Historia ya Wabaptisti na Maendeleo ya Dhehebu — Sehemu ya 3: Wabaptisti wa Kwanza: Smyth, Helwys, na Wabaptisti WajumlaBaptist History and Denominational Development — Unit 3: The First Baptists: Smyth, Helwys, and the General Baptists

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Lakini Petro na mitume wakajibu, wakasema, Imetupasa kumtii Mungu kuliko wanadamu." (Matendo 5:29, SUV)"But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: 'We ought to obey God rather than men.'" (Acts 5:29, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

Utakapomaliza kipindi hiki, unapaswa kuweza:When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Kueleza ni kwa nini Watengano wa Kiingereza walikwenda Amsterdam na John Smyth na Thomas Helwys walikuwa akina nani.1. Explain why English Separatists left for Amsterdam and who John Smyth and Thomas Helwys were.

2. Kueleza matukio ya mwaka 1609 huko Amsterdam, yakiwemo ubatizo wa Smyth, na kueleza pingamizi dhidi yake kwa haki.2. Describe the events of 1609 in Amsterdam, including Smyth's baptism, and state the objections to it fairly.

3. Kueleza ni kwa nini Helwys na Smyth walitengana, na kwa nini Helwys alirudi Uingereza mwaka 1612.3. Explain why Helwys and Smyth separated, and why Helwys returned to England in 1612.

4. Kufupisha yale Helwys aliyofundisha katika A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity (Tamko Fupi la Siri ya Uovu) (1612) kuhusu uhuru wa dini.4. Summarize what Helwys taught in A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity (1612) about religious liberty.

5. Kueleza imani kuu za Wabaptisti Wajumla wa mwanzo, ikiwemo mtazamo wao wa kifo cha Kristo na wa wokovu.5. Describe the main beliefs of the early General Baptists, including their view of Christ's death and of salvation.

Mazingira: Watengano Chini ya ShinikizoThe Setting: Separatists Under Pressure

Kipindi cha 2 kilieleza jinsi Watengano wa Kiingereza walivyotoka katika Upuritani. Walifundisha kwamba kanisa ni mkusanyiko wa agano wa waumini na kwamba mfalme hana haki ya kulitawala. Hili lilikuwa hatari. Sheria iliwataka watu kuhudhuria Kanisa la Uingereza. Mfalme James wa Kwanza alipopanda kiti cha enzi mwaka 1603, matumaini ya Wapuritani wengi ya matengenezo yalikatishwa. Makanisa ya Watengano yalikutana kwa siri, na washiriki wao walikabili faini, kukamatwa na kifungo.Unit 2 told how English Separatists came out of Puritanism. They taught that a church is a covenant gathering of believers and that the king has no right to rule it. This was dangerous. The law required people to attend the Church of England. When King James I came to the throne in 1603, the hopes of many Puritans for reform were disappointed. Separatist churches met in secret, and their members faced fines, arrest and prison.

John Smyth alikuwa mtu mwenye vipawa. Alikuwa amesoma Cambridge na kutumikia kama mchungaji katika Kanisa la Uingereza. Baada ya muda alishawishika kwamba kanisa la Uingereza haliwezi kufanyiwa matengenezo, naye akawa Mtengano. Aliongoza kusanyiko la Watengano lililokutana Gainsborough, kaskazini mwa Uingereza. Kundi jingine la Watengano lilikutana Scrooby, na baadhi ya washiriki wake baadaye walijulikana kama Mahujaji (Pilgrims). Thomas Helwys, mtu wa familia tajiri ya Nottinghamshire, alijiunga na kundi la Smyth. Alilipa msaada mwingi na nguvu.John Smyth was a gifted man. He had studied at Cambridge and had served as a minister in the Church of England. Over time he became convinced that the English church could not be reformed, and he became a Separatist. He led a Separatist congregation that met at Gainsborough, in the north of England. Another Separatist group met at Scrooby, and some of its members later became known as the Pilgrims. Thomas Helwys, a man from a well-to-do family in Nottinghamshire, joined Smyth's group. He gave it much help and strength.

Kwa sababu ya shinikizo hilo, kusanyiko la Smyth, pamoja na Helwys na wengine, liliondoka Uingereza kwenda mji wa Uholanzi wa Amsterdam. Uholanzi iliruhusu uhuru wa kidini zaidi kuliko Uingereza. Walikwenda karibu mwaka 1608. Hivi ndivyo hadithi ya Wabaptisti wa kwanza inavyoanza, uhamishoni, kwa sababu waumini hawakuwa huru kumwabudu Mungu katika nchi yao wenyewe. Tukumbuke kwamba Wabaptisti wengi duniani leo bado wanaishi chini ya shinikizo la namna hiyo.Because of the pressure, Smyth's congregation, with Helwys and others, left England for the Dutch city of Amsterdam. Holland allowed more religious freedom than England did. They went in about 1608. This is how the first Baptist story begins, in exile, because believers were not free to worship God in their own land. We should remember that many Baptists in the world today still live under that kind of pressure.

Amsterdam, 1609: Ubatizo na SwaliAmsterdam, 1609: A Baptism and a Question

Huko Amsterdam, Smyth na watu wake walikutana na Wakristo wengine waliokuwa wameondoka Uingereza na pia Waanabaptisti wa Uholanzi walioitwa Wamenoni. Smyth alisoma Biblia tena. Alishawishika kwamba ubatizo wa watoto wachanga hauna msaada katika Agano Jipya na kwamba waumini tu ndio wanaopaswa kubatizwa. Agano Jipya linaonyesha ubatizo ukifuata imani, kama katika Matendo 2:41, tuliyoisoma katika Kipindi cha 1.In Amsterdam, Smyth and his people met other Christians who had left England and also Dutch Anabaptists who were called Mennonites. Smyth studied the Bible again. He became convinced that the baptism of infants had no support in the New Testament and that only believers should be baptized. The New Testament shows baptism following faith, as in Acts 2:41, which we read in Unit 1.

Hapa kundi lilikabili swali gumu. Kama ubatizo wao wenyewe wa utotoni katika Kanisa la Uingereza haukuwa halali, ni nani angeweza kuwabatiza? Hakukuwa na kanisa lenye haki ya kufanya hivyo. Mwaka 1609 Smyth alijibatiza mwenyewe, kisha akambatiza Helwys na wengine. Wanahistoria huita hili "se-baptism," maana yake kujibatiza. Kwa uwezekano mkubwa lilifanywa kwa kumwaga maji, si kwa kuzamisha. Kuzamishwa kuliingia katika mazoea ya Kibaptisti baadaye, katika miaka ya 1640, kama Kipindi cha 4 kitakavyoonyesha.Here the group faced a hard question. If their own baptisms as infants in the Church of England were not valid, who could baptize them? There was no church with the right to do it. In 1609 Smyth baptized himself, and then he baptized Helwys and others. Historians call this "se-baptism," which means self-baptism. It was most probably done by pouring water, not by immersion. Immersion came into Baptist practice later, in the 1640s, as Unit 4 will show.

Pingamizi dhidi ya tukio hiloObjections to the event

Wakosoaji wa wakati huo na tangu hapo wametoa pingamizi kadhaa.Critics at the time and since have raised several objections.

Kwanza, walisema kwamba mtu hawezi kujibatiza mwenyewe, kwa sababu ubatizo ni tendo la kanisa linalofanywa na mtu mwingine. Wengine hata walimdhihaki Smyth kwa jina "se-baptist." Pili, Smyth mwenyewe baadaye alitilia shaka kama alikuwa amefanya vizuri. Alijuta kwa kujibatiza, naye akatafuta uanachama kwa Wamenoni, ambao alikuja kuwaona kuwa kanisa la kweli. Tatu, waandishi wa kisasa wakati mwingine husema kwamba tukio lote linaonyesha kwamba Wabaptisti walianza katika mkanganyiko na kwa uvumbuzi wa kibinadamu.First, they said that a man cannot baptize himself, because baptism is an act of the church that someone else performs. Some even mocked Smyth with the name "se-baptist." Second, Smyth himself later doubted that he had done right. He came to regret baptizing himself, and he sought membership with the Mennonites, whom he came to regard as a true church. Third, modern writers sometimes say that the whole event shows that Baptists began in confusion and by a human invention.

Jibu la KibaptistiThe Baptist answer

Wabaptisti wanajibu kwa sehemu tatu. Kwanza, hatudai kwamba Wabaptisti wa kwanza walikuwa wakamilifu. Smyth alifanya uamuzi chini ya shinikizo katika nchi ya ugenini, na baadaye hata yeye aliutilia shaka. Pili, kuna jambo la kanuni lililo muhimu. Kama kanisa la kweli na ubatizo wa kweli vinaweza kupokelewa tu kutoka kwa mnyororo wa kibinadamu, basi kanisa lingekuwa limenaswa mnyororo ukikatika. Lakini agizo la Kristo la kubatiza liko katika Maandiko, na waumini wanaolielewa wako huru kulitii. Mbaptisti hapokei ubatizo wake kwa sababu ya mtu aliyembatiza, bali kwa sababu ya imani yake mwenyewe katika Kristo na utii wake kwa agizo la Bwana. Tatu, jambo halisi hapa si njia ya watu wachache mwaka 1609. Ni ukweli waliourudisha, kwamba ubatizo ni wa waumini. Njia ilikuwa duni. Kanuni ilikuwa ya kibiblia. Wabaptisti wa baadaye walibatizwa kwa kuzamishwa kama waumini chini ya usimamizi unaofaa wa kanisa, na hawakurudia hatua ya Smyth.Baptists answer in three parts. First, we do not claim that the first Baptists were perfect. Smyth made a decision under pressure in a strange place, and later even he questioned it. Second, there is an important point of principle. If the true church and true baptism can only be received from a human chain, then the church would be trapped when the chain is broken. But Christ's command to baptize is in Scripture, and believers who understand it are free to obey it. A Baptist does not receive his baptism because of the person who baptized him, but because of his own faith in Christ and obedience to the Lord's command. Third, the real issue here is not the method of a few people in 1609. It is the truth they recovered, that baptism belongs to believers. The method was a poor one. The principle was biblical. Later Baptists were baptized by immersion as believers under proper church oversight, and they did not repeat Smyth's step.

Smyth na Helwys WanatenganaSmyth and Helwys Part Ways

Smyth alivutwa karibu zaidi na Wamenoni. Alivutiwa na bidii yao na desturi yao ya ubatizo. Helwys hakukubali. Aliamini kwamba Smyth alikuwa amekwenda mbali mno, kwamba kanisa linaweza kuanzishwa kwa imani katika Maandiko bila kuhitaji mfululizo wa Kimenoni, na kwamba Wamenoni pia walishikilia baadhi ya mafundisho ambayo hakuweza kuyakubali. Karibu mwaka 1610 kundi liligawanyika. Smyth na wafuasi wake walitafuta kujiunga na Wamenoni. Smyth alikufa mwaka 1612. Helwys na wale waliobaki naye walidumisha uhuru wao.Smyth was drawn closer to the Mennonites. He admired their zeal and their practice of baptism. Helwys did not agree. He believed that Smyth had gone too far, that a church could be established by faith in Scripture without needing a Mennonite succession, and that the Mennonites also held some doctrines that he could not accept. Around 1610 the group divided. Smyth and his followers sought to join the Mennonites. Smyth died in 1612. Helwys and those who stayed with him kept their independence.

Kundi la Helwys lilichapisha taarifa ya imani mwaka 1611, iitwayo Declaration of Faith of English People Remaining at Amsterdam (Tamko la Imani la Waingereza Wanaobaki Amsterdam). Ilieleza imani zao kuhusu Mungu, Kristo, kanisa na ubatizo. Pia ilisema kwamba serikali ya kiraia haipaswi kuingilia dini, kwa sababu Kristo peke yake ndiye Mfalme na Mtoa Sheria wa kanisa. Wazo hili lingekuwa kiini cha ushuhuda wa kwanza wa Kibaptisti kwa ulimwengu.Helwys's group published a statement of faith in 1611, called a Declaration of Faith of English People Remaining at Amsterdam. It stated their beliefs on God, Christ, the church and baptism. It also said that the civil government should not interfere with religion, because Christ alone is King and Lawgiver of the church. This idea would become the center of the first Baptist witness to the world.

Helwys Anarudi UingerezaHelwys Returns to England

Helwys alifanya uamuzi wa ujasiri. Aliamua kwamba kanisa halipaswi kujificha uhamishoni. Mwaka 1612 aliliongoza kundi kurudi Uingereza. Walikaa Spitalfields, nje ya London. Waliunda kile kinachokubaliwa kwa ujumla kuwa kanisa la kwanza la Kibaptisti katika ardhi ya Uingereza.Helwys made a brave decision. He decided that the church must not hide in exile. In 1612 he led the group back to England. They settled in Spitalfields, outside London. They formed what is generally regarded as the first Baptist church on English soil.

Hii ilikuwa chaguo la gharama kubwa. Helwys alijua kwamba angeweza kukamatwa, na alikamatwa. Alihisi kwamba kanisa linaloamini ukweli lazima litoe ushuhuda wake nyumbani, hata inapokuwa hatari. Uamuzi wake unatukumbusha kwamba imani si kwa ajili ya mahali salama tu.This was a costly choice. Helwys knew that he could be arrested, and he was. He felt that a church that believes in the truth must bear witness to it at home, even when it is dangerous. His decision reminds us that faith is not only for safe places.

A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity (Tamko Fupi la Siri ya Uovu) (1612)A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity (1612)

Mwaka 1612 Helwys aliandika kitabu chenye jina hili refu. Kilichapishwa Uholanzi, na nakala moja ilitumwa kwa Mfalme James. Helwys aliamini kwamba mfalme anapaswa kujua ukweli. Kitabu ni utetezi wa ujasiri wa uhuru wa dini.In 1612 Helwys wrote a book with this long title. It was printed in the Netherlands, and a copy was sent to King James. Helwys believed that the king should know the truth. The book is a daring defense of religious liberty.

Hoja zake kuu ni hizi. Mfalme ni mwanadamu anayekufa, si Mungu. Mfalme ana mamlaka juu ya miili na mali za raia wake, lakini hana mamlaka juu ya roho zao. Imani lazima iwe huru, kwa sababu ni jambo kati ya kila mtu na Mungu. Helwys hakuweka kikomo cha uhuru huu kwa Wabaptisti, au hata kwa Wakristo. Alijadili kwamba mfalme hapaswi kulazimisha dhamiri ya mtu yeyote, aliamini nini. Hili lilikuwa wazo adimu mwaka 1612. Serikali nyingi za Ulaya, za Kikatoliki na za Kiprotestanti, zilifikiri kwamba mtawala lazima awafanye wote wafuate dini ya kweli.Its main points are these. The king is a mortal man, not God. The king has power over the bodies and goods of his subjects, but he has no power over their souls. Faith must be free, because it is a matter between each person and God. Helwys did not limit this freedom to Baptists, or even to Christians. He argued that the king should not force the conscience of any person, whatever he believed. This was a rare idea in 1612. Most governments in Europe, Catholic and Protestant, thought that the ruler must make everyone follow the true religion.

Hoja ya Helwys inasimama juu ya mafundisho ya Yesu. Kristo alisema kwamba ufalme wake si wa ulimwengu huu (Yohana 18:36). Pia alifundisha katika mfano wa ngano na magugu kwamba ngano na magugu viache vikue pamoja hadi mavuno (Mathayo 13:30). Yaani, hukumu ya mwisho ni ya Mungu, si ya hakimu wa kidunia. Na mitume wenyewe, walipokatazwa kuhubiri, walisema kwamba imewapasa kumtii Mungu kuliko wanadamu (Matendo 5:29).Helwys's argument stands on the teaching of Jesus. Christ said that His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). He also taught in the parable of the wheat and the tares that the wheat and the weeds are to grow together until the harvest (Matthew 13:30). That is, the final judgment belongs to God, not to the magistrate. And the apostles themselves, forbidden to preach, said that they ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).

Helwys alifungwa katika gereza la Newgate huko London kwa ujasiri wake. Alikufa karibu mwaka 1616, ingawa tarehe kamili haijulikani. Kitabu chake hakikukubaliwa na mfalme, lakini wazo lake liliendelea kuishi. Mara nyingi huitwa ombi la kwanza kwa Kiingereza la uhuru kamili wa dini, na Wabaptisti wanakikumbuka kwa fahari. Katika Kipindi cha 5 tutaona jinsi kilivyozaa matunda Amerika.Helwys was imprisoned in Newgate in London for his boldness. He died about 1616, though the exact date is not certain. His book was not accepted by the king, but its idea lived on. It is often called the first plea in English for full religious liberty, and Baptists remember it with pride. In Unit 5 we shall see how it bore fruit in America.

Pingamizi na jibu la KibaptistiObjections and the Baptist answer

Mpinzani anaweza kusema: "Je, ni busara kuruhusu uhuru kwa kosa? Je, Mungu hakuwaamuru wafalme wa Israeli kuondoa ibada ya uongo?" Ni swali la haki. Wabaptisti wanajibu kwamba Israeli lilikuwa taifa maalum chini ya agano na Mungu katika kipindi cha pekee. Kanisa la Agano Jipya si taifa. Linaenea kwa mahubiri, si kwa upanga. Bwana wetu alikataa kutumia nguvu hata kujitetea mwenyewe (Yohana 18:36). Mtu anayelazimishwa kujiunga na kanisa hajageuka, na imani ya kulazimishwa haina thamani kwa Mungu.An objector may say: "Is it wise to give freedom to error? Did not God command the kings of Israel to remove false worship?" It is a fair question. Baptists answer that Israel was a special nation under a covenant with God in a unique period. The church of the New Testament is not a nation. It spreads by preaching, not by the sword. Our Lord refused to use force even to defend Himself (John 18:36). A person who is forced to join a church has not been converted, and a forced faith has no value to God.

Pingamizi jingine ni la kisiasa: "Bila shaka Warumi 13 inafundisha kwamba Wakristo lazima waitii serikali." Wabaptisti wanakubali kwamba Wakristo wanapaswa kuiheshimu serikali na kulipa kodi. Helwys mwenyewe alisema kwamba mfalme anapaswa kutiiwa katika mambo ya kiraia. Lakini Biblia hiyohiyo inaonyesha kwamba watawala wanapoamuru kile ambacho Mungu amekikataza, waumini lazima wamtii Mungu. Huu si uasi. Ni uaminifu ambao mitume walionyesha. Wabaptisti siku zote wamekuwa miongoni mwa raia wanaotii sheria zaidi, na miongoni mwa wa kwanza kuteseka kwa ajili ya dhamiri.Another objection is political: "Surely Romans 13 teaches that Christians must obey the government." Baptists agree that Christians should honor the government and pay taxes. Helwys himself said that the king should be obeyed in civil matters. But the same Bible shows that when rulers command what God forbids, believers must obey God. This is not rebellion. It is the loyalty that the apostles showed. Baptists have always been among the most law-abiding of citizens, and among the first to suffer for conscience.

Wabaptisti WajumlaThe General Baptists

Kanisa la Spitalfields na mengine kama hilo yalijulikana kama Wabaptisti Wajumla (General Baptists). Jina lilitokana na mafundisho yao kuhusu kifo cha Kristo. Walifundisha upatanisho wa jumla (general atonement). Hii inamaanisha kwamba Kristo alikufa kwa ajili ya watu wote, na kwamba injili inapaswa kutolewa kwa kila mtu. Wabaptisti Wajumla wa mwanzo pia walisisitiza jibu huru la mwenye dhambi. Wengi wao walishikilia kwamba muumini anaweza kuanguka kutoka katika neema. Katika hili walikuwa karibu zaidi na mafundisho ya mwanatheolojia Mholanzi Jacobus Arminius kuliko mafundisho makali ya John Calvin kuhusu kuchaguliwa.The church at Spitalfields and others like it became known as the General Baptists. The name came from their teaching about the death of Christ. They taught general atonement. This means that Christ died for all people, and that the gospel is to be offered to everyone. The early General Baptists also stressed the free response of the sinner. Many of them held that a believer could fall away from grace. In this they were closer to the teaching of the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius than to the strict teaching of John Calvin on election.

Imani nyingine zilishirikiwa na Wabaptisti wote: mamlaka ya Maandiko, ubatizo wa waumini, kanisa la waliogeuka, uongozi wa kusanyiko, na uhuru wa dini. Katika kipindi kijacho tutakutana na Wabaptisti Maalum (Particular Baptists), ambao pia walishikilia mambo haya lakini walifundisha kwamba Kristo alikufa kwa ufanisi kwa ajili ya wateule.Other beliefs were shared by all Baptists: the authority of Scripture, baptism of believers, a church of the converted, congregational government, and religious liberty. In the next unit we shall meet the Particular Baptists, who also held these things but taught that Christ died effectively for the elect.

Si Wabaptisti wahafidhina wote leo wanaokubaliana na Wabaptisti Wajumla wa mwanzo katika kila jambo. Wabaptisti wahafidhina wengi leo wanaamini katika toleo huru la injili kwa wote, kama Wabaptisti Wajumla, na katika usalama wa milele wa muumini, ambao Wabaptisti Wajumla wengi wa mwanzo hawakufundisha. Wabaptisti wa Hiari Huru (Free Will Baptists), wanaotoka katika mkondo wa Wabaptisti Wajumla, bado wanashikilia kwamba waumini wanaweza kuanguka. Kozi ya 2 itaeleza mitazamo hii kwa haki. Mwanafunzi Mbaptisti anapaswa kuwaheshimu Wabaptisti Wajumla kwa upendo wao kwa waliopotea, bidii yao ya kuinjilisha, na ujasiri wao katika uhuru wa dini.Not all conservative Baptists today agree with the early General Baptists on every point. Most conservative Baptists today believe in the free offer of the gospel to all, with the General Baptists, and in the eternal security of the believer, which most early General Baptists did not teach. Free Will Baptists, who come from the General Baptist stream, still hold that believers can fall away. Course 2 will present these views fairly. The Baptist student should honor the General Baptists for their love of the lost, their evangelistic zeal, and their courage in religious liberty.

Makanisa ya Wabaptisti Wajumla yaliongezeka kote Uingereza katika miongo iliyofuata. Mwandishi mwingine wa mapema wa uhuru wa dini, Leonard Busher, aliandika kitabu kiitwacho Religious Peace (Amani ya Kidini) mwaka 1614. Wabaptisti wa kwanza waliteseka, lakini hawakuacha kuomba wala kuhubiri.The General Baptist churches spread across England in the following decades. Another early writer for religious liberty, Leonard Busher, wrote a book called Religious Peace in 1614. The first Baptists suffered, but they did not stop praying or preaching.

Kwa Nini Miaka Hii ya Mwanzo ni Muhimu LeoWhy These Early Years Matter Today

Ni rahisi kusoma kuhusu Smyth na Helwys kama hadithi ya zama nyingine. Lakini maswali waliyokabili bado yako nasi. Kanisa lifanye nini sheria inapolishinikiza kufuata? Waumini wanawezaje kushikilia imani thabiti bila kuwachukia wale wasiokubaliana? Kundi dogo la watu linawezaje kuamini kwamba Bwana yu pamoja nao wakati hawana mali, marafiki wenye nguvu wala ulinzi?It is easy to read about Smyth and Helwys as a story from another age. But the questions they faced are still with us. What should a church do when the law presses it to conform? How can believers hold firm convictions without hating those who disagree? How can a small group of people trust that the Lord is with them when they have no wealth, no powerful friends and no protection?

Wabaptisti wa kwanza walijibu kwa kurudi kwenye Biblia, kwa kuungana pamoja katika agano, na kwa kuomba uhuru kwa ajili ya kila mtu. Hawakuwa na hekima siku zote, na walifanya makosa. Lakini waliamini kwamba Bwana Yesu ndiye Kichwa cha kanisa lake, na kwamba anaweza kulijenga. Kila mchungaji Mbaptisti leo, katika mji mkubwa au kijiji kidogo, anasimama katika mstari uleule wa imani.The first Baptists answered by going back to the Bible, by joining together in covenant, and by asking for freedom for everyone. They were not always wise, and they made mistakes. But they believed that the Lord Jesus is the Head of His church, and that He is able to build it. Every Baptist pastor today, in a big city or a small village, stands in that same line of faith.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mchungaji Andrés anaongoza kanisa dogo la Kibaptisti katika kijiji ambapo kiongozi wa mahali anatarajia kila familia kutoa fedha kwa ajili ya sikukuu ya mwaka ya mtakatifu mlinzi. Washiriki wa kanisa wanakataa. Kiongozi huyo amekasirika na anaonya kwamba Wabaptisti wanaweza kupoteza haki ya kutumia barabara kuelekea mahali pao pa mkutano. Mshiriki kijana anauliza, "Je, tupigane na hili? Au tuombe serikali imwadhibu?"Pastor Andrés leads a small Baptist church in a village where the local leader expects every family to give money for the yearly festival of the patron saint. The church members refuse. The leader is angry and warns that the Baptists may lose their right to use the road to their meeting place. A young member asks, "Should we fight this? Or should we ask the government to punish him?"

Mchungaji Andrés anatumia yale Wabaptisti wa kwanza walivyofundisha. Kwanza, anaomba kanisa lisali na kutulia. Pili, anafungua Matendo 5:29 pamoja nao na kuwakumbusha kwamba waumini wanamtii Mungu kabla ya wanadamu, lakini bila chuki. Tatu, anaeleza kwamba Wabaptisti wanaomba uhuru kwa wote, si upendeleo maalum kwa ajili yao wenyewe, na kwamba hawataki kutumia nguvu dhidi ya majirani zao, hata kwa kulipiza. Nne, anawaomba mashemasi wawili wamtembelee kiongozi huyo kwa amani na kueleza kwamba kanisa linaheshimu kijiji na familia zake lakini haliwezi kushiriki katika ibada ambayo haliiamini. Pia anasaidia kanisa kujua sheria inasema nini kuhusu uhuru wa kuabudu katika nchi yao. Haahidi kwamba tatizo litakuwa rahisi. Anawaambia kwamba Helwys na marafiki zake waliteseka zaidi sana.Pastor Andrés uses what the first Baptists taught. First, he asks the church to pray and to stay calm. Second, he opens Acts 5:29 with them and reminds them that believers obey God before men, but without hatred. Third, he explains that Baptists ask for liberty for all, not special favors for themselves, and that they do not wish to use force against their neighbors, even in return. Fourth, he asks two deacons to visit the leader in peace and explain that the church respects the village and its families but cannot take part in worship it does not believe. He also helps the church to find out what the law says about freedom of worship in their country. He does not promise that the problem will be easy. He tells them that Helwys and his friends suffered much more.

MuhtasariSummary

Wabaptisti wa kwanza walitoka kwa Watengano wa Kiingereza waliokimbilia Amsterdam karibu mwaka 1608 kuepuka shinikizo. John Smyth aliongoza kundi, pamoja na Thomas Helwys. Mwaka 1609 Smyth alihitimisha kwamba waumini tu ndio wanaopaswa kubatizwa, naye akajibatiza mwenyewe kisha wengine. Wakosoaji huita hili se-baptism. Wabaptisti wanajibu kwamba kanuni, ubatizo wa waumini, ni ya kibiblia, ingawa njia ilikuwa na kasoro. Smyth baadaye alitafuta uanachama wa Kimenoni, na Helwys aliwaongoza wengine katika njia tofauti. Mwaka 1611 walichapisha Tamko la Imani. Mwaka 1612 Helwys alilirudisha kundi Uingereza na kuanzisha kanisa la Spitalfields. Kitabu chake, A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity (1612), kilidai kwamba mfalme hana mamlaka juu ya roho na kwamba uhuru ni wa watu wote. Alifungwa na akafa karibu mwaka 1616. Wafuasi wake walikuwa Wabaptisti Wajumla, waliofundisha upatanisho wa jumla na toleo huru la injili kwa wote. Wabaptisti wahafidhina wengi leo wanashirikiana nao wasiwasi wao wa kuinjilisha lakini wanashikilia usalama wa milele.The first Baptists came from English Separatists who fled to Amsterdam about 1608 to escape pressure. John Smyth led the group, with Thomas Helwys. In 1609 Smyth concluded that only believers should be baptized, and he baptized himself and then others. Critics call this se-baptism. Baptists answer that the principle, baptism of believers, is biblical, even though the method was flawed. Smyth later sought Mennonite membership, and Helwys led the rest in a separate path. In 1611 they published a Declaration of Faith. In 1612 Helwys brought the group back to England and founded the church at Spitalfields. His book, A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity (1612), argued that the king has no power over the soul and that liberty belongs to all people. He was imprisoned and died about 1616. His followers were General Baptists, who taught general atonement and a free offer of the gospel to all. Most conservative Baptists today share their evangelistic concern but hold eternal security.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• Thomas Helwys, A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity (Tamko Fupi la Siri ya Uovu) (1612), chanzo cha msingi.• Thomas Helwys, A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity (1612), primary source.

• The Declaration of Faith of English People Remaining at Amsterdam (Tamko la Imani la Waingereza Wanaobaki Amsterdam) (1611), chanzo cha msingi.• The Declaration of Faith of English People Remaining at Amsterdam (1611), primary source.

• H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage (Urithi wa Kibaptisti) (1987).• H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage (1987).

• Bill J. Leonard, Baptist Ways: A History (Njia za Kibaptisti: Historia) (2003).• Bill J. Leonard, Baptist Ways: A History (2003).

• David W. Bebbington, Baptists Through the Centuries (Wabaptisti Katika Karne Zote) (2010).• David W. Bebbington, Baptists Through the Centuries (2010).

• Chute, Finn na Haykin, The Baptist Story (Hadithi ya Wabaptisti) (2015).• Chute, Finn and Haykin, The Baptist Story (2015).

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