Expert: Rev. Stuart Woodward - 6/12/2007

Question
Dear Rev. Stuart,
Thank you for you previous reply. The reason I am asking is for a school assignment on the variants of Christianity. The actual question is: "Analyse the major issues that caused the variants break with the Church of Rome". Now as i understand the Baptist denomination was never a part of the Church of Rome, correct? So, your previous answer helps me a lot in regards to the differences...but is there any more that you would be able to add? For instance, reasoning why there is a Baptist denomination?
Please and Thankyou
-Jackie
P.s. we are meant to interview, so don't worry I'm not getting you to do the work for me hehe. =)

Answer
Hi Jackie,
I'm glad what I wrote last time was of some help. Up until the late 15th century the Church of Rome was by far the dominant expression of the church in the world. The Orthodox Churches had parted from the Church of Rome much earlier but other groups were very small, marginalised and severely persecuted by the Church of Rome if they started to grow.
All this changed at the Reformation, the main character of which was Martin Luther. He was appalled at some of the bad practices of the Church and devoted himself to the bible. There he rediscovered the belief in justification by grace through faith alone, through reading the book of Romans. This conflicted with the teaching of the Chrurch of Rome and led Martin Luther to break away. He had nailed his 95 theses to the church door at Wittenburg and they became the basis of much discussion and disagreement. Others also followed suit and they all became known as Protestants (those who protested against false teaching). As Protestantism grew many different groups sprang up. The bible began to be translated in the languages of the people and the invention of the printing press had made these translations available to the ordinary people. By the late 16th and early 17th century some of these groups believed that the scriptures taught that baptism was the immersion in water of those with personal faith and that each church should be independent. This led to conflicts with other Protestants as well as Catholics and these people originally fled to places where they could practise their faith without fear. Some settled in the Netherlands, Romania and Russia but many came to England where the legal changes made by Henry 8th had created a measure of religious freedom. They were known as Dippers or disparagingly as Anabaptists (rebaptisers), later just Baptists. It was from there that some years later many travelled to the US to establish their own communities of faith. Thus Baptists were part of the earliest of settlers in the US. Now US Baptists are the largest group by a long way.
I hope all this makes sense. It is of course a very non detailed explanation but covers the main points.
May God continue to bless and lead you.
Stuart Woodward