In our country, people are put in one
of three religious groups.   If you are not
a Jew or a Roman Catholic, then auto-
matically you are a Protestant.   Con-
sequently, Baptists are usually called
"Protestants."   However, this does not
match the facts.   Baptists never have
been Protestants.
   The Protestant Reformation is usual-
ly dated from October 31, 1517, when
Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to
the door of the Castle Church in Wit-
tenburg, Germany.   However, this was
only one of a series of acts that led
to the open rupture with Rome.
   An event of utmost importance but
often unnoticed is the Second Diet (or
Council) of Speier, April 25, 1529.   This
was a Roman Catholic Council for the
purpose of taking action against the
Turks and checking the progress of Lu-
therans and others who were not co-
operating with the Pope.   Certain Lu-
theran princes appeared before this
Roman Catholic Diet with a formal
written protest against those matters in
which the Diet went contrary to the
Word of God as they understood it.
This protest was signed by Elector John
of Saxony, Margarve George of Brand-
enburg, Dukes Ernest and Francis of
Braunschweig-Luneburg, Landgrave
Philip of Hesse, Prince Wolfgang of
Anhalt and the representatives of four-
teen imperial cities.   The protest was
designed to protect them from the de-
cisions of this Council.   It was a defen-
sive measure.   The celebrated church
historian, Philip Schaaf, makes the
noteworthy statement "From this pro-
test and appeal, the Lutherans were
called Protestants."   (History of the
Christian Church, Volume VII, p. 692).
The same facts are stated in the Cath-
olic Encyclopedia (Volume XII, p.
495).

   Protestants date from the sixteenth
century.   They are the Lutherans, the
Reformed and others who were once
Roman Catholics and left the Roman
Catholic faith to start churches or de-
nominations of their own.   The Baptists
never left the Roman Catholic church as
did Luther, Calvin and Zwingli.   They
never left because they were never in.
They did not begin their existence at
the time of the Reformation but hun-
dreds of years prior to the Reforma-
tion.
   Baptists [generally] make no effort to trace a
historical succession back to the age
of the Apostles.   Their only claim is that
in every age in church history there
have been groups that have held to the
same doctrines that Baptists hold to-
day.   These groups may or may not
have been connected and they have
been known by various names.   There
were the Montanists (150 A.D.), the
Novatians (240 A.D.), Donatists (305
A.D.), Paulicians (650 A.D.), Albigen-
ses (1022 A.D.), Waldensians (1170
A.D.), and the name Anabaptists came
into prominence just before the time of
the Protestant Reformation.   Full his-
torical data immediately refutes the

   The viewpoint that Baptists share
common doctrinal ground with Protes-
tant groups is not an accurate report-
ing of the facts.   There are six striking
differences.   We will list six.
   (1) Baptists believe with all their
hearts that God's Word alone is suffi-
cient for faith and practice.   We read
"All scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and is profitable for doctrine
..." (II Tim. 3:16).   Various Protes-
tant denominations have creeds and
catechisms and assorted doctrinal
standards.   Baptists hold to the Bible
alone.
   (2) Baptists believe that Christ and
only Christ is the Head of the [local] Church
even as the Scripture says, "Christ is
the head of the church" (Eph. 5:23).
There is no man who has the over-
sight of Baptist churches.   Baptists
have no denomination in the sense of
an organization that controls local
congregations.   Each local church is
autonomous and accountable only to
Christ, who is its Head.
   (3) Baptists believe from their
hearts in a free church in a free state.
Christ plainly taught that the state and
the church each had their own realm
when He said, "Render therefore unto
Caesar the things which are Caesar's;
and unto God the things that are
God's."   (Matt. 22:21)   Baptists are
vigorously opposed to union of state
and church and believe that a state
controlled church is a wretched excuse
for Christianity and a plain departure
from Scripture.   All of the Protestant
Reformers fastened state churches up-
on their followers!   Today Americans
enjoy separation of church and state
because of the vigor and vigilance of
Baptists in the early days of our na-
tional history.
   (4) Baptists believe strongly in in-
dividual accountability to God because
the Scriptures clearly teach that "ev-

   A few simple observations indicate
that the Baptists differ radically from
Protestants on a number of points.   The

[(1) = King James Version: 1611, 1769]