The Shift of the Essence of Democratic Religion
This past year, there has been a resurgence of conversation regarding the necessity of Southern Baptists to address the bloated membership roles of the vast majority of churches in the Convention. As such, many questions have arisen over the practice of church discipline and how Baptists have traditionally either embraced or neglected the practice. For those seeking answers in how Baptists traditionally have viewed the practice, there is perhaps no greater source to consult than Democratic Religion: Freedom, Authority, and Church Discipline in the Baptist South 1785-1900 by Gregory A. Wills.
In his book, Wills shows that, contrary to common belief, Baptists have traditionally embraced theological exclusivism centered upon regenerate church membership, theological orthodoxy, and church discipline. For various reasons, these ideals were largely lost in the 20th century. As a result, Southern Baptist churches largely lost the practice of church discipline, and the essence of democratic religion changed from being tied to the authority of the church to the freedom of the individual. As this occurred, a change in ideals took place as well. While Southern Baptist churches formerly sought purity, they now sought efficiency.
Is a denomination really Baptist if they don’t practice regenerate church membership? I’m not sayint the SBC isn’t – I’m just asking the question – which leads to a post you had on what are the characteristics of a Baptist church.