Baptist and the Ecumenical Movement

In “Baptist and the Ecumenical Movement,” Briggs postulated that the origin of the Baptist movement begins in the history of the Radical Reformation and that “Within the logic of English Separatism, it is difficult not to see Baptists as naturally schismatic [movement]. ” Briggs help summarized the Baptist ecumenical movement by presenting twenty-one outline of movement. It was evident from the reading of the article that the Baptist movement came from those who wanted to desperately escape and be separated from the State Churches but at the same time did not want to is isolated from those who genuinely professed Christ.

However, knowing the challenge that exists of trying to separate from those that are unpretentious to those that are pretentious Briggs indicated that “Early Baptists, though separating from State Churches, were well aware of the dangers of becoming isolated and sectarian. ” It is for this reason that this reader believes that Briggs was able to highlight the Particular Baptist Confession of 1677 that encourages each church member to “Pray continually for the good and prosperity of all the churches of Christ in all places. ”

Of course no movement, specifically a religious one is ever to occur without the influential of someone and Briggs made this argument by introducing E. A. Payne who synthesis that early Baptists were influence in their ecclesiology by the work of John Owen’s True Nature of a Gospel Church, 1689. According to Briggs, John Owen stated, “The Church that confines its Duty unto the Acts of its own Assemblies, cuts itself off from the Church Catholick; nor will it be safe for any man to commit the Conduct of his Soul unto such a Church.

” This statement cited by Briggs on John Owen has been clearly misunderstood. John Owen was not advocate church isolationism for he was against it, rather he was discussing that isolationism is contrary to both life and well-being of individual soul and the church. There is a major difference between separation from the State Church and isolationism. That is, Baptists independence is not tantamount to isolationism.

John Owen in that statement stressed that isolationism is ultimately contrary to the purpose and mission of the Church and more important a complete and utterly defiance against the Lord. Though Briggs did not provide this in the article but the beginning part of Owen’s quote is “No Church therefore is so Independent, as that it can always, and in all Cases, observe the Duties it owes to the Lord Christ and the Church Catholick, by all those Powers by which it is able to act in itself distinctly without conjunction with others.

” Evidently, from this reader perspective, John Owen was for separation from the State Church, but against those churches that promote isolationism. Briggs’ article provides sufficient information regarding Baptists and the ecumenical movement in various form. For example, Briggs’ present the work of two renowned theologians who were in favor of wider patterns of interrelationship, individuals that have argued for both the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Baptist World Alliance (BWA).

The first was John Bunyan who wrote Water Baptism No Bar to Communion, a discourse in which Bunyan declares support for open communion in order that order may see the unity of the Church and the second was Thomas Grantham whose writing was based on churches coming together for the purpose of finding out of truth and that all Christians who claims the name of Christ would make one consistory at least sometimes to consider matters of difference among them.

It is apparent that Briggs’ mentioned the work of Bunyan and Grantham and the organization their represent for he too served on the same society and both Bunyan and Grantham played significant role of creating the two dimensions of ecumenism that Briggs defined as international and inter-confessional. The international and inter-confessional according to Briggs become an ecumenical question today and it addressed the question about “relating to other people who are [alike] but also relating to other people and groups who are nothing alike.

” Briggs’ article when on to discussed some of the historical challenges Baptists and the ecumenical movement. He addressed the persecution and lack of full civil rights, the issue concerning Bible Society (1804) and the Religious Tract Society (1799) over translation dispute and the problem of open and closed communion that Baptist encounter with the Evangelical Revival movement.

However, the crux of his article is though Baptists has been views by some to be isolate and separatists movement, through the rough times of persecution and theological disagreement, Baptists have always stand strong in promoting mission and evangelism throughout the world and have made a continuous effort of entering into critical dialogue with the leaders of other faith communities in order to promote the gospel message of peace. Through the sacrifices and dedication of many, Baptists have always contributed to disperse the gospel together with other followers. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Article