"Listening to the Past – Lessons from Andrew Fuller" 8

February 12, 2007

Sorry for the delay guys! It’s been a busy couple of weeks!

This next selection from Fuller comes from a sermon he preached titled, “The Obedience of Churches to Their Pastors Explained and Enforced.” It was preached to the Baptist Church at Cannon Street in Birmingham at the ordination of Thomas Morgan on June 23, 1802.

It can be found in Works, I:202.

From these remarks, you see and feel, my brethren, that if your pastor perform his work with grief, it will be at your expense; or that every kind of treatment that woulds his spirit undermines your own welfare. Study, therefore, by all means, to render it his joy, which will turn to your account: study, by a constant discharge of kind offices, to endear yourselves and your families to him; by an inviting intimacy in spiritual things, to known and be known by him; and by a holy, humble, and uniform conduct int eh world and in the church, to enable him to look the enemies of religion in the face, while he proclaims its holy efficacy. The reward of a true pastor is in the people of his charge, in their sanctification and salvation. What else is h hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Do not withhold from the labourer his hire! You may be his hope, without being his joy; and his hope and joy for a season, without being his crown of rejoicing in the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, at his coming: but need I sy that this will be unprofitable o you? If he have a full reward of his labour, you must be his hope, and joy, and crown. Brethren, consider what I have said, and the Lord give you understanding in all things.

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Tremendous New Resource for the Study of Baptist History

February 2, 2007

A new resource exists out there on the WWW for the study of Baptist History. It is called Baptist Studies Online. It includes an annual peer-reviewed journal (The Journal for Baptist Studies), primary documents, relevant links for Baptist Studies, and announcements from the academic world of Baptist Studies. I am including below the information from the website regarding “About Baptist Studies Online.”

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Introduction

Baptist Studies Online (BSO) is a website dedicated to the study of Baptist history and thought, with special emphasis on Baptists in North America. The purpose of BSO is to facilitate the scholarly study of Baptists by making available to researchers and students an online journal, a primary source library, a comprehensive collection of Baptist history-related links, and a regularly updated list of announcements related to the field. BSO is a collaborative effort by Baptist scholars from a variety of traditions, with technical support provided by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

The Journal of Baptist Studies

At the heart of BSO is The Journal of Baptist Studies (JBS). JBS is an electronic, peer- reviewed journal dedicated to the study of Baptist history and thought. The journal is produced under the editorial oversight of a Board of Editors representing numerous Baptist denominations and both religious and secular institutions. JBS does not advocate a particular theological or denominational agenda, but rather reflects the scholarship of individuals who identify with a number of positions and affiliations. The editor of JBS is Keith Harper, professor of Church History at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Unlike many print journals, JBS is not a biannual or quarterly publication. Rather, JBS publishes articles as they clear the peer-review process. Every year of publication represents a single volume of JBS, similar to an annually published print periodical. JBS welcomes article submissions related to any field of Baptist history. For more information about the article submission process, please see our Submission Policies or email JBS editor Keith Harper.

One of the unique features of JBS is the book reviews. Whereas most journals focus on recent publications in their chosen field of study, JBS reviews significant books in Baptist studies that are both current and “classic,” as well as works that are broader than Baptist studies but have direct bearing on the craft of Baptist history. If you are interested in reviewing a book for JBS, please see the appropriate section under our Submission Policies or email JBS associate editor Nathan Finn.

Primary Source Library

Baptist Studies Online is more than just an online journal. One of the most helpful features of the website is an ever-expanding library of primary source material related to Baptist history and identity. The site will eventually include confessions, circular letters, sermons, biographies, and a variety of other materials helpful to researchers. The ultimate goal is to provide a library that is representative of every branch of Baptists, particularly in North America. If you would like to suggest a primary source to be added to BSO, please email JBS editor Keith Harper.

Baptist Studies Links

The ongoing growth of the internet has greatly enhanced the ability of researchers to connect with various historical societies, study centers, and archives/repositories related to Baptist history. BSO is building a comprehensive list of helpful links as a guide to the wealth of Baptist studies-related material available on the internet. If you would like to suggest a link to be added to BSO, please email JBS associate editor Nathan Finn.

Announcements

Like many print journals or study center websites, BSO is committed to keeping scholars and students of Baptist history informed about happenings in the field of Baptist studies. To that end, BSO will regularly alert readers to upcoming conferences, funding opportunities, and other information of interest. If you would like to add a forthcoming event or other announcement to BSO, please email JBS associate editor Nathan Finn.

Join Our Email List

We want to keep you informed about what we are doing at BSO. If you would like to receive email updates from BSO whenever new JBS articles, book reviews, and primary sources are added to the website, please send an email to JBS editor Keith Harper. Your confidentiality is guaranteed; BSO will never share your email address or any other personal information with any third party for any reason.

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This will prove to be an invaluable resource for the study of Baptist History. Keith Harper and Nathan Finn should be commended for providing this to the online community. I hope to submit my own paper to the JBS in the near future!

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Posted by allenmickle

Baptist Distinctives – Autonomy of the Local Church

February 1, 2007

Autonomy of the Local Church

Autonomy does not mean autonomy from God’s authority and leadership, or indulgence in carnal or worldly living, or isolated from the world by neglecting to give the gospel to others and from other Christians of like faith. We are constrained by the love of God to evangelize the lost and fellowship with God’s people living in obedience to His commands. Autonomy does mean though that we are not part of any denomination. While it is true that denominations have some apparent advantages, they tend on the other hand to become man-centered and emphasize tradition. Often denominational loyalty replaced loyalty to Christ and His Word.

There are three key passages of Scripture that we can look at which informs our understanding of the autonomy of the local church.

Acts 6:5 gives a major example of the local church acting on their own accord without outside influence. It reads, “And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch” (ESV). This verse is found in the context of the selection of deacons to help with the temporal affairs of the local church. The apostles found that there was too much going on in the church and that the temporal affairs of the people were preventing them on focusing on their main responsibilities of prayer, and study of the Word for the purpose of preaching and teaching. Their recommendation was to have the church pick out some men who could accomplish these tasks. They gathered all the disciples (church) and told them this. It pleased the whole group and the group selected the 7 men to serve as the first deacons. It was the local congregation that made the decision in this and there was no outside influence that determined this decision. The authority resides within the local church, not in some larger hierarchical group.

1 Corinthians 16:1–3 gives further example of the local church’s autonomy. This passage reads, “Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem.” The circumstances revolved around Paul instructing the church in Corinth regarding how they could help support other local churches, in this case, the churches in Jerusalem. Paul tells them he will come by and give letters of introduction to the men the church at Corinth has chosen before they go to Jerusalem with their monetary gifts. The selection of these men was done “in-house.” The decisions are made within the local congregation. Again, there is no outside group determining how or what should occur within the local church. Each local congregation is technically independent from any other.

Acts 15:22–23 adds to our understanding of autonomy. The passage reads, “Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings.” The context of this passage is that some were trying to get Gentile converts to obey the Mosaic law along to be saved as well. The church at Jerusalem wanted to help to inform the other churches about what God’s Word said regarding the inclusion of Gentiles into Christianity. With this letter the church decided they wanted to send some men to travel with Paul and Barnabas with the letter. It was this local church that wrote the letter and sent it with men they chose. Again, there is no outside influence of some other hierarchical group. This whole work is the work of one local church. This church was independent from the others.

Ultimately, these examples serve to show us the autonomy of the local church. Each individual church determined their own processes and procedures. They elected their own officials. They were the source of their own authority. The authority of the church ultimately rests in Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone but authority is derived from that through the leaders of the church and the congregation as a whole. The Scriptures teach that each individual congregation as informed by the Word makes their decisions.

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Posted by allenmickle

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