Expert: Rev. Robert Woods - 12/13/2004

Question
Could you please tell me the main differences/viewpoints among the various Baptist groups (American, Southern, Freewill, etc...)

Also, could you please tell me if there are any differences among the Baptist groups' opinion on the role of women in a marriage?  (equal partners, subservient, ...)

Thank you in advance for your time!  

Answer
Blessings and thank you for your questions.

1. Baptists:  In the US, Baptist constitute 27 groupings and their total membership is about 30 million.  Baptist churches are completely independent, yet bound together by an amazing common allegiance to principles and doctrines.  They claim no founder but Christ, and often claim they have been preaching since John the Baptist.  When the Reformation began in the 16th century, scattered Baptist groups in Europe advocated doctrines that eventually united them.  As the left wing of the Reformation, they were called ANA-Baptists ("to baptize again"), because they immersed (dunked) those who had been baptized in infancy.  They held to a literal application of the Bible, were communal and pacifistic, and opposed capital punishment, taking oaths in court, and the holding of public office. They insisted upon the complete separation of church and state.  Undergoing persecution for their then - radical views, they spread all over Europe.  In Holland a group of Mennonites, followers of the former Anabaptist leader Menno Simons, were teaching Anabaptist principles and took in  a group of British refugees undergoing persecution under James I.  One of their leaders, John Smyth, completely accepted the teaching of the Mennonites.  Smyth and his followers were rebaptized, became Anabaptists, and organized the first English Baptist church in 1609.  However, they remained English and refused to take on all the accoutrements of the Mennonites.  As persecution waned, the English Baptists went back across the channel and began a Baptist church in London.  Although they spread, they divided again, this time over the theology of the Atonement.  The General Baptist churches held that Jesus Christ died for everyone, while others held to the teachings of the Particular Baptist church - following the teachings of John Calvin - that salvation was only for those predestined by God.  The first Particular (British) Baptist Church had its beginning in 1638.  A third group, Immersion Baptist, broke away and in 1644 produced a confession of faith that is still in use by many.  For the first time, these Christians were popularly known as Baptists.  In 1631 Roger Williams went to America, and although he was not a Baptist, established a Baptist church at Providence, RI.  In 1814 Baptists organized the General Missionary Convention of the Baptist Denomination in the United States of America for Foreign Missions.  This step marked the first real denominational consciousness and united the Baptists.  They formed a society for publication as well as for missions and education.  In 1845 came the major split.  Southerners seceded from the union over the issue of slavery and state's rights, and formed the Southern Baptist Convention to carry on the work of their churches.  What was left of the General Missionary Convention formed the Northern Baptist Convention which changed its name to American Baptists Churches USA. The two have remained separated ever since.  Baptists generally agree upon the Bible as the inspired Word of God, the supremacy of Jesus Christ, inherent freedom of individuals to approach God for themselves, salvation by faith through God's grace, two sacraments (called ordinances) of Baptism (adult only immersion) and the Lord's Supper, the independence of the local church, the church as a group of regenerated believers, complete separation of church and state, the immortality of the soul, and the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom.  Because Baptists have had freedom of expression in the pulpit and pew, they are quite democratic.  This means that liberal and conservative doctrines can be preached freely because each church is autonomous.  Local churches license and ordain candidates for the Ministry.

The Free Will Baptist denomination is a fellowship of evangelical believers united in extending the witness of Christ and the building of His Church throughout the world. The rise of Free Will Baptists can be traced to the influence of Baptists of Arminian persuasion who settled in the colonies from England.

The denomination sprang up on two fronts at almost the same time. The southern line, or Palmer movement, traces its beginnings to the year 1727 when one Paul Palmer organized a church at Chowan, North Carolina. Palmer had previously ministered in New Jersey and Maryland, having been baptized in a congregation which had moved from Wales to a trace on the Delaware River in northern Pennsylvania.

The northern line, or Randall movement, had its beginnings with a congregation organized by Benjamin Randall June 30, 1780, in New Durham, New Hampshire. Both lines of Free Will Baptists taught the doctrines of free grace, free salvation and free will, although from the first there was no organizational connection between them.

The northern line expanded more rapidly in the beginning and extended its outreach into the West and Southwest. In 1910-1911 this body of Free Will Baptists merged with the Northern Baptist denomination, taking along more than half its 1,100 churches and all denominational property, including several major colleges. On December 28, 1916, at Pattonsburg, Missouri, representatives of remnant churches in the Randall movement reorganized into the Cooperative General Association of Free Will Baptists.

Free Will Baptists in the southeastern United States, having descended from the Palmer foundation, had often manifested fraternal relationships with Free Will Baptists of the Randall movement in the north and west; but the slavery question and the Civil War prevented formal union between them. The churches in the southern line were organized into various associations and conferences from the beginning and had finally organized into a General Conference by 1921. These congregations were not affected by the merger of the northern movement with the Northern Baptists.

Now that the remnants of the Randall movement had reorganized into the Cooperative General Association and the Palmer movement had organized into the General Conference, it was inevitable that fusion between these two groups of Free Will Baptists would finally come. In Nashville, Tennessee, on November 5, 1935, representatives of these two groups met and organized the National Association of Free Will Baptists.

This body adopted a Treatise which set forth the basic doctrines and described the faith and practice that had characterized Free Will Baptists through the years. Having been revised on several occasions, it serves as a guideline for a denominational fellowship which comprises more than 2,400 churches in 42 states and 14 foreign countries.


2.  Women:  All Baptist Groups would say that Women are partners with men in marriage but are spiritually subservient.  This doesn't mean that women are slaves to men or that men are to Lord over women.  In fact the Bible clearly states that men are to love women as Christ loved the Church and died for her.   

Where the real differences arise is whether women can be ordained or can teach in Bapist churches.  First of all, Baptists uphold the Bible as the standard for everything.  But, the way in which we interprete it varies greatly.  
For example, for a great majority of fundamental Baptists, they believe that no woman should teach any man or boy over the age of 12.  That would really narrow down what they could do in the church.  This is true both for the past and the present.
For conservative Baptist Churches, like the Southern Baptist Convention, women were traditionally not allowed to teach men or to serve an any office in the church.  In the last 50 years, this has changed.  Now in most SBC churches, women can teach and hold any office but deacon.  Some even allow women to serve as deacons.  SBC churches in the past did not allow any women to be ordained into ministry of any kind.  Most SBC churches will ordain women into any ministry position but Pastor.  Even some of them will ordain women as pastors.  Although they are few and far between.  SBC seminaries only allowed men to study and earn degrees.  That too changed in the 1950's.
American Baptist Churches have been the most liberal in their treatment of women.  At the beginning of the century, they held the same views as other baptists.  But they were the first to allow women to serve in any office of the church including deacon.  ABC churches also ordain women into any Ministry position.  In fact, there are a lot of women pastors in our region in PA.  
African American Baptist churches traditionally do not allow women to serve in office of deacon or to be ordained.  
The thing to remember is that EVERY Baptist church is atonomous.  That means each church has the right to have its own rules.  No convention can dictate to any Baptist church what it can or can not do.  So in some churches you would find women pastors and in others you would find women serving in no way.
As far as how the church views women in society, most of the churches have the same view.  Baptists as a whole believe that a man is the SPIRITUAL head of his household.  What does this mean?  It means that a man must first love his wife as much as Christ loved the church.  That means he loves her so much that he is willing to die for her.  If a man loves his wife that much, then he has the right to lead his house according to what he feels is God's will.  The two must go together.  The media or women's rights groups only focus on the men leading part and forget the first part of loving his wife.  
The SBC takes a strong stance agaist the Equal Rights Amendment and agaist abortion.  The ABC would support Equal Rights Amendment but would still be against abortion.