What It Means To Be A Baptist 3 - Some Puritan History

Even when I was very young, the meaning of being a Baptist was important to me. As fate would have it, it was a important issue for my family. The next few posts contain some basic information on Baptists and some personal thoughts. These are my notes and thoughts; some things I do not want to forget. 

That being said, this post may only be of interest to those of us who have Virginia Baptist roots. 

Isaiah 55
6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

It seems to me to be of little doubt that Baptist history and Baptist tradition include strong strains of Puritanism and Calvinism.  I've written quite a bit about Baptists and Calvinism - too much maybe - but not about Puritans.  Following is some information on early Baptists in Virginia and in America.

From A General History Of The Baptist Denomination In America, By David Benedict, 1913: Virginia is famous for being the oldest State in the Union, for always containing the largest number of inhabitants, for producing many distinguished statesmen; and it [has also] been distinguished for containing within its bounds a larger number of the Baptist denomination, than any of the other States [as of 1813]. We cannot, however, learn that any of the original settlers of Virginia were Baptists, nor do we find any of this denomination in the country, until more than a century after its settlement.

From Baptist History From Fred G. Zaspel:  Baptists in America, although having certain theological similarities to Continental Anabaptism, have no historical connection with them. Their descent from Colonial Puritanism is obvious and also explains the dominance of Calvinistic theology.

About David Benedict, 1779-1874, A Great Baptist Historian and Preacher:  David was born in Norwalk, Connecticut in1779. He was converted to Christ at the age of 20. His relationship with Christ spurred an interest in learning and especially Baptist History. During his ministry he began to compile extensive material relating to the history of Baptists through the centuries. After he retired from his pastorate he spent the rest of his life writing and publishing the material he had compiled. It is especially interesting that the 95 years of Benedict's life has been so little spoken of, while he wrote so much about the lives of other Baptists. But is that not the mark of godliness? His was a life of humility and exalting the work of the Saviour in others' lives.

About Fred G. Zaspel: Pastor Zaspel was for many years pastor of Word of Life Baptist Church here in Pottsville and adjunct professor of New Testament at Penn State University (Schuylkill Campus).He has studied at Bob Jones University (Greenville, SC), Denver Baptist Theological Seminary (Denver, CO), Valley Baptist Theological Seminary (Minneapolis, MN), Biblical Theological Seminary (Hatfield, PA), and the Pennsylvania State University. He holds a B.A. in Bible, with a minor in Greek (1980); an M.A. in Pastoral Studies (1981), an M.A. (with honors) in New Testament (1993), a Th.M. (with highest honors) in New Testament (1994), and a Ph.D. in Theology (2010).

I find the connection between Puritans and Baptists intriguing. I think, if I had a mind for it, I'd like to write a book about Baptists and their Puritan roots, maybe just to occupy some spare time.