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Becker Bible Studies LibraryRoger WilliamsAn Anglo-American Theologian and founder of the General
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Denomination History, Practices and Beliefs IntroductionRoger Williams was an Anglo-American theologian. He was born December 21, 1603 and died April 1, 1684. He was the founder of the City of Providence, Rhode Island and was credited with being the co-founder of the state of Rhode Island as well as the General Six Principle Baptists. Roger Williams was a missionary to the American Indians and converted many of the Indians because he had mastered many of the Indians language. He believed in Religious liberty for everyone. The General Six Principle Baptists began its history in Rhode Island in 1652. It came about with the split of the Providence Baptist Church. Roger Williams was their minister. The split came within the congregation of an Arminian majority within the Providence Baptist Church that held to the Six principles of (Hebrews 6:1-2) that of Repentance, Faith, Baptisms, Laying on of Hands, Resurrection of the dead, and Judgment and eternal life. The laying on of hands was mandatory in the Baptism and the reception of new members. The laying on of hands represented the gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Just a note... there were a few Calvinistic Baptist churches who shared the Six Principled theology, but they did not survive as a separate body. The General Six Principle Baptists would not commune with other Baptists who did not observe the laying on of hands. In 1895, they incorporated the General Six Principle Baptist Conference of Rhode Island. Their Standard Confession of 1660 authorized the doctrine of the "Laying on of Hands". It wasn’t until 1954 when the Rhode Island Conference lifted their disallowing the communing with other Christians and broadened the Baptist community. History Roger Williams was born in Middlesex, England on December 21, 1603. He was educated and graduated from the University of Cambridge. He had a gift for speaking and understanding languages. He became a Chaplain for a rich family following his graduation. On December 15, 1629, he married Mary Barnard at the Church of High Laver in Essex, England. It was a year later when Roger Williams and his bride Mary set sail to Boston in America. He had a conflict with the established Church under the administration of Archbishop William Laud, as well as an opposition with the Archbishops Roman Catholic education. Roger Williams and his wife Mary arrived February 5, 1631 at Boston and was immediately asked to replace a Pastor who was returning to England. Because the church did not separate men from women, Williams would not officiate to it. Williams believed the first table of the Ten Commandments should not be broken. Williams would not tolerate breaking the Sabbath, any false worship, Idolatry or blasphemy. He believed every individual had the right to choose freely to follow his own convictions and religious preference. Roger Williams also stated he believe the magistrates had no right to punish religious infractions. Stating the civil authority had no authority in religious matters. He preached what he called “soul liberty” which is a person should have the right and freedom regarding religious substance. This is one of the foundations for the United States Constitution to guarantee the freedom to choose and practice personal religion and to avoid establishing an official state religion. Roger Williams became a teacher or associate pastor for the Plymouth colony and remained there for two years. Williams became acquainted with the Indians while with the Plymouth colony. He respected the Indians as men and he won their friendship. He had showed a gift for mastering languages and he mastered the native languages. He was asked to mediate on behalf of the Massachusetts colony to prevent a coalition of Pequot Indiana with the Narragansetts and Mohegans Indians. Williams was called upon to help mediate many of the troubles between the Indians and the colonies. Roger Williams became very opinionated towards the end of his ministry at Plymouth about the treatment of the Indians. The people at Plymouth found his thinking too advanced and he met with opposition. Williams then went back to Salem in the summer of 1633 and became an assistant to Pastor Skelton until Skelton died in August 1634. Roger Williams became the acting pastor which started a controversy with the Massachusetts authority. On October 9, 1635 Roger Williams was banished on the grounds he was aggressive and uncompromising to the charter and the theocracy toward the separation of Church and State and his allowing people to choose their own religious followings. His sentence was to be banished back to England. Williams accompanied by a few of his devoted followers, left for the wilderness and went to his Indian friends. He spent the winter with them. There were many Massachusetts Christians who had been removed from their colony because they were against infant baptism. These Christians fled to Providence to hear they would be persecuted and killed for their belief in 1638. Williams constituted the first Baptist church in America in 1639. He also rejected the belief of infant baptism. He founded the Six Principle Baptists Church in Rhode Island in 1652 holding to his belief of "Liberty of Conscience" which was the basis of their fellowship with each other. Roger Williams left in June and bought land from the natives at today’s Providence. He named the colony Providence after his belief that it was God who had taken care of him and his followers and had brought them to Providence. It was there in 1640 that he signed an agreement with thirty nine freemen and established a government where there would be religious liberty and a separation between civil and religious authority. Roger Williams returned to England to secure a charter for the colony in 1643 from the Puritans who were in power at the time. The colony was built in 1647 on Rhode Island and was united with Providence under a single government. Rhode Island became a safe haven for those who were persecuted for their religious beliefs such as the Jews, Quakers and the Baptists. Roger Williams regarded the Church of England as apostate and any person having fellowship with the Church of England was considered as being in grievous sin. He renounced communion in his own church, but not all would join with him in rejecting it. Roger Williams denounced the charter of the Massachusetts Company, saying it falsely represented the King of England. He considered the Massachusetts Company wrong to give land of the native Indians to others. He fought for his belief and felt every human being had the right to do the same. Roger Williams died April 1, 1684, and was buried on his own property; later on his remains were moved to the tomb of a descendant in the North Burial Ground. Belief Roger Williams taught that the Bible is the supreme written authority for their faith and practice. He taught the freedom of conscience in the interpretation of the Bible and in worship. He taught the “Liberty of Conscience” is at the heart of their denomination and the basis of their fellowship with others. Roger Williams taught there was no need for a binding creed. He taught promoting faith in God, unity of the Spirit among the believers, and love and understanding among all people. It was important in his belief to follow after righteousness, faith, and love with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Roger Williams further taught in walking worthy of their calling with humility and with God. Roger Williams taught the Bible makes the Laying on of Hands an ordinance. That it is the symbol of a passing of a blessing like when Isaac bestowed the blessing on Jacob, or when Jesus blessed the little children, or the transferred His healing powers. They believe the Scripture says that Christ laid hands on the Apostles and the Apostles laid hands on people in blessing after they were baptized and the people received the Holy Spirit for witness and power for ministry. Roger Williams adamently believed in the separation of church and state. This did not disagree with his basic principle of religious liberty as being the freedom of souls before God. He believed it was imperative to keep civil and spiritual areas of interest separated so the soul could have freedoms to choose between God and any religious belief. |
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