HISTORY OF DEMINATIONS

Baptist

Baptist (Reformed)The line of churches, which called themselves Baptist, began in 1610 in Holland. It began with a man named John Smyth who was a bishop in the Church of England. In 1606, after nine months of soul searching and study of the New Testament he was convinced that the doctrines and practices of the Church of England were not Biblical, and thus he resigned his position as priest and left the church. Because of persecution by the Anglican church of all who disagreed with it and who refused to submit to its authority, John Smyth had to flee England. In Amsterdam, he along with Thomas Helwys and thirty six others formed the first Baptist church of Englishmen known to have stood for baptism of believers only.
Smyth, believed that the only real apostolic succession is a succession of Biblical New Testament truth, and not of outward ordinances and visible organization such as the Church of England or the Roman Church. He believed apostolic succession had been lost and the only way to recover was to start again. He baptized himself and then the others of his congregation. In only a few years however, the church had lost all but ten members to the Mennonites and other groups in Holland. Smyth died in 1612, and the church ended in Holland shortly thereafter with Helwy, Thomas and John Murton returning to England as persecutions there had lessened. History records that the members of this Baptist church went back to England or remained in Holland and joined Mennoites. It did not produce a succession of other churches, but those who founded it went on to establish other Baptist churches in England.
Roger Williams is credited with founding the first Baptist church on American soil. Williams graduated from Cambridge University in 1627, and was apparently ordained in the Church of England. He soon embraced "Separatists" ideas and decided to leave England. In 1631, he arrived in Boston. In 1638, Williams made his way to what is now Providence, Rhode Island, and there purchased some land from the Indians. Some of his former congregation in Salem joined him and they established a colony. He continued to read the New Testament, and became fully aware that infant baptism, sprinkling for baptism, and allowing unsaved persons to be members of the church was not Scriptural. Thus, resolving to follow the Lord's commands in Truth, in March, 1639 he formed the first Baptist church on American soil. He began by baptizing himself and then baptizing ten other members. (From A Brief Survey Of Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches by Cooper P. Abrams, III.)









Jehovah's Witness

Jehovah's WitnessesJehovah's Witnesses had their modern-day start in the 1870's. At first, they were called Bible Students. But in 1931 they adopted the Scriptural name Jehovah's Witnesses. (Isaiah 43:10) From small beginnings the organization has grown to millions of Witnesses, who are busy preaching in more than 230 lands. [They teach that]
God has many titles but has only one name. That name is JEHOVAH. In most Bibles, God's name has been removed and has been replaced with the titles LORD or GOD. But when the Bible was written, the name Jehovah appeared in it some 7,000 times!-Exodus 3:15; Psalm 83:18. The true religion must also honor God's name. (Matthew 6:9) Jesus made God's name, Jehovah, known to others. True Christians must do the same. (John 17:6, 26; Romans 10:13, 14)
Jesus lived in heaven as a spirit person before he came to earth. He was God's first creation, and so he is called the "firstborn" Son of God. (Colossians 1:15; Revelation 3:14) Jesus is the only Son that God created by himself. Jehovah used the prehuman Jesus as his "master worker" in creating all other things in heaven and on earth. (Proverbs 8:22-31; Colossians 1:16, 17) God also used him as His chief spokesman. That is why Jesus is called "the Word."-John 1:1-3; Rev 19:13.
Jesus did not die on a cross. He died on a pole, or a stake. The Greek word translated "cross" in many Bibles meant just one piece of timber. The symbol of the cross comes from ancient false religions. The cross was not used or worshiped by the early Christians.
To become a friend of God, you must obtain a good knowledge of Bible truth (1 Timothy 2:3, 4), put faith in the things you have learned (Hebrews 11:6), repent of your sins (Acts 17:30, 31), and turn around in your course of life. (Acts 3:19) Then your love for God should move you to dedicate yourself to him. This means that in a personal, private prayer you tell him that you are giving yourself to him to do his will.-Matthew 16:24; 22:37. After you have made your dedication to God, you should be baptized. (Matthew 28:19, 20) Baptism lets everyone know that you have dedicated yourself to Jehovah. So baptism is only for those who are old enough to make a decision to serve God. When a person is baptized, his whole body should be put under the water momentarily. -Mark 1:9, 10; Acts 8:36.
Is it wrong to accept a blood transfusion? Remember, Jehovah requires that we abstain from blood. This means that we must not take into our bodies in any way at all other people's blood or even our own blood that has been stored. (Acts 21:25) So true Christians will not accept a blood transfusion. They will accept other kinds of medical treatment, such as transfusion of nonblood products. They want to live, but they will not try to save their life by breaking God's laws.-Matthew 16:25. (Excerpted from the official website of the Watchtower Organization.)









Pentecostal/ Apostolic

Pentecostal/ApostolicPentecostal Churches [are a] large and varied group of revivalistic religious bodies characterized by belief in the experience of holiness or Christian perfection. This perfection is climaxed by an "infilling of the Holy Spirit," as evidenced by "speaking in tongues," ecstatic utterances frequently unintelligible to listeners, as the apostles did on the day of Pentecost. The theology of Pentecostalism is usually fundamentalist, but no one body of doctrine is universally accepted by all groups. Certain beliefs are held in common, however, such as the premillennial second coming of Jesus Christ. Baptism, usually by immersion, and the Lord's Supper are the two practices usually observed. Many groups practice divine healing. Pentecostal denominations are found throughout the world. In the United States most Pentecostal churches had their beginnings in the revival movement in the Negro Holiness Church in Los Angeles in 1906. (From Encarta Concise Encyclopedia.)