The
Duty of Baptists
TO TEACH
Their Distinctive Views.
By
John A. Broadus, D.D.
Professor in the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Louisville, Kentucky.
"The tendency of human nature is usually not to neglect religious externals, but to exaggerate or pervert them."
"These things certainly show it to be a very desirable that we should bring our Christian brethren around us to know our distinctive opinions, in order that we may at least restrain them from wronging us through ignorance."
"But why should we wish to make Baptists of our Protestant brethren? Are not many of them noble Christians—not a few of them among the excellent of the earth? If with their opinions they are so devout and useful, why wish them to adopt other opinions? Yes, there are among them many who command our high admiration for their beautiful Christian character and life; but have a care about your inferences from this fact. The same is true even of many Roman Catholics, in the past and in the represent; yet who doubts that the Romanist system as a whole is unfavorable to the production of the best types of piety? And it is not necessarily an arrogant and presumptuous thing in us if we strive to bring honored fellow-Christians to views which we honestly believe to be more scriptural, and therefore more wholesome."
"He who tries to win people from other denominations to his own distinctive views may be a sectarian bigot; but he may also be a humble and loving Christian."
"Those who insist that Christianity is unfriendly to scientific investigations almost always point to the Romanists; they could not with the least plausibility say this of Baptists."
2 comments:
Truth is hard, but perhaps that is what makes it so valuable.
I'm curious about your opinion. Did you find these quotes to be particularly profound, or do they represent your existing views? What about 1 Corinthians 3, on cooperation and peace in the church, and letting each man's work "be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will recieve his reward."
And has there really been a significant argument against winning people to one's denomination? Isn't the greater issue that perhaps this is a less important goal than reaching out to those who have no knowledge of Christ at all?
Indeed, reaching people for Christ is of far greater importance. However, just because something is of lesser importance, that does not make it unimportant. The overall essay is far greater at explaining such things but i didn't feel like posting a 36 page article.
The basic reasoning that i gathered from this was:
-We hold to our particular denominational beliefs because we believe them to be best. Not the only, just the best.
-Just like sharing our faith in Christ, if we truly believe in something than we are going to want to help others see the greater truth.
I actually see it a greater defense for denominational cooperation because it empowers one to not be ashamed of their beliefs.
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