In the current baptism thread I made the statement:
"Baptists aren't always as confessional as they state."
Sadly, this is true, even among Reformed Baptists. Independency has many positive aspects. Unfortunately, adherence to our confession is not always one of them. The 1689 London Baptist Confession is a remarkable document. Like the WCF, it's not scripture. Both are man made documents that are faithful commentaries on the major doctrinal positions held by Baptists and Presbyterians. It pains my heart that so many Calvinistic or self proclaimed Reformed Baptists are ignorant of their own confession. There are various reasons as to why this is. Many Baptists on this board were not raised as Calvinists or Reformed Baptists. That is my story. I came to Baptist circles from Roman Catholicism and then to Calvinism nearly twenty years later. Many Bapists still have the remaining vestiges of dispensationalism and Arminian theology. They are hard habits to break. I speak from experience.
I don't claim to be an expert on the 1689 LBC. It is an object of my study and I have found it to be beneficial to my faith. I would urge my Baptist brethren to know the confession they claim to subscribe to. I am not singling any particular Baptist out on this board. This is more of a generalized statement than a specific indictment. It also doesn't stem from a jealousy of the Presbyterian stand on the WCF. I would expect many who have been raised Presbyterian to know the cathecism and the WCF like the back of their hand. Perhaps our Baptist preachers and elders need to know the LBC better. It needs to be part of the lexicon within our churches. I'd also like to see some more posts from Baptists on the LBC. Make it part of our discussion.
"Baptists aren't always as confessional as they state."
Sadly, this is true, even among Reformed Baptists. Independency has many positive aspects. Unfortunately, adherence to our confession is not always one of them. The 1689 London Baptist Confession is a remarkable document. Like the WCF, it's not scripture. Both are man made documents that are faithful commentaries on the major doctrinal positions held by Baptists and Presbyterians. It pains my heart that so many Calvinistic or self proclaimed Reformed Baptists are ignorant of their own confession. There are various reasons as to why this is. Many Baptists on this board were not raised as Calvinists or Reformed Baptists. That is my story. I came to Baptist circles from Roman Catholicism and then to Calvinism nearly twenty years later. Many Bapists still have the remaining vestiges of dispensationalism and Arminian theology. They are hard habits to break. I speak from experience.
I don't claim to be an expert on the 1689 LBC. It is an object of my study and I have found it to be beneficial to my faith. I would urge my Baptist brethren to know the confession they claim to subscribe to. I am not singling any particular Baptist out on this board. This is more of a generalized statement than a specific indictment. It also doesn't stem from a jealousy of the Presbyterian stand on the WCF. I would expect many who have been raised Presbyterian to know the cathecism and the WCF like the back of their hand. Perhaps our Baptist preachers and elders need to know the LBC better. It needs to be part of the lexicon within our churches. I'd also like to see some more posts from Baptists on the LBC. Make it part of our discussion.