ROFL. Again. Nice statements, but they don't fit the historical reality of the situation. Blessings, Randy Pastor Hughes wrote: > lutheran.......pro test ant........ > came out of catholic church > > > baptist....based on first church > came from Jesus and His cousin > > no protesting .....just pure undefiled > religion....... > > this is fun stuff > cant sleep > got insomnia > > help > i think i will count sheep > or just pastors that greeted david back > > one two three.....and me heheheheh > pastor hughes > ----- Original Message ----- From: <shieldwolf@...> > To: <pastorsforum@...> > Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 7:19 PM > Subject: Re: [PastorsForum] Why I am a Baptist by Noel Smith > > >> This guy is funny. He sure doesn't know history very well. Perhaps he >> should speak to Lutheran Pastor and renowned Ancient History Professor, >> Dr. Paul Maier of Western Michigan University. I'm sure that Dr. Maier >> (or his brother Dr. Walter Maier II -- Professor of NT at Concordia >> Seminary Ft Wayne, or his nephew, Dr. Walter Maier III, Professor of >> Hebrew at Concordia Ft Wayne) might be able to help correct this below >> gentleman's misinformation. >> >> Look, if you want to be a Baptist, be one. No worries. But please do >> some >> actual historically verifiable study on the subject. And Be HONEST >> about >> it. Much of what is Baptist is Baptist because their is no way in hades >> that they would ever, ever do something that might possibly be in >> some way >> considered Roman Catholic. That is even more reactionary than we >> "Protestants" would ever think of being. >> >> Again, I love Baptists. My parents are Baptists. My brothers and their >> families are Baptists. My undergrad is through a Baptist >> University. I'm >> only asking that you be honest about the actual reality of the >> history and >> this below is not. >> >> And before you suggest it, yes, I have Broadbent's book the Pilgrim >> Church >> on my shelf and no it is not historically accurate. >> >> OK. I'm done. Be happy. Be Baptist, but please be honest with the >> facts. >> >> Blessings, >> Randy >> >> >> >>> * >>> *Blog today >>> *Why I am a Baptist >>> >>> **By the late Dr. Noel Smith >>> >>> >>> * >>> Baptists are a people. They have a historical identity. They have a >>> historical image. Their continuity is the longest of any Christian >>> group >>> on >>> earth. Their doctrines, principles, and practices are rooted in the >>> apostolic age. I am not a Pharasaical sectarian but I don't confuse >>> Baptists with the Reformers. The Reformers wanted to reform the Roman >>> Catholic Church; the Baptists were against the church, because it >>> was not >>> a >>> New Testament church. >>> >>> Protestantism originated in the Reformation. Protestantism is >>> "protestism." >>> That's a Negative. Negativism has within it the seed of its own >>> disintegration. The Baptists were not reformers. They were not >>> protesters. >>> They were positive. >>> >>> *Freedom of conscience is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist >>> doctrine. >>> >>> Religious liberty is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist >>> doctrine. >>> >>> Believer's baptism is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist >>> doctrine. >>> >>> >>> Baptism of the believer by immersion in water, symbolizing the >>> believer's >>> death, burial and resurrection with Christ is not a Reformation >>> doctrine; >>> it >>> is a Baptist doctrine. * * >>> >>> The local, visible, autonomous assembly, with Christ as its only >>> head and >>> the Bible as its sole rule of faith and practice, is not a Reformation >>> doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. >>> >>> **Worldwide missions are not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist >>> doctrine. * The Reformers had no missionary vision and no missionary >>> spirit. For almost two hundred years after the Reformers, the >>> Reformation >>> churches felt no burden to implement the Great Commission. >>> >>> What kind of world would the Western world have been had Protestantism >>> became its master? Who but the Baptist kept Protestantism from >>> becoming >>> master? The general attitude today is that the truth is determined >>> by the >>> passing of time; that there aren't eternal, abiding truths. "You can't >>> turn >>> the clock back. Time invalidates all truth. Time invalidates one >>> set of >>> truth and fastens another set upon us." Baptist history repudiates >>> this >>> philosophy of fatalism. Baptists today are believing, teaching, >>> preaching >>> and practicing the truths that they believed, taught, preached and >>> practiced >>> two thousand years ago. It gives me a feeling of stability to reflect >>> that >>> I, as a Baptist, am in the stream of this long continuity of faith and >>> practice. The Baptist people are a great continuity ... a great >>> essence >>> ... >>> a great dignity. The world never needed them more than it needs them >>> today. >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Bro. Jeff Hallmark >>> www.sprucelandbaptist.com >>> http://baptist-potluck.blogspot.com/ >>> >>> To subscribe, send a message to: pastorsforum-join@... >>> >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to: >>> pastorsforum-unsubscribe@... >>> >> >> To subscribe, send a message to: pastorsforum-join@... >> >> To unsubscribe, send a message to: >> pastorsforum-unsubscribe@... >> >> > > To subscribe, send a message to: pastorsforum-join@... > > To unsubscribe, send a message to: pastorsforum-unsubscribe@... > >