Fractured Foundation #4: HISTORICAL IDENTITY - PART 1

FRACTURED FOUNDATIONS (Areas in Which Baptist Churches Must Grow):

#4: Historical Identity - Part 1

"Doctrine divides!" That's the popular belief of our culture today, as its sails on the shifting sea of modern day relativism. Our generation shouts out, "It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere." Throughout our history as Baptists, many Baptist movements have proclaimed the same mantra. Yet, the Bible portrays a very different message. According to sacred scripture, there are such things as "damnable heresies" (2 Peter 2:1) - heresies that damn the soul.

A famous saying, usually attributed to Augustine, states that “in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity”. The problem, however, lies in determining which doctrines are essential. For centuries the church has struggled to determine those beliefs that are non-negotiable. In other words, what must one believe in order to be a Christian? Thus, while all doctrine is important, some doctrines are more important than others. Throughout history, creeds and confessions have been valuable tools at summarizing true, faithful, and orthodox doctrine that defines true belief.

No Creed but Christ. According to some, the Baptist movement has long distanced itself from creeds and confessions. Some point to John Smyth, the historical founder of the Baptist movement, who took exception to the church enforcing creeds. He believed that, "Christ only is the king, and lawgiver of the church and conscience." Others point to the Southern Baptists, who in 1845, when the Southern Baptist Convention was founded, refused to write a statement of beliefs saying they would follow, "No creed, but the Bible." However, both John Smyth and the original SBC did write confessions of faith (The SBC called it The Abstract of Principles). Baptists – from the very beginning – have been a creedal people.

Since heresies of all forms continually plague the church, some sort of common understanding of orthodox doctrine is necessary. While the “no creed but Christ” mantra may protect us from the tyranny of religious institutionalism, it leaves us virtually unprotected from those “wolves in sheep’s clothing” that would distort the faith of the church.

Is There a Difference Between "Creeds" and "Confessions" - Some Baptist historians say yes, others say no. For instance, read this quote: "Baptists have always been a confessional people and not a creedal people," said Leon McBeth, distinguished professor of church history at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. "A creed excludes, and a confession includes. A creed tells you what you must believe, and a confession affirms what you do believe".

However, this simply isn't the case. Local congregations exclude those who do not adhere to the church's statement of Faith, and Creeds are inclusive to all who believe them. While McBeth is a fine historian, he is splitting hairs on this issue.

"No Creed But Christ" is a statement used to either hide ignorance or heresy. Heretics love it, because it gives them full, unquestioned access to the sheep within God's kingdom. Fools love it because they are allowed to become their own master's--being subject to no authority save their own depraved, uniformed thinking. Frankly, the Baptist "distinctive" of Individual Soul Liberty is utter nonsense--as it is defined by many today. We are to submit to human authority, however, never at the expense of Scriptural truth. Creeds and Confessions are indeed fully authoritative documents. However, they are authoritative only insofar as the truly represent Scripture. The Southern Baptist Church is a perfect case study of the odd intertwining of creedalism and anti-creedalism. They have written a Confession of Faith, but do not require its individual churches to adhere to it. As such, it is a meaningless document that has lost all power to teach and instruct the people of God.

Baptists have a proud heritage of being a creedal people. But, they also have a strain that has rejected creeds and confessions. For the movement to regain a true sense of biblical fidelity, it must reclaim its place within the creedal tradition.

In part two, we will examine several historical baptist confessions and creeds.