When you realize you're different, you begin to formalize that difference.

When you realize you're different, you're compelled to define and eventually codify the differences so you can train others and protect against change. It's the basis for everything from a clubhouse oath to the Declaration of Independence.

I never heard the term "Baptist distinctives" until I was in my 30's, but I had unwittingly internalized them during my 18 years in the GARBC (General Association of Regular Baptist Churches).

What's a Baptist distinctive?

Biblical Authority

The Bible is the final authority in everything; no person or decree can override it.

Autonomy of the Local Church

The local church is independent and accountable only to God and itself.

Priesthood of the Believer

No other mediator is needed between us and God.

Two Ordinances

Ie, two sacraments, believer's water baptism (by immersion), and communion.

Individual Soul Liberty

Free will and religious freedom.

Saved, Baptized Church Membership

You must first be saved (said a prayer of salvation) and be baptized before you can be a member.

Two Offices

Pastor and deacon.

Separation of Church and State

There are differences here, but the Baptists I know no more want to meddle in government affairs then they want the government meddling in theirs.

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The Prologue from the Code of Hammurabi, a probable
source for the Ten Commandments
(Wikimedia Commons)

Now, there is great strength of conviction and a long-standing tradition of loving sincerity in each of these, but they each also bring divisive consequences:

Biblical Authority

Eschewing the complementary authority of a body or person(s) outside the church inevitably leads to new local bodies that claim the same right, until you have 5,000+ denominations (and countless individuals) thinking they know best. No organization, man's or God's, can flourish that way.

Autonomy of the Local Church

See above.

Priesthood of the Believer

This privilege Christians have doesn't remove our need (and desire) to seek forgiveness in the company of others. All churches I know of practice some fashion of this; some, like my boyhood church, Bethel Baptist in Erie, PA, encourage a public appeal in front of the congregation for serious sins.

Two Ordinances

Since these are not sacraments as such, but observances, an enormous amount of joy is lost and grace never received because no one is looking for it where the rest of the church has been enjoying it for 2,000 years.

Individual Soul Liberty

Yes, but in practice this sometimes means "free to leave the errors of your church and join ours." But Baptists, just like Catholics and Lutherans and Episcopalians etc, will commend anyone who follows Jesus and their conscience.

Saved, Baptized Church Membership

Membership in a denomination is a necessary evil, a price we pay for fitting a divine institution into human structures. It reinforces commitment, consistency, constancy, and new members (babies), all good things in themselves, but over time every new baby wedges the door wider.

Two Offices

One of the legacies left by the Reformation is a belief that the early church contains all we need to know to conduct the affairs of the modern church. There's nothing wrong with limited government (I kind of like it), but setting yourself apart on account of it means you miss out on the fellowship of others who retain it.

I learned only recently that the two-office format is more Pauline and the three-office Ignatian; Ignatius was a student of the Apostle John. I don't think it's a stretch to call Protestantism more Pauline and Catholicism more Johannine in this regard.

Separation of Church and State

No disagreement here.

(See the full GARB list and commentary here >)

[2014-07-12]

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