Roger Williams by Dramatic Distinctives

Roger Williams

Democratic Church Polity

Roger Williams (c. 1604-1683) is by far the best known Baptist in colonial America who advocated Religious Liberty. Born in England and raised in the Anglican Church he became a cleric but grew disillusioned with the religious persecution that existed in his Church. Hearing of the religious diversity in America, he crossed the Atlantic with his family to find a tolerant community for his radical religious views. Unfortunately, Williams found that the Boston Congregationalists as un-accepting of divergent views as the King's Church in England. Chief among William's heretical views was that Williams sought equitable trading practices and land acquisitions between the colonies and native Americans. Removed from the Boston colony, he migrated northward to found an independent community based on religious liberty and democratic principles. Using Baptist church polity as his model and help from Native Americans, he developed the first democracy in the New World. It would be two hundred years before another democracy would be formed. Ironically, he did not remain a Baptist long but became a seeker of religious truth. Hearing Rogers story, congregations today gain insights to the strengths and weaknesses of their church organizational structure and an understanding of the Baptist's role in creating the American experiment with democracy.