botwinick

 

Supposedly the bond is not primarily a common set of doctrine or a credo but that they hold to the "Baptist Distinctives" and have the word "Baptist" in the local church name.

Of course they can't seem to be able to agree on the number and definition of the "distinctives" which is your point.

Theoretically then a "Baptistic" church is (as far as I can tell) any local church which holds to these elusive "distinctives" but doesn't use the word "Baptist" in their local church name.

Don't you agree?

HankD

 

Of course I agree these are the Baptist Distinctives. But, as you well know, not all "Baptist" denominations would agree to all of that.

Joseph Botwinick

 

I agree.

HankD

 

But they agree on the framework of how and what they believe. Such as final authority of the Scriptures, the right of every person to interpret the Scriptures for themselves.
So yes, therefore, there are Calvinist-leaning Baptist denominations, and Arminian-type ones.
There are Landmark pre-trib Baptists, and there are SBCers who are amillennial and believe in the universal church.

As Squire has so ably categorized elsewhere, these differences would at least be 2nd category.
Landmarkers and SBC as a whole, for example, believe in the Deity of Christ, definitely first category.
I doubt that you even agree with yourself of five years ago on every point. Yet you were a Baptist then, I presume, and you are now.

Karen

 

But they agree on the framework of how and what they believe. Such as final authority of the Scriptures, the right of every person to interpret the Scriptures for themselves.</font>[/QUOTE]Karen,

Not every Baptist denomination believes in these things.

There are Baptists out there who don't believe the Bible is even historically accurate, let alone authoritative. If Baptists cannot all agree on what the fundamental distinctives are, how can they be defined enough to state whether or not someone of another denomination is Baptistic?

Joseph Botwinick

 

Well,
I will agree with you that there are many points on the spectrum. Even our friends on certain other boards in some manner, though, look at Scripture as being more worthwhile for the Christian than the works of Shakespeare.
That the Bible tells them SOMETHING about God.

Do I think they are in grave error in their approach? Yes.

Karen

 

The term "baptistic" or Baptist generally points to a mode of baptism, i.e. credo baptism. Whether or not one is AoG or Reformed Baptist or S. baptist, the mode of baptising is the same, by immersion. A Presbyterian would never be a credo baptist and a Baptist would never be a paedo baptist.