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WHY BAPTISTS ARE NOT PROTESTANTS

by Vernon C. Lyons

        In our country, people are put in one of three
religious groups.  If you are not a Jew or a Roman Catholic,
then automatically you are a Protestant.  Consequently,
Baptists are usually called "Protestants."  However, this does
not match the facts.  Baptists never have been Protestants.

        The Protestant Reformation is usually dated from
October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 THESES to
the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany.
However, this was only one of a series of acts that led to the
open rupture with Rome.

        An event of utmost importance but often unnoticed is
the Second Diet (or Council) of Speier, April 25, 1529.  This
was a Roman Catholic Council for the purpose of taking action
against the Turks and checking the progress of Lutherans and
others who were not cooperating with the Pope.  Certain
Lutheran princes appeared before this Roman Catholic Diet with
a formal written protest against those matters in which the
Diet went contrary to the Christian faith as they understood
it.

       This protest was signed by Elector John of Saxony,
Margrave George of Brandenburg, Dukes Ernest and Francis of
Braunschweig-Luneburg, Landgrave Philip of Hesse, Prince
Wolfgang of Anhalt and the representatives of fourteen
imperial cities.  The protest was designed to protect them
from the decisions of this Council.  It was a defensive
measure.  The celebratedf church historian, Philip Schaaf,
makes the noteworthy statement "From this protest and appeal,
the Lutherans were called Protestants."  (History of the
Christian Church, Volume VII, p. 692).  The same facts are
stated in the Catholic Encyclopedia (Volume XII, p. 495).

        These Lutheran leaders, and a few Reformed, who made
this appeal and protest at the famous Diet of Speier were
speaking for themselves and not for Baptists, of whom they
themselves said in their written statement, "All Anabaptists
and rebaptized persons, male or female, of mature age, shall
be judged and brought from natural life to death, by fire, or
sword, or otherwise, as many befit the persons, without
preceding trial by spiritual judges."  The Baptists then did
not share in this protest and consequently cannot bear the
name "Protestant."  Here are three reasons why Baptists are
not Protestants.

HISTORICALLY BAPTISTS ARE NOT PROTESTANTS

        Protestants date from the sixteenth century.  They are
the Lutherans, the Reformed and others who were once Roman
Catholics and left the Roman Catholic faith to start
denominations of their own.  The Baptists never left the Roman
Catholic church as did Luther, Calvin and Zwingli.  They never
left because they were never in.  They did not begin their
existence at the time of the Reformation but hundreds of years
prior to the Reformation.

        Baptists make no effort to trace a historical
succession back to the age of the Apostles.  Their only claim
is that at every age in church history there have been groups
that have held to the same doctrines that Baptists hold today.
These groups may or may not have been connected and they have
been known by various names.  There were the Montanists (150
A.D.), the Novatians (240 A.D.), Donatists (305 A.D.),
Paulicians (650 A.D.), Albigenses (1022 A.D.), Waldensians
(1170 A.D.) and the name Anabaptists came into prominence just
before the time of the Protestant Reformation.  Full
historical data immediately refutes the view that there was
only one religious group--the Roman Catholic church--until the
time of Martin Luther.  Anyone who claims this simply has not
done his homework.

        I wish to purposely introduce non-Baptist testimony to
the great antiquity of Baptist people.  Cardinal Hosius (1504-
1579) was a Roman Catholic prelate who had as his life work
the investigation and suppression of non-Catholic groups.

       By Pope Paul IV he was designated one of the three papal
presidents of the famous Council of Trent.  Hosius carried on
vigorously the work of the counter-reformation.  If anyone in
post-reformation times knew the doctrines and history of non-
Catholic groups, it was Hosius.  Cardinal Hosius says, "Were
it not that the Baptists have been grievously tormented and
cut off with the knife during the past 1,200 years, they would
swarm in greater number than all the Reformers" (Letters Apud
Opera, pp. 112, 113).

    Note carefully that this knowledgeable  Catholic
scholar has spoken of the vicious persecution
Baptists have endured, that he clearly distinguishes them from
the Reformers and that he dates them 1,200 years before the
Protestant Reformation.

        It is also evident that the Baptists were not
Protestants because they were fiercely persecuted by the
Protestant Reformers and their followers.  Uncounted thousands
of them lost their goods, their lands and their lives in these
persecutions.  Konrad Grebel died in prison in 1526.  Felix
Manz was drowned by the authorities at Zurich 1527.  Noted
Baptist leader Balthauser Hubmaier was burned alive at the
stake in Vienna March 10, 1528.  Three days later his wife was
drowned by being thrown over the Danube bridge with a stone
tied to her neck.  The facts abundantly attest that
historically Baptists are not Protestants.

DOCTRINALLY BAPTISTS ARE NOT PROTESTANTS

        The viewpoint that Baptists share common doctrinal
ground with Protestant groups is not an accurate reporting of
the facts.  There are six striking differences.

        (1)  Baptists believe with all their hearts that God's
Word alone is sufficient for faith and practice.  We read,
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is
profitable for doctrine..." (II Timothy 3:16).  Various
Protestant denominations have creeds, catechisms and assorted
doctrinal standards.  Baptists hold to the Bible alone.

        (2)  Baptists believe that Christ and only Christ is
the head of the Church even as the Scripture says, "Christ is
the Head of the Church" (Ephesians 5:23).  There is no man who
has the oversight of Baptist churches.  Baptists have no
denomination in the sense of an organization that controls
local congregations.  Each local church is autonomous and
accountable only to Christ, who is its Head.  A Baptist
church, while fellowshipping with congregations of like faith
and practice, has no headquarters in St. Louis, Nashville or
New York City.  Its headquarters is in Heaven.

        (3)  Baptists believe from their hearts in a free
church in a free state.  Christ plainly taught that the state
and the church each had its own realm when he said, "Render
therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto
God the things which are God's" (Matthew 22:21).  Baptists are
vigorously opposed to union of state and church and believe
that a state controlled church is a wretched excuse for
Christianity and a plain departure from Scripture.  All of the
Protestant Reformers fastened state churches upon their
followers!  Today Americans enjoy separation of church and
state because of the vigor and vigilance of Baptists in the
early days of our national history.

        (4) Baptists believe strongly in individual
accountability to God because the Scriptures clearly teach
that "everyone of us shall give account of himself to God"
(Romans 14:12).  A priest cannot answer for you, a church
cannot answer for you to God.  God-parents cannot answer for
you.  No one is saved because of what his parents believe.  No
one is saved because of his identification with any religion.
He will account for himself to God.  Protestants generally do
not hold this Scriptural doctrine.

        (5)  Baptist people furthermore have always held to
believers' baptism.  None of the Protestant Reformers held
this Bible teaching.  In the Scriptures faith and repentance
always preceded baptism.  On the day of Pentecost Peter
plainly told the people "Repent and be baptized" (Acts 2:38).
This obviously means that there is no infant baptism since
infants are incapable of repenting.  No unbelievers are to be
baptized.  The Reformers followed Rome in their teaching on
baptism.  Baptists have held stedfastly to the doctrine of
Christ and His Apostles on this point.

        (6)  Baptists on the basis of Scripture have always
held to a regenerate church membership, that is a membership
that is made up only of people who give a credible profession
of faith in Christ.  In the Apostolic church only those who
became believers, those who received the Word of God and who
had repented of their sins, were baptized and received as
church members (Acts 2:41).  There was no automatic or
formalistic membership in apostolic churches nor in Baptist
churches today.

        From the review of these simple points it is more than
clear that doctrinally Baptists are not Protestants.

PRACTICALLY BAPTISTS ARE NOT PROTESTANTS

        A few simple observations indicate that the Baptists
differ radically from Protestants on a number of points.  The
Protestant groups look to some human being as their founder,
often even taking their name from a man.  The Lutherans hark
back to Luther.  The Reformed look to John Calvin.  The
Presbyterians were founded by John Knox.  The Methodists
openly acknowledge John Wesley as their founder.  Who founded
the Baptist churches?  Here is a historical question worthy of
serious investigation.  It is impossible to find any one man
who gave rise to Baptist churches.  Rather if we would name
human founders, we must look back to Peter, Paul, James and
John.

        We differ from Protestants in our birthplace.
Lutherans come from Germany, the Reformed from Switzerland and
the Netherlands, the Presbyterians from Scotland,
Episcopalians from England but Baptists would have to give
Palestine as their place of origin.

        Furthermore the creed of Baptists is not the Augsburg
Confession, the Canons of Dort or the Westminster Confession
but the simple Word of God.  So it is impossible to identify
Baptists as Protestants.

        Baptists have never been linked with Protestants and
have never been identified with the Roman Catholic church.
Through the years before and after the Reformation, they have
maintained their identity and been faithful to the Scriptures.
Real Baptists hold to the plain teaching of Christ and the
Apostles.  For these God-given doctrines they have been
willing to die.  Hanz Denk, a sixteenth century Baptist said,
"Faith means obedience to the Word of God, whether it be unto
life or unto death."  For many it was death.

        In Rottenburg in Reformation times there were 900
executions of Baptists in less than ten years.  These deaths
were often vicious and cruel.  The sentence for one Baptist
believer, Michael Sateler, read, "Michael Sateler shall be
delivered to the hangmen, who shall take him to the place of
execution and cut out his tongue; he shall then throw him on a
cart and twice tare his flesh with hot tongs; then he shall
bring him to the city gate and there torture his flesh in the
same manner."  This was the way Sateler died in Rottenburg on
May 21, 1527.  His wife and other women were drowned and a
number of the men were beheaded.

        Baptists are not Protestants but hold tenaciously to
the original precepts and practices of Christ and the
Apostles.  Baptists believe the pure Word of God to be
sufficient authority in all matters.  Baptists reject all
human religious traditions and practices that have originated
since the time of the Apostles.