The History of the Baptist Church

The Baptist church has a long and storied history. It has officially existed since the 17th century; however, many of the principles of the religion were followed for centuries before this. There are three main theories about how the church got started; this article briefly discusses each of these.

Secessionist theory

The first theory about how the Baptist church came to exist is called the secessionist theory. It was a popular theory in the 1700's to the 1920's. The belief of this theory is that the Baptist beliefs and actions began as early as John the Baptist. It says that the succession of baptism occurred by those who were properly baptized sharing their beliefs and traditions with the next generation.

Anabaptist theory

The second theory connects modern-day Baptists with the Anabaptists from Western Europe. The main controversy regarding this theory has to do with whether the Anabaptists practiced any form of submission baptismal. In some historical documents, there is proof that this occurred, while in others, it seems a myth.

English Separatist Decent theory

The final theory about the history of the Baptists is known as the English Separatist decent theory. This theory states that the Baptist beliefs began when English Separatists considered believers' baptism as a valid part of the Christian belief according to scripture.

There are other theories that have gained following over the years, some of which are backed up by famous ministers and philosophers. The history has had so many twists and turns, it is possible that historians may never pinpoint exactly when the religion was officially formed.