John Murton on the Inspiration and Authority of Scripture
One of the great battles among twentieth-century Protestants has been the inspiration and authority of Scripture. However, debates regarding inspiration and authority had been engaged for many years prior. Even in the eighteenth century, prominent figures questioned the reliability of the biblical text as Enlightenment principles led some to question the miracles recorded in Scripture and the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. Even...
Samuel Richardson’s Use of John Murton and Roger Williams on Religious Liberty
In the past couple of years, a great deal of discussion has occurred regarding Baptist political theology. It has often focused on what Baptists in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries taught on religious liberty and how Baptists today should approach religious liberty in post-Christian America. Some self-professed Baptists have even advocated for forms of Magisterial Protestantism, which is at odds with Baptist political theology...
Nine Early Baptist Texts on Religious Toleration Everyone Should Read
by Jesse Owens and Jake Stone One of the hallmarks of early English Baptists is their defense of religious toleration. I (Jesse) have argued in previous essays (here and here) that early Baptist arguments for religious toleration were neither dependent on Enlightenment ideals nor were they accidental to Baptist theology. These two points are closely related. First, early Baptist arguments for religious toleration were not dependent...
Is Religious Toleration Accidental to Early Baptist Theology?
There has been much discussion recently on Baptist views regarding religious toleration. The discussion has covered issues such as: whether religious toleration was widely held among early Baptists, whether religious toleration is essential to Baptist identity, whether arguments for religious toleration were merely a response to the persecution that early Baptists faced rather than something more essential to Baptist theology, and...
A Historical Sketch of Thomas Helwys
Upon reading the mission statement of the Helwys Society Forum, some readers have inquired about the origin of its name. Who was Helwys? Why is he important? Readers may begin with the page entitled Why Helwys? This post will expand upon the information on that page. Although I could say much more about this man and his legacy, my comments will introduce him and some of his teachings. Thomas Helwys (c. 1575–c. 1616) was an English...
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