rural_preacher said:
Danfrey brought up a point in another thread that seems to be a common misunderstanding. He thought that Baptists are usually associated with Calvinism (other than Free Will Baptists).
I would like to offer a clarification (y'all can take it or leave it).
"Baptist" is not a name that describes or defines any particular Systematic or Dogmatic Theology. The name "Baptist" refers to polity.
An
individual cannot be a "Baptist" apart from being a member of a Baptist church. Only
local church bodies are "Baptist". That is because the word "Baptist" is descriptive of a historically held set of beliefs concerning the structure, function and authority of the local church (thus...polity).
Many times the word "Baptist" is used as an acrostic to outline those beliefs that are referred to as "Baptist Distinctives".
Biblical Authority
Autonomy of the Local Church
Priesthood of all believers
Two church ordinances - baptism, Lord's Supper
Individual Soul Liberty
Saved, baptized church membership
Two church officers - Pastor (Elder) and Deacon
Although there are some variations and differences on some of these points among Baptists, these are generally regarded as "Baptist Distinctives". Of course, there are other non-baptist churches that believe in some or all of these as well (thus making me wonder just how distinctive we really are...but that's another subject).
As one can see, what makes a church "Baptist" has nothing to do with Dogmatic Theology (such as: Calvinism, Arminianism, Covenantism, Dispensationalism, etc., etc., etc.). In regard to Systematic/Dogmatic Theology, Baptist churches are full of variety.
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Rural Preacher,
In large part I agree whole-heartedly with your discussion of what a Baptist is. But, part of where Danfrey's confusion may be coming from is because of the roots of most Baptists in the United States.
Modern Baptists in America trace their heritage to the early English Baptists of the Reformation period. These early forerunners were divided into two groups-the General Baptists and the Particular Baptists. The General Baptists were not as Calvinistic, and certainly did not believe in a particular atonement. They believed in a general atonement, that is, that the death of Christ had a general design towards all men. The Particular Baptists believed in a limited atonement.
Second, we find that these Particular Baptists of the seventeenth century were the more influential of the two groups. Their Calvinism was reflected in two confessions of faith, the First London Confession of 1644 and the Second London Confession of 1689.
We find strong and clear statements on election in each of them as follows:
And touching his creature man, God had in Christ before the foundation of the world, according to the good pleasure of his will, foreordained some men to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of his grace, leaving the rest in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of his Justice.
First London Confession, 1644
By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory some men and Angels are predestinated, or fore-ordained to Eternal Life, through Jesus Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace; others being left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of his glorious justice. These Angels and Men thus predestinated, and foreordained are particularly, and unchangeably designed, and their number so certain, and definite, that it cannot be either increased, or diminished. Those of mankind that are predestinated to life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret Counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of his mere free grace and love; without any other thing in the creature as a condition or cause moving him thereunto.
Second London Confession, 1689
Beyond even English history, we find that Baptists in early America shared the same viewpoint as evidenced in their greatest confession of faith, the Philadelphia Confession of Faith. In fact, this confession was pretty much a reproduction of the Second London Confession, except for a few extra categories. But as far as the subject of divine election, it read exactly the same.
The widespread influence of this Philadelphia Confession was evidenced by a statement found in one very reliable source. That source stated that, Throughout the South it shaped Baptist thought generally and has perhaps been the most influential of all confessions (Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists, Volume I, p. 308).
When and Why Did Baptists Lose Their Calvinism?
These two questions are so closely related that if we discover the answer to one we will also uncover the other. But the answer to these two questions is not easy to find.
After pouring over dozens of books on Baptist history, and after giving it much thought and meditation, the answer was uncovered. Even then it can not be stated in a short and simple manner. To state it in summary fashion would be as follows: Baptists lost their Calvinism sometime in the past one hundred years due to the influence of the two great awakenings and the events which accompanied them.
To elaborate, Baptists were strong Calvinists in their early history in America as evidenced in the already mentioned Philadelphia Confession of Faith. This confession would have to be dated in the early part of the eighteenth century, perhaps about 1725.
When the first Great Awakening of 1740 (which by the way was a Calvinistic movement) exploded on the scene of early American history, Baptists were not involved in it. Baptists became involved in it as members of the established churches, who had experienced revival and renewal, left to join Baptist churches. These individuals were known as Separates, and they brought to the Baptist churches the spirit of the awakening, which was good, but they also brought some dangerous tendenciesa distrust of the established clergy, a view of the immediate illumination of the Holy Spirit, etc.
The excesses of this first great awakening were dangerous and damaging to Baptist life in America. Baptists began to move in the direction of a spirit of the anti-theological or non-theological in their attitudes and thinking. They became very pietistic, with strong appeal to the emotions. They came to undervalue ministerial education. They became somewhat anti-education and anti-historical. They began to fear creeds and confessions of faith. Up to this time confessions of faith and even catechisms were used by Baptists without question or apology.
When the second Great Awakening of about 1830 struck, Baptists were already in the middle of the modification of some of their thinking, with a modified Calvinism beginning to develop. Though Calvinism was still very strong, tendencies continued and even other tendencies were birthed which were to become a further threat to the remaining influence of Calvinism. Pietism was primary, while doctrinal aspects were secondary. Individualism in life began to reign, as opposed to corporate concerns being primary. Strong opposition to confessions developed.
This is not to say that Baptists fled their Calvinistic heritage at this point of history. It is to say that some tendencies, not all of them bad, began to develop, which if carried to an extreme could become very detrimental to their doctrinal heritage.
To summarize, the Calvinism of Baptists was under constant and direct attack in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, first from the revivalism of the Separates, then by Methodist Arminianism, and also from the Free Will Baptist movement, and finally from Charles G. Finney. Having embraced revivalism and its tendencies after the first great awakening, and having been suddenly vaulted to great prominence and influence among the people and the religious scene in America, Baptists were very interested in keeping their newly acquired religious leadership and in keeping their movement growing. As time wore on, the remnants of their Calvinism were still strong in some places, though modified. But even that amount of Calvinism became more difficult to defend before the simple, uneducated, common-sense man or even the rational, educated, philosophically trained man. Instead of continuing to hold and defend their Calvinistic theology, they strained their Calvinistic theological framework to accommodate the new religious mood of the day.
The change was slow, and Calvinism continued to be held and defended by some even into the twentieth century. But by the middle of that century, Calvinism was all but dead among Baptists, except for a weakened definition of the fifth point. Baptists of past history called the fifth point the perseverance of the saints. Baptists of the middle years of the twentieth century called it The eternal security of the believer.
History abounds with great Baptists who were Calvinists. The following is a partial list:
1. Isaac Backus, New England Baptist born 1724.
2. John Leland, New England Baptist born 1754.
3. James P. Boyce, founder and first president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
4. J.L. Dagg, an early Southern Baptist theologian.
5. P.H. Mell, president of the Southern Baptist Convention for seventeen years, longer than any other president ever served.
6. Adoniram Judson, born in 1788, was the first foreign missionary to go forth from the United States.
7. Charles H. Spurgeon, the great English preacher and pastor of the nineteenth century.
Doh!
Thanks bro!! 
