Tag: history

Episode 11 – Interview with Clif Daniell on 17th Century Radicalism

The podcast’s first interview! I sit down with Clif Daniell – a scholar, Presbyterian minister, and pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church – to talk about the duties of the Westminster Assembly and 17th Century English Radicalism, a subject on which he has been published. Our discussion will hopefully provide a greater context to the last …

Episode 10 – War, Regicide, Republic

In this episode we give an overview of the reign of King Charles and the ecclesiastical reforms implemented by Archbishop William Laud. We also explore the causes of the English Civil War and the outbreak of radicalism during the conflict. All of this will be helpful in providing the Baptist historian with some context of …

Episode 9 – General and Particular Baptists

In this episode we connect the ongoing narrative of Baptist origins to the two groups that developed independently of one another: the General and Particular Baptists. We will look at some of the leading figures of the groups, as well as their early confessions and theological traits. Full transcript with footnotes and citations can be …

Episode 8 – Thomas Helwys, the Mistery of iniquity, and the first baptist church of england

In this episode we discuss Thomas Helwys, the founder of the First Baptist Church in England in 1612. We will explore his writings to understand why he decided to leave the relative safety of his exile in Holland and head back to England to make a stand against the Anglican Church. His book on religious …

Episode 7 – Infant and Believer’s baptism

In this Episode we take a break from the historical narrative of the Separatists to talk about the difference between credobaptism (believer’s baptism) and paedobaptism (infant baptism). Did the earliest Christians baptize babies? If so, why aren’t there any examples in Scripture? If not, how did the ordinance come to be imbued with such ceremonial …

Episode 6 – John Smyth the Se-Baptist, Part Two

In this episode we are continuing the story of John Smyth and John Robinson’s congregations as they escape from England and head to Amsterdam in 1607/1608. This moment is important for a number of reasons, but two particular things stand out: 1) Smyth baptizes his congregation as believing adults (believer’s baptism), which was deemed a …

Episode 5 – John Smyth the Se-Baptist, Part One

In this episode we’ll be discussing John Smyth and his contribution to the Baptist faith. Though his theological perspectives were never quite static – evolving from Puritan to Separatist, to Baptist, to Mennonite – he is considered by most a denominational forerunner and to have founded the first identifiable Baptist church in Holland in 1609. …

Episode 4 – King James, the Hampton Court Conference, and the Authorized Version of the Bible

In this episode we will discuss the ascension of King James I (aka King James the VI of Scotland) to the English throne in 1603 and the winds of change in matters of religion. James’ response to the Puritan’s petitions for further reformation occasions the Hampton Court Conference of 1604, which resulted in the commission …

Episode 3 – Francis Johnson, the Bishop of Brownism

Francis Johnson, the “Bishop of Brownism.” For this discussion we’ll be drawing heavily on the material featured in Scott Culpepper’s excellent biography of the titular character. We will be evaluating the distinctions of separatism as something greater than simply “not Anglican” as Johnson struggles with congregational strife and the defection to Anabaptistry of his former …

Episode 2 – Separatists, Brownists, and A Treatise of Reformation Without Tarying for Anie

On this episode we discuss the beginning of the separatist movement and how it is different from that of the Puritans. We look at some primary texts that illustrate the existence and mistreatment of these groups at the hands of Queen Elizabeth I. We also discuss the “leader” of the movement, Robert Browne, his character, …