Historical Facts- Baptists

So for my comparative religions class, we have to give a presentation on a assigned christian demonation (we can't do Lutherism because that's what my school [and I] are) and I was assigned Baptists. For my research besides looking up what they believe, interviewing a pastor, attending a service, looking at websites for churches, we had to summarize the history. I have to give my presentation next week. So here's what I got, feel free to tell me if something needs to be changed or whatever, buy in any case, enjoy! I have more information on Baptists for this project but since it's Historical Facts Sunday, I'm just giving you the history. 


My Historical Reserach on Baptists Summerized for your enjoyment (and what I'm going to put into my powerpoint):

• There is no agreement on where the first baptists started.
• Some say that John the Baptist started it. Others say it started in 1609 with John Symth. 
• A group of thirty-six formed the first baptist church in Holland.
• Around 1611, the first baptist church was formed on Enligsh soil. 
• Roger Willams established America's first baptist in 1639 in Providence, Rhode Island.
• In 1707, the first "Association" was in Philadelphia. 
• During the Great Awakening in 1739, Baptists became two groups, Regular (Arminian) and Separate (Calvinist).
• In 1800, Baptists was one of the largest Christian faiths in America. 
• In 1840, Baptists split into Northern and Southern Baptists over the issue of slavery.
• Southern Baptists make up the largest Baptist group, numbering around 14 million.
• Blacks soon after formed their own group, the National Baptists.
• In the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr and other peoples formed the Progressive Baptists.
• The Northern Baptists became the American Baptists after WWII. 
• In the 1990s a new group was formed, the American Baptist Evangelicals, over issues such as homosexuality. 

My whole essay on Baptist History

There is no agreement on when the Baptist church first started. Some sources say that it began with John the Baptist while others say that it started with John Symth in 1609. 


John is thought to have been born in 1570 and was a student at the university of Cambirdge. In 1593, he took his master's degree. In September 27, 1600, he was appointed preacher of the city of Lincoln. In 1606, after about nine months of hard thinking, studying the New Testament, John was convinced that infant baptism and other practices of the Church of England, and of the Roman Catholic church, was not biblical. So he left the church as their preacher and joined a group of Separatists. During this time, James I of England begand to persecute them and they fled to Amesterdam in Holland. 

So the group of thirty six, formed the first Baptist curch and stood for the baptism of believers only. He believed that the only real truth was based on the New Testament only and not on "outward ordianes and visible organiztion" (such as the Church of England). He thought that the only way to fix the problem was to form a new church, based solely on the Bible. Afterwards he first baptised himself, and was called the "Se-Baptist", (meaning that he baptised himself). He later on issued a Confession of Faith and that the church should inculde only baptiszed believers. 

Later on, Symth thought that what he had done was wrong and with others, left to apply to a Mennonite church. By now the church had been reduced to only ten members and soon disappeared all together after Symth's death in 1612. Sometime later, probably around 1611, Thomas Helwys, John Murton, and others returned to England to form the first Anabaptist church on English soil. These churches soon became known as General Baptists. 

By the year 1626 there were five such churches in England, though all were small, and in the aggregate contained about one hundred and fifty members. In 1644 they had increased to forty-seven churches.

Roger Williams established America's first baptist in 1639 in Providence, Rhode Island after being perscuted in Boston. John Clarke established a church nearby and helped spread the baptist's faith to Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Obadiah Holmes was perscuted in Boston for promoting Anabaptism. In 1707, the first "Association" was in Philadelphia. During the Great Awakening in 1739, Baptists became two groups, Regular (Arminian) and Separate (Calvinist). Both groups gained many members, especially among the lower classes. In 1800, Baptists was one of the largest Christian faiths in America. 

In 1840, Baptists split into Northern and Southern Baptists over the issue of slavery. After WWII the Southern Baptists moved into northern places and built a large missionary overseas. Southern Baptists make up the largest Baptist group, numbering around 14 million. Black Baptists formed their own churches after leaving white churches, they soon formed their own denomination, the National Baptists. 

In the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr and other peoples formed the Progressive Baptists. Most conservative churches became totally independant after breaking off in the 1930's from the General Association of Regular Baptists. The Northern Baptists became the American Baptists after WWII. In the 1990s a new group was formed, the American Baptist Evangelicals, over issues such as homosexulaity. 


My Experience with Baptists (and not just for this project):
Yes, I'm a Lutheran. But my dad and his side of the family are Baptists. So I've been to Baptist services before and I even got to see someone get baptized by Immersion. 


Resources
Baptist History
A Short History of the Baptists
A History of the Baptists


So, if you're Christian, what denomination are you? If you're not a Christian, what religion are you? Or do you not have a religion?


Sincerely,
Sareh