“The King is a mortal man, and not God. Therefore, he has no power over the souls of his subjects; he has no power to make laws for their souls; he has no power to set spiritual Lords over them. If the King did have such authority, then he would be an immortal God and not mortal man. O King, do not be seduced to sin against God nor against your poor subjects by making such laws.” So reads the inscription in the front of Thomas Helwys’ A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity … [Read more...]
Our Baptist heritage: freedom of conscience
“The King is a mortal man, and not God. Therefore, he has no power over the souls of his subjects; he has no power to make laws for their souls; he has no power to set spiritual Lords over them. If the King did have such authority, then he would be an immortal God and not mortal man. O King, do not be seduced to sin against God nor against your poor subjects by making such laws.” So reads the inscription in the front of Thomas Helwys’ A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity … [Read more...]
Our Baptist Heritage: Why does it matter?
“Several days past have been days of great labor, toil, and hurry, with me; and I have reason to fear that I have not taken time enough for private devotion.” So begins the diary entry of English Baptist pastor Dan Taylor on June 25, 1767. Theologically orthodox, Taylor effectively ministered to his congregation and his community each and every week. But that morning he confessed that the work of ministry of the last few days had pressed so hard upon him that he had neglected his … [Read more...]
Is the Reformation over?
JEFFERSON CITY – Having been warned that all Baptist campus ministries were not equally committed to the authority of Scripture and the necessity of evangelism, I joined Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru) as a first year student at the University of Virginia. In Cru, I met students from a wide variety of denominational backgrounds: Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Episcopalians and, yes, Roman Catholics. Having grown up in a strongly Catholic area, I knew that doctrinal dissonance existed … [Read more...]