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National Association of Free Will BaptistsMainline Protestant |
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Denomination History, Practices and Beliefs IntroductionThe National Association of Free Will Baptists is a group of churches that share a common history, name and accept the Arminian theology rather than the usual Calvinistic predestination doctrine. The Arminian theology is based on the belief of general atonement, the theory of free will, free grace, and free salvation. The National Association of Free Will Baptists is a national body, primarily white, Free Will Baptist churches in the United States and Canada. They are the largest of the Free Will Baptist denominations. The mainstream Free Will Baptist congregations belonging to the National Association of Free Will Baptists believe in voluntary tithing and the total abstinence of alcohol and tobacco. They do not work on the Sabbath and most have an millennial view of eschatology. The National Association of Free Will Baptists has been organized since 1934 and has their headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. History The history of the Free Will Baptists can be traced to the General Baptists that came from England. They settled in the early American colonies. They followed the Arminian doctrine believing the atonement of Jesus Christ was given to all instead of the Calvinistic belief that the atonement of Jesus Christ was given to only the elect. The early Free Will Baptists in the America colonies followed the English General Baptist in professing the Standard Confession of Faith. This General Baptists called the Free Will Baptists “Freewillers”. There were two distinct branches of the early Free Will Baptists developing in America at this time. The North Carolina movement followed Paul Palmer. The movement from New Hampshire in the late eighteenth century followed Benjamin Randal. These two groups progressed independently from each other. The Palmer Line Paul Palmer founded the Free Will Baptist church in Chowan, North Carolina in 1727 from a disorganized group of General Baptists in North Carolina. By the end of the 18th century the churches organized by Paul Palmer were commonly known as the Free Will Baptist and were referred to as the Palmer Line of Free Will Baptists. They organized different associations and conferences and in 1921 organized a General Conference. The Randall Line Benjamin Randall started a new movement in the North while the movement in the South was struggling. Randall united with the Particular, also called the Regular Baptist, in 1776, and broke with them in 1779. The break came because of their strict views on predestination. Benjamin Randall left the Particular Baptists and formed a Freewill Baptist church in New Durham, New Hampshire in 1779. All the denominations property and the majority of churches merged with the Northern Baptist Convention in 1911. There could be no formal union between the Northern and Southern Free Will Baptists because of the question of slavery, then later the Civil War, until the 20th century. On November 5, 1935, representatives of the General Conference, the Palmer line, and the Cooperative General Association, (which was the combination of Randall and Palmer elements west of the Mississippi), met in Nashville, Tennessee to organize the National Association of Free Will Baptist. Belief The National Association of Free Will Baptists believes Jesus Christ died for all men. They believe salvation lies completely with the individual. They believe man is depraved and fallen and unable to save himself and regeneration is necessary for salvation except in the case of infants and idiots, who are not responsible for their sin. They believe salvation comes by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and those Christians who persevere to the end are saved those that are wicked are punished eternally. They believe the dead, just and unjust will be raised to face judgment by Jesus Christ. They believe their doctrine is distinguished from other major Baptist groups because they reject the traditional Baptist view of perseverance of the saints, also referred to as the "Doctrine of Eternal Security." They believe the Calvinist teaching of "Limited Atonement" and a "Predestined Elect" are wrong. National Association of Free Will Baptists believes in the traditional Arminian position that is based on the belief in a "General Atonement". The National Association of Free Will Baptists believes the Bible is the completed, inerrant Word of God and the literal interpretation of Scripture. They believe the Lord’s Supper and Believer’s Baptism by immersion are the only authorized Christian ordinances and they should be open to all believers. They believe in the observance of the Washing of the Saints’ Feet as a third ordinance of the church. The Washing of the Saints’ Feet is a rite common among other evangelical denominations but not practiced by other Baptist denominations. |
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MLA Style Citation: About the Author
Joanne B. Holstein is a Becker Bible Studies Teacher and author of Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians. She is a Religious Philosophy student of Liberty University, and a Homeschool parent and child advocate. She is well-known as a counsleor to Christian faithful who are struggling with tremendous burden in these difficult times. She is a leading authority on the history of development of the Christian churches and the practices and beliefs of world religions and cults. |
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