Some interesting facts about the Baptist Church origins: Succession of Baptist Churches -- This viewpoint goes beyond mere continuation of biblical teachings and declares that Baptist churches actually existed in an unbroken chain since the time of Christ and John the Baptist. Commonly referred to as Landmarkism (Baptist Successionism is a major component of Landmark views) or the Trail of Blood theory (J.M.Carroll authored a booklet by this name), this view declares that some churches that stood outside the influence of the Roman Catholic Church at various times in early and medieval history were, in actuality although not in name, Baptist churches. Refusing to embrace infant baptism, these churches rejected the legitimacy of the Roman Catholic Church as a Christian entity. However, many of the identified historical churches/groups that Landmarkists label as Baptist churches were heretical in regards to orthodox doctrine. Although absent of historical documentation and scholarly support, the Landmarkist view yet remains popular among certain Baptists, particular in rural areas of the South and Southwest. In addition, the ascendancy of the Internet has provided a new platform for promoting Landmarkism. The contemporary popularity of this view of Baptist history stems to some degree from a long-standing dislike of Catholics on the part of many Baptists. J. R. Graves, J. M. Pendleton and A. C. Dayton - all three 19th century Baptist leaders and writers - are the fathers of Landmarkism. (For more information on Landmarkism and Successionism, see James E. Tulls, High-Church Baptists in the South: The Origin, Nature and Influence of Landmarkism(available via Google Books
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 17:11:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015