05-27-2009, 11:08 PM
Wiki article on Baptists:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptists_in...ted_States
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Baptists have been present in the part of North America that is now the United States since the early seventeenth century. <b>The origins of the Baptist faith go back to the Reformation in England in the sixteenth century. Various dissenters, known as "Puritans", called for the Church of England to be stripped of its remaining Catholic influences and return to the simple faith of the New Testament Christians. These dissenters also called for strict accountability in their covenant with God.</b> One of the prominent dissenters who arose in the seventeenth century was John Smyth. <b>Smyth was a strong proponent of adult baptism and in 1609 went so far as to rebaptize himself and others. Smyth's action was a sign of the first English Baptist church. Smyth also introduced the Arminian view that God's grace is for everyone and not just predestined individuals.</b>
Both Roger Williams and Dr. John Clarke, his compatriot in working for religious freedom, are credited with founding the Baptist faith in North America.[1] <b>In 1639, Williams established a Baptist church in Providence, Rhode Island and Clarke began a Baptist church in Newport, Rhode Island.</b> According to a Baptist historian who has researched the matter extensively, "There is much debate over the centuries as to whether the Providence or Newport church deserved the place of 'first' Baptist congregation in America. Exact records for both congregations are lacking."[2] Baptist churches exist in each of the United States today. <b>It is estimated that more than 70% of all Baptists worldwide reside in the United States.</b>
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Map showing US demographics:
http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo200/...aptist.gif
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptists_in...ted_States
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Baptists have been present in the part of North America that is now the United States since the early seventeenth century. <b>The origins of the Baptist faith go back to the Reformation in England in the sixteenth century. Various dissenters, known as "Puritans", called for the Church of England to be stripped of its remaining Catholic influences and return to the simple faith of the New Testament Christians. These dissenters also called for strict accountability in their covenant with God.</b> One of the prominent dissenters who arose in the seventeenth century was John Smyth. <b>Smyth was a strong proponent of adult baptism and in 1609 went so far as to rebaptize himself and others. Smyth's action was a sign of the first English Baptist church. Smyth also introduced the Arminian view that God's grace is for everyone and not just predestined individuals.</b>
Both Roger Williams and Dr. John Clarke, his compatriot in working for religious freedom, are credited with founding the Baptist faith in North America.[1] <b>In 1639, Williams established a Baptist church in Providence, Rhode Island and Clarke began a Baptist church in Newport, Rhode Island.</b> According to a Baptist historian who has researched the matter extensively, "There is much debate over the centuries as to whether the Providence or Newport church deserved the place of 'first' Baptist congregation in America. Exact records for both congregations are lacking."[2] Baptist churches exist in each of the United States today. <b>It is estimated that more than 70% of all Baptists worldwide reside in the United States.</b>
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Map showing US demographics:
http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo200/...aptist.gif