The Field Location

these policies and practices, we shall look at the development of the NBC's distinctive beliefs and practices, basic beliefs that Baptists share with other denominations and Baptist distinctive beliefs and policies/practices

.

4.1. Development of the Nigerian Baptist Convention's distinctive beliefs and practices

The Nigerian Baptist Convention's doctrinal position and practices (policies) did not develop in a vacuum. Their development can be traced to several confessions and statements of faith before they attained their present position. The first official document of Baptist doctrinal position was written by Thomas Helwys in 1611. He believed in the general atonement, which refers to the fact that Jesus' work of salvation is for all not for those who had been predestined to be saved. This was against Calvinist' theology of predestination. The statement of faith Helwys wrote in 1611 was titled "A short and plain proof by the word and works of God, that God's decree is not the cause of any man's sin or condemnation and that all men are redeemed by Christ as also the infants are condemned." The emphasis of his position was that Jesus died for the world in general. Those who held this doctrinal position were referred to as the general Baptists.¹

Around 1638, another communion of Baptist churches was founded, known as Particular Baptist. They believed that Jesus Christ died for only a particular group, the

1Sola Aworinde. 1990. Blest be the tie: the Baptist heritage of unity in diversity. Lagos: Charisma Creations. 80.

UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY

121

believers. The Particular Baptist evolved from moderate congregation of London. They believed that the Church of England, though corrupt in doctrine and practice, had elements of true church. By 1644, Particular Baptist churches, seven in number, adopted a confession of faith. The confession of faith emphasised Calvinistic theology, baptism by immersion and religious freedom. Salvation, according to their doctrine, is for the elect. Baptism is an ordinance in the New Testament for believers who publicly profess faith in Jesus Christ. Beside, those who are baptised, discipled and join the membership of the church are expected to participate in observation of the Lord's Supper. Particular Baptists also laid emphasis on the autonomy of the local fellowship.

However, they embraced working together as association of churches. This was expressed through national assemblies, local association, ministers' fellowship and ministerial partnership. Particular Baptists also shared strong affirmation of the deity and humanity of Christ, separation of Church and state, liberty of conscience, orthodox Christological creed of the church and religious liberty.² The Nigerian Baptist Convention's doctrinal position is in connection with most of the above distinctive stance of Particular Baptist.

The Philadelphia confession of faith is one of the influential Baptist statements of faith. It was adopted by Philadelphia Baptist Association in 1742. This was basically a reproduction of the London Confession of faith by Particular Baptist Churches.

Philadelphia Baptist Association added two articles on laying on of hands at baptism and singing of hymns in worship to the London Confession of faith.³

In 1769, churches formed by missionaries of the Philadelphia and Charleston Association formed Kehukee Association. The Association was not very strict on believer's baptism. This was in conformity with the position of General Baptists that did not enforce profession of faith and conversion before baptism. There was a clamour for reformation, especially with regard to believer's baptism. The dispute led to division of the Association in 1775. In order to win back the dissidents and encourage separatist churches to join them, the Association reviewed its doctrinal position and adopted a seventeen-article confession of faith in 1777. This step served as a principal instrument

2I. A. Adetola. 2010. A historical study of Baptist distinctive in the Nigerian Baptist Convention, 1914-2007. A Ph.D thesis, Faculty of Theological Studies, The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso. 31-32,

3Aworinde. 1990. Blest be the tie. 108.

UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY

122

for restoring mutual relationship in the Association.⁴ Articles twelve, thirteen and sixteen served as the bedrock of the Nigerian Baptist Convention statement of faith and practices on believers' baptism, two church ordinances administered by ordained minister, and independence and dependence of local churches.

The New Hampshire Confession of faith was approved in 1833. The Convention, which was organised in 1825, appointed a committee of three persons which prepared the statement of faith and practice, including church covenant. After its approval in 1833, the confession of faith became the most widely accepted doctrinal statement among American Baptist. According to Bill Leonard, the confession gradually supplanted the Philadelphia Confession. It was much more conducive to the evangelical practices or revivalist Baptist churches on the American frontier.⁵ This statement of faith was later adopted by Association of the Landmark Baptist Churches. The Southern Baptist Convention revised and adopted it after adding ten other articles to it. Another Baptist statement of faith was written in 1921. This was formulated by the Fundamental Fellowship of the Northern America Fellowship. The Fundamental Modernist moved to form a confession as a post-war decision to put an end to a drift toward division and delusion of rationalism and materialism. By June, 1920, a meeting that later on gave birth to the Fellowship was held. The name was changed to National Fellowship of Fundamental of the Northern Baptist. The Fellowship was committed to preserving orthodoxy. The desire of the fundamentalist to have clear orthodox doctrinal position caused what was tagged Fundamentalist-modernist controversy. Eventually, by 1921, F.M. Goodchild presented a short confessional statement which was almost unanimously adopted. Although there were some people who raised some objection, the majority held to it.⁶

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) adopted an official statement of faith at its Convention in session in Memphis in 1925. The statement was basically a revision of the New Hampshire Confession.⁷ Before then, there had been some doctrinal statements but not with too much of acclamation. In 1914, the SBC formed a statement of faith and

4 Adetola 2010. A historical study of Baptist distinctive.

5 B. J. Leonard. 1979. Types of Confessional Documents Among Baptists. Review and expositor. 76. 36-37.

6 Adetola. 2010. A historical study of Baptist distinctive … 43.

7 Aworinde. 1999. Blest be the tie … 111.

UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY

123

practice in response to clamour for global denominational union on matter of faith, doctrine, order and polity. By 1914, a committee saddled with the work presented its reports on "pronouncement on Christian Union and Denominational Efficiency" for acceptance. The report was later elaborated to five doctrinal position of Southern Baptist Convention's position on Christian faith and denominational union. Another committee of five was set up in 1919 to prepare and send a letter to other Baptists to ensure mutual relationship after the world wars. As the controversy over evolutionary teaching increased, the SBC wrote a full statement of faith using the New Hampshire Confession as model. It was reviewed in 1963. The Nigerian Baptist Convention used the two statements of faith as its model.

The teachings of the SBC missionaries formed the basis for doctrinal position of the NBC from the early stage. After the formation of the Yoruba Baptist Association in 1914, there was the need for its constitutional backing. Revd S. G. Pinnock wrote a rough draft of what was later adopted as the Constitution and Bye-Laws of the Association. It was finally adopted at Lagos Associational meeting in 1915. The statement of faith has four articles on belief in Jesus as Saviour, baptism by immersion, individual/personal witness, and monogamy as the ideal state of family.

The Nigerian Baptist Convention was formed in 1919, and, at inception, it adopted the Yoruba Baptist Association Statement of faith. By 1937, the article of faith was amended adding one clause to increase the articles to five. The amendment reads thus,

"any group of churches in a given district and who are in harmony with the Convention is at liberty to form their own Association." Another article was added in 1948, which says: "the Lord's Supper is a sacred memorial in which the members of the church by the use of elements such as bread and wine commemorate together the love of Christ." The issue of secret society was entrenched into the constitution in 1986. The Convention vehemently opposed membership of secret society be it national or international. A doctrinal guide "what do I believe as a Baptist" was made in the early 1980s to checkmate Baptist students regarding neo-Pentecostalism. The guide has thirteen articles. Another amendment was made in 1993 to the constitution and bye-laws as approved at Igede Ekiti.⁸ By 2005, the statement of faith was expanded into the current

8 Adetola. 2010. A historical study of Baptist distinctive … 71-77

UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY

124

policies and practice of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. All that has been observed shows that Baptists have always been responsive to writing and amending their statements of faith and practices as an answer to doctrinal misunderstanding and differences.