MYTH: Baptists are very straight-laced, forbidding nearly everything
FACT: Although Baptists hold to the Scriptures, which set forth some rules for living, we are really a people who celebrate our freedom in Christ. We are a fun-loving, joyful congregation. We have begun to find that there is great freedom in following Christ; freedom from addictions and self-destructive behavior; freedom from guilt and shame; and a freedom to live life abundantly by the grace of God. You'll see more smiles than frowns in our gatherings. We laugh freely and share the joys of our lives. We seek to live in a way that honors the Lord and serves the needs of others.
MYTH: Baptists are somewhat standoffish, refusing to work with other denominations
FACT: Actually we are quite ecumenical in our approach to our mission in the world. We try to partner with others in works that serve the poor, and in mission projects that will bring hope to a hurting world. We recognize that we are not the only church in our community, nor do Baptists have a corner on the truth. We do have a network of missionaries through our denomination, but we support local projects that are sponsored by many Christian churches, and in that partnership is the unity of God's Spirit. It is always our desire to unite the people of God, not divide them.
MYTH: Baptists Don't Believe In Women Pastors
FACT: Northern Baptist records contain evidence of the ordination of women by the late 1880s. Since that time, American Baptist women have served as pastors of churches. A 1985 study revealed that 3 percent of American Baptist pastors and 16 percent of the associate and assistant pastors were women. By 2002, the numbers had continued to increase. American Baptist had 1,049 ordained women (14 percent of the total number of ordained ministers) with 923 serving in local church ministries. Eight percent of American Baptist pastors (373) were women. The role of associate pastor was especially open to women, with 33 percent (207) serving in that capacity(1).
Copyright 2000-2008 by The Christian Ethics Today Foundation www.ChristianEthicsToday.com
(1) "Leadership, Diversity, Global Concern Celebrating Fifty Years of American Baptist Women's Ministry", American Baptist Quarterly, 20 (September 2001): 282.
MYTH: All Baptists Are Pretty Much Alike
FACT: Not according to Brent Younger, pastor of Broadway Baptist in Fort Worth, Texas. In his Juanuary 2006 article in Baptists Today, titled "All in the Baptist Family", he points out just how diverse Baptists are. Here are a few of his startling discoveries. In politics, both Jesse Helms and Jesse Jackson are Baptists! Among preachers you'll find both Billy Graham and Martin Luther King, Jr. How about presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, or authors, John Bunyan (Pilgrim's Progress) and John Grisham (A Time to Kill, and many other crime best sellers). Entertainers as diverse as Aretha Franklin and Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry! Movie stars include Brad Pitt, Queen Latifah, and Jessica Simpson.
So you see, Baptists come in a lot of varieties and from a lot of political viewpoints and lifestyles. We value a certain amount of Soul Liberty, allowing people to find their way in life with the Bible as their guiding light, and the Spirit of God to help them come to the truth.
MYTH: Baptist churches are a different religion from other churches
FACT: Actually, Baptists are part of the Christian religion, like Catholics, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, and Episcopalians. Christianity can be sorted into three major groups: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant. Baptists belong to the third group. When Martin Luther and John Calvin led the Protestant Reformation to overhaul Christianity in the 1500's, they launched what became the Lutheran and Presbyterian Churches. After them came a number of other movements which sought to refine the church even further, attempting to get back to the New Testament practice of the Christian faith. Baptists were led by a man named John Smyth in England, and migrated to the New World in the early 1600's.
Baptists have split into many denominations in America, including the Southern Baptists, American Baptists, General Association of Regular Baptists, Progressive Baptists, and many more. There are also a large number of Independent Baptist churches who are not part of any larger body. At Central Baptist, we are American Baptists. In spite of the confusing variety of organizations, Baptists hold to the same core beliefs as other Christian churches.