John Smyth
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John Smyth
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Believer's Baptism John Smyth (1554-1612) could be claimed as the founder of the Baptist church. An ordained Anglican cleric, he joined the Separatist movement in early 17th century England, and lead a small group of puritans to Holland to avoid King James' religious persecution. Covenanting together, his small band of pilgrims formed the first church based both on New Testament principles and believer's baptism. Unfortunately, Smyth was not satisfied with his creation and left it to pursue another. However, a small group of his followers remained true to this "Baptist" church and returned to England with a developed doctrine and set of beliefs. Smyth may have been an unwilling father of the Baptist movement, but his search for religious truth and his willingness to sacrifice makes his story a powerful one to share to modern Christians. (Pictured above-left is Dr. Cranford as Rev. John Smyth; Pictured above right is a stained-glassed window found at Highland Baptist Church in Louisville, KY)
John Smyth: Seeking the True Church (Cranford, Posting soon) Additional Research links: The Dangers of Dissimulation- Quenching the Spirit in John Smyth ... A History of the Baptists, John T. Christian | The Reformed Reader The Whitsitt Controversy, By WD Nowlin Short Biography of John Smyth, Baptists Short Confession of Faith by John Smyth Baptists Did Not Begin With John Smyth, the Munsterites ... Mercer University Press- The Theology of John Smyth MennoLink Books and Music- John Smyth's Congregation HBC, JOHN SMYTH (top left panel) |
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