Where Did Baptist Churches Begin?
Cleon Lyles, Little Rock, Arkansas B. L. Bridges, General Secretary of the Baptist organization of Arkansas, has recently written an article in their paper under the above title. He is trying to locate the beginning of the Baptist church. Of course he is fully aware of what the writers of history say about its beginning, but naturally he would like to find some statement in the Bible that would authorize the existence of the Baptist denomination. We do not blame him at all for trying, but, as is true when someone tries to locate an organization in the Bible that the Bible knows nothing about, he found the wrong proof text. Let’s notice the verses that he claims mention the Baptist church. “And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach.” (Mark 3:13, 14.) Mr. Bridges reasons like this: “Mark says that Jesus ordained (made) twelve. This verb is t
