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Baptists
Baptists. One of the largest Protestant communions. Its origins in modern times are usually attributed to the action of John Smyth, a Separatist exile in Amsterdam, who in 1609 reinstituted the Baptism of committed believers as the basis of fellowship of a gathered Church. The first Baptist Church in England consisted of members of Smyth's congregation who had returned to London in 1612 under the leadership of Thomas Helwys. The Churches which sprang from this were Arminian in theology and came to be known as ‘General Baptists’. In 1633 the adoption of believers' Baptism by a group of Calvinistic London Separatists gave rise to ‘Particular Baptist’ Churches in many parts of the the country. Many Baptists were associated with the more radical spiritual and political movements of the 17th cent., but after the Restoration they moved close to the Presbyterians and Independents and became recognized as one of the Three Denominations of Protestant Dissenters. In the 18th cent. many ‘General Baptists’ came under Unitarian influences, but under the stimulus of the Evangelical Revival a ‘New Connexion’ was formed in 1770; it maintained a vigorous life and a century later united with the main stream of Baptist life. The Baptist Missionary Society, founded in 1792, initiated the modern missionary expansion among Protestant Churches. In the 19th cent. Baptists generally became less rigidly Calvinistic and most Baptist Churches welcomed all believers to Communion. The increase in numbers more than kept pace with the growth in population, but in Britain there has been a marked decline in the second half of the 20th cent.
In America the first Church on Baptist principles was established by Roger Williams in 1639. In the 18th cent. the Great Awakening led to the beginnings of rapid and spectacular growth. Baptist preachers were in the van as the frontier was carried westward and in many southern States Baptists became the largest religious community; about two thirds of the members of the Black Churches in the USA are Baptist. By 1997 there were over 33 million Baptists in N. America. They are organized in several Conventions, the Southern Baptist Convention being the largest and most conservative. In 1834 a Baptist Church was formed in Hamburg. From this came an extensive Baptist movement in Continental Europe, spreading to Slavic-speaking peoples. Baptists were generally persecuted in Tsarist Russia, increased in numbers during the early years of the Soviet regime but later suffered from the restrictions on religious freedom. After 1990 they grew significantly and now form the largest Protestant community in countries of the former USSR. In Australia and New Zealand Baptist Churches were formed in the early 19th cent. and in the 20th cent. Baptist work expanded in Asia, Africa and South America. In ecumenical relations Baptists have been hesitant about schemes for organic union because of their concern to preserve their witness to believers' Baptism and the autonomy of the local Church as the ‘gathered community’, though they have been eager for partnership and co-operation with other Christians. Only 22 Baptist Conventions or Unions are members of the World Council of Churches, but they comprise about 45 per cent of the world Baptist constituency. |
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Baptists." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Baptists." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Baptists.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Baptists." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Baptists.html |
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Baptists
Baptists, followers of the religious doctrine that baptism should be administered only to believers. The modern Baptist movement originated in England (1608), but soon divided into two groups: the General Baptists, who hold to the Arminian belief that Christ's atonement is not limited to the elect; and the Particular Baptists, who follow Calvinistic doctrine in contending that atonement is individual. The first Baptists in America, of the Particular belief, established a church in Rhode Island (1639) under the leadership of Roger Williams, although Williams soon withdrew. The next group, in the same colony, was led by John Clarke and Anne Hutchinson. Because of their opposition to child baptism, the Baptists were persecuted in New England, although they flourished in Pennsylvania and throughout the South. The strict Calvinistic belief of the Particular Baptists in the South has led to their being called Hard Shell Baptists. There have been various schisms, occasioned by such events as the Great Awakening and the Civil War, but the Baptists have grown in number, so that in 1990 there were over 28,000,000 members in 12 different churches. The Baptists are distinguished for founding such educational institutions as Colgate and Brown, and for such missionary work as that of Adoniram Judson.
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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Baptists." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Baptists." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-Baptists.html James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Baptists." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-Baptists.html |
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Baptist
Baptist Member of various Protestant and Evangelical sects who practise baptism of believers and regard immersion as the only legitimate form sanctioned by the New Testament. Like the Anabaptists, to whom they have an affinity but no formal links, they generally reject the practice of infant baptism, insisting that initiates must have freedom of thought and expression and must already be believers. Baptists originated among English dissenters of the 17th century, but have spread worldwide through emigration and missionary work. They uphold the principle of religious liberty. There is no official creed nor hierarchy and individual churches are autonomous. Baptists traditionally advocate the separation of Church and State. The Baptist World Alliance (founded 1905) holds regular international congresses. Today, the number of Baptists worldwide is estimated at more than 31 million.
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"Baptist." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Baptist." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Baptist.html "Baptist." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Baptist.html |
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Baptist
Baptist ♂ English form of Church Latin baptista, Greek baptistēs (a derivative of baptein ‘to dip’), the epithet of the most popular of the numerous saints called John. As an English given name it is used mainly in the United States by members of evangelical sects.
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Baptist." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Baptist." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Baptist.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Baptist." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Baptist.html |
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baptist
baptist a person who practises baptism; The Baptist is the epithet of St John of Chancery.
A Baptist is a member of a Protestant Christian denomination advocating baptism only of adult believers by total immersion. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "baptist." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "baptist." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-baptist.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "baptist." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-baptist.html |
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baptist
bap·tist / ˈbaptist/ • n. (Baptist) a member of a Protestant Christian denomination advocating baptism only of adult believers by total immersion. |
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"baptist." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "baptist." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-baptist.html "baptist." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-baptist.html |
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Baptist
Baptist ♂ (German) .
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Baptist." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Baptist." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Baptist1.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Baptist." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Baptist1.html |
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Baptist
Baptist
•fattist
•unpractised (US unpracticed)
•Esperantist, obscurantist
•Anabaptist, Baptist
•artist, Chartist
•clarinettist (US clarinetist), cornetist, duettist, librettist, vignettist
•leftist • dentist • transvestist • statist
•completist, defeatist, Docetist, élitist, graffitist
•pietist, quietist, varietist
•Semitist • Sanskritist • spiritist
•syncretist • portraitist
•anaesthetist (US anesthetist)
•rightist • finitist • orthodontist
•synoptist • flautist
•protist, unnoticed
•chutist, flutist, therapeutist
•absolutist • parachutist • cultist
•contrapuntist • occultist • scientist
•egotist
•dramatist, epigrammatist, melodramatist
•pragmatist • stigmatist • numismatist
•systematist • dogmatist • diplomatist
•hypnotist • immanentist • nepotist
•comparatist • indifferentist
•separatist • corporatist • Adventist
•Baathist • amethyst • telepathist
•homeopathist • farthest • furthest
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Cite this article
"Baptist." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Baptist." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Baptist.html "Baptist." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Baptist.html |
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