Pastor Thomas Helwys and twelve other congregants founded a new church in 1612 at Spitalfields, near the Liverpool Street Station in London today. This church was the result of the Bible being translated into English directly from the Greek manuscripts by a Catholic priest named William Tyndale in 1526. It exposed the corruption of the Catholic Church and its leaders. Tyndale would be defrocked, strangled at the stake and then his body burned by King Henry VIII and the Church Bishops for his crime of translating an "unauthorized version" of the Bible on Oct. 6, 1536. Unfortunately for King Henry, a new technology called the printing press could not be silenced and Tyndale's translation flowed into the island, igniting an English reformation.

First, the Baptist church would recognize the Word of God as the sole authority for all faith and practice in the life of the church. This was a direct attack on the spiritual authority of the King over the church. This belief proved to be costly.

Second, they rejected infant baptism as having any spiritual validity and found that the New Testament only provided one model for baptism. It was to be practiced only by a believer and they saw only immersion being practiced, advocating this as the biblical model. This sent shock waves throughout England as almost no one had received this kind of baptism. It invalidated the baptism of the King. This insistence on re-baptizing those who had been baptized as infants became their brand name, the "Baptists."

Third, they rejected the rule of the bishops and clergy over the congregation and stated that each congregation was responsible for itself. They had experienced firsthand what happens to the church when just a few privileged individuals ruled. Seeking to rule over God's people by power, the pulpit, personality, or governance structures is a sin. It contradicts the teaching of Jesus in Mark 10 and is expressly forbidden in 1 Peter 5. Christian leadership becomes truly great when it seeks to serve and lead by example. The difference between ruling and leading is that the followers are allowed to say no.

These teachings are just as biblical today as in 1612. They were not trying to fit in with the world rather they were calling the church back to God's Word. I believe that we are at the turning point of what being a Baptist really means. I also believe that churches and pastors who articulate these beliefs in clear terms to their community will find a compelling interest. Let's not hide who we are but advocate for what the Bible teaches us to be. We are a church under God's Word, an immersed and regenerate people and serving God and each other with a belief that God's church has equality for all.

written by Michael Stewart, Central Coast Baptist Association