[TruthTalk] Baptists and infant Baptism

[Blaine Borrowman]

Blaine:  The Baptist Church had its origins in the late 17th Century, according to this article, and it grew out of English Congregationalism in the late 16th century, which rejected Parish structure and infant baptism.  This supports the documentation of my previous post, which gave 1653 (17th century) as the date of origination of the Baptist Chruch in Scotland.  The Origins and Development of Baptist Thought and Practice American Baptists, Southern Baptists and all the scores of other Baptist bodies in the U.S. and around the world grew out of a common tradition begun in the early 17th century. That tradition has emphasized the Lordship and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, believers� baptism, the competency of all believers to be in direct relationship with God and to interpret Scripture, the influence of the Holy Spirit on individual lives and ministries, and the need for autonomous congregations free from government interference or hierarchical polity. The origins of Baptist thought and practice can be seen in the late 16th century in English Congregationalism, which rejected the prevalent "parish" structure of church life (Church of England) where everyone in a given community was a member of a neighborhood parish and where children were baptized. The reaction against that structure was articulated in the concept of "the gathered church," in which membership was voluntary and based on evidence of conversion, and where baptism (for the most part) was limited to believers.