Historia ya Wabaptisti na Maendeleo ya Dhehebu — Sehemu ya 5: Wabaptisti Amerika: Roger Williams, Isaac Backus, John Leland na Mapambano ya Uhuru wa DiniBaptist History and Denominational Development — Unit 5: Baptists in America: Roger Williams, Isaac Backus, John Leland and the Fight for Religious Liberty

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 Wabaptisti wa kwanza huko New England walikutana na upinzani, na kueleza sehemu ya Roger Williams katika kuanzisha Rhode Island.1. Explain why the first Baptists in New England met opposition, and describe Roger Williams's part in founding Rhode Island.

2. Kutaja Wabaptisti wawili walioteseka katika Massachusetts ya kikoloni na kueleza yaliyowapata.2. Name two Baptists who suffered in colonial Massachusetts and describe what happened to them.

3. Kueleza jinsi Uamsho Mkuu (Great Awakening) ulivyobadilisha maisha ya Kibaptisti, na kueleza kazi ya Isaac Backus kwa ajili ya uhuru wa dini.3. Describe how the Great Awakening changed Baptist life, and explain the work of Isaac Backus for religious liberty.

4. Kueleza kazi ya John Leland huko Virginia na uhusiano wake na James Madison, Sheria ya Virginia na Marekebisho ya Kwanza ya Katiba (First Amendment).4. Describe the work of John Leland in Virginia and his link with James Madison, the Virginia Statute and the First Amendment.

5. Kueleza pingamizi kuu dhidi ya hadithi ya Kibaptisti ya uhuru wa dini na kutoa majibu ya Kibaptisti.5. State the main objections to the Baptist story of religious liberty and give the Baptist answers.

Sauti ya Kipindi HikiThe Voice of This Unit

Kipindi hiki kimeandikwa kutoka ndani ya utamaduni wa Kibaptisti, kwa wanafunzi Wabaptisti. Ni cha kihafidhina. Tunashikilia kwamba Biblia ni Neno la Mungu lililopumuliwa na Mungu na ndiyo mamlaka yetu ya mwisho. Wanahistoria wanapotofautiana, au wengine wanapopinga yale Wabaptisti wanayosema kuhusu historia yao wenyewe, tunaeleza mtazamo wao kwa haki kisha tunatoa jibu la Kibaptisti. Maandiko yasema, "Jaribuni mambo yote; mkamateni sana lililo jema" (1 Wathesalonike 5:21).This unit is written from inside the Baptist tradition, for Baptist students. It is conservative. We hold that the Bible is God's inspired Word and our final authority. When historians disagree, or when others object to what Baptists say about their own history, we state their view fairly and then give the Baptist answer. Scripture says, "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Kwa Nini Hadithi Hii ni MuhimuWhy This Story Matters

Katika kipindi kilichopita tuliona Wabaptisti wakitozwa faini na kufungwa Uingereza. Kipindi hiki kinawafuata Wabaptisti kuvuka Atlantiki. Huko Amerika mwanzoni walikuwa kundi dogo lililodharauliwa. Baada ya muda wakawa mojawapo ya familia kubwa zaidi za Kikristo nchini. Njiani walitoa mchango kwa taifa zima: wazo kwamba imani lazima iwe huru, na kwamba hakuna serikali yenye haki ya kuamuru dhamiri ya mtu.In the last unit we saw Baptists fined and jailed in England. This unit follows the Baptists across the Atlantic. In America they were first a small and despised group. In time they became one of the largest Christian families in the country. Along the way they made a contribution to the whole nation: the idea that faith must be free, and that no government has the right to command a person's conscience.

Kwa Wabaptisti wazo hili si la kisiasa hasa. Linatokana na Biblia. Mtu anaokolewa kwa toba na imani, ambavyo hakuna mtawala anayeweza kuvizalisha kwa nguvu. Kanisa ni kundi la waumini, kwa hiyo haliwezi kuundwa kwa sheria. Kristo alisema, "Ufalme wangu si wa ulimwengu huu" (Yohana 18:36). Kwa sababu hizi Wabaptisti wa mwanzo walisema kwamba upanga ni wa serikali kwa ajili ya utaratibu wa kiraia, na Neno ni la kanisa kwa ajili ya roho.For Baptists this idea is not mainly political. It grows from the Bible. A person is saved by repentance and faith, which no ruler can produce by force. The church is a company of believers, so it cannot be made up by law. Christ said, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). For these reasons the early Baptists said that the sword belongs to the government for civil order, and the Word belongs to the church for the soul.

Roger Williams na Rhode IslandRoger Williams and Rhode Island

Katika miaka ya 1600 koloni la Massachusetts Bay lilitawaliwa na Wapuritani. Walikuwa wameondoka Uingereza kujenga jamii ya kimungu. Lakini walidumisha kanisa lililoanzishwa na dola. Kila mtu alipaswa kuhudhuria, kila mtu alipaswa kulilipia, na washiriki wa kanisa tu ndio waliokuwa na haki ya kupiga kura. Viongozi waliamini kwamba hakimu lazima alinde dini ya kweli na kuadhibu mafundisho ya uongo.In the 1600s the colony of Massachusetts Bay was ruled by Puritans. They had left England to build a godly society. But they kept an established church. Everyone had to attend, everyone had to pay for it, and only church members could vote. The leaders believed that the magistrate must protect true religion and punish false teaching.

Roger Williams (karibu 1603-1683) alikuwa mchungaji aliyefika Boston mwaka 1631. Alifundisha kwamba serikali ya kiraia haina mamlaka juu ya amri nne za kwanza, yaani, juu ya ibada. Pia alifundisha kwamba walowezi hawakuwa na haki ya kuchukua ardhi kutoka kwa watu wa asili bila kuinunua. Viongozi wa Massachusetts walihukumu mitazamo yake kuwa hatari, na mwaka 1635 walimwamuru aondoke koloni. Mwaka 1636 alikaa mahali alipopaita Providence, na wengine walijiunga naye. Huu ulikuwa mwanzo wa Rhode Island.Roger Williams (about 1603-1683) was a minister who arrived in Boston in 1631. He taught that the civil government had no authority over the first four commandments, that is, over worship. He also taught that the colonists had no right to take land from the native peoples without buying it. The leaders of Massachusetts judged his views dangerous, and in 1635 they ordered him to leave the colony. In 1636 he settled at a place he named Providence, and others joined him. This was the beginning of Rhode Island.

Katika Providence Williams aliupa makazi yake kanuni iliyokuwa adimu katika zama hizo: mji hautatumia nguvu za serikali kulazimisha dini. Aliliita wazo hilo "uhuru wa roho" (soul liberty). Mwaka 1644 alichapisha The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution (Mafundisho ya Damu ya Mateso), ambamo alijadili kutoka katika Biblia kwamba dola halipaswi kutesa kwa ajili ya dhamiri. Alirejea mfano wa Yesu wa ngano na magugu (Mathayo 13:24-30), ambapo bwana anasema viache vikue pamoja hadi mavuno. Hukumu ya mwisho ni ya Mungu, si ya hakimu.In Providence Williams gave his settlement a rule that was rare in that age: the town would not use the power of the government to enforce religion. He called the idea "soul liberty." In 1644 he published The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution, in which he argued from the Bible that the state should not persecute for conscience. He pointed to Jesus' parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-30), where the master says to let both grow together until the harvest. The final judgment belongs to God, not to the magistrate.

Karibu mwaka 1638 au 1639 kanisa liliundwa Providence, na Williams alibatizwa na mtu wa kawaida aitwaye Ezekiel Holliman. Kisha Williams aliwabatiza wengine. Ndani ya miezi michache aliondoka kwenye kanisa. Alifikia kuamini kwamba hakukuwa na kanisa la kweli duniani mpaka Kristo atakapotuma mitume wapya, na alitumia maisha yake yaliyobaki kama "Mtafutaji" (Seeker).About 1638 or 1639 a church was formed in Providence, and Williams was baptized by a layman named Ezekiel Holliman. Williams then baptized others. Within a few months he left the church. He came to believe that there was no true church on earth until Christ sent new apostles, and he spent the rest of his life as a "Seeker."

Kanisa la kwanza la Kibaptisti Amerika?The first Baptist church in America?

Wanahistoria hawakubaliani. Wengine wanasema kwamba kanisa la Providence lilikuwa kanisa la kwanza la Kibaptisti Amerika. Wengine wanaelekeza kwenye kanisa la Newport, Rhode Island, lililoanzishwa na Dkt. John Clarke, daktari na mchungaji, katika miaka ya 1640. Yote mawili yalikuwa Rhode Island, na tarehe kamili ya kila moja inajadiliwa.Historians do not agree. Some say that the church in Providence was the first Baptist church in America. Others point to the church in Newport, Rhode Island, founded by Dr. John Clarke, a physician and minister, in the 1640s. Both were in Rhode Island, and the exact date of each is debated.

Baadhi ya wanahistoria huenda mbali zaidi. Wanasema kwamba Williams hakuwa kamwe Mbaptisti kweli, kwa sababu aliondoka kwenye kanisa haraka sana. Jibu la Kibaptisti ni kwamba hili ni kweli kwa sehemu, na kwa sehemu halihusiki. Ni kweli kwamba Williams alihamia mbali na kanisa. Lakini pia ni kweli kwamba aliamini ubatizo wa waumini kwa muda, na kwamba hoja zake za uhuru wa dhamiri zilikuwa zilezile Wabaptisti walizotoa na bado wanazitoa. Wabaptisti hawadai kwamba Williams alikuwa Mbaptisti maisha yake yote. Tunamheshimu kama rafiki wa uhuru aliyesaidia kuanzisha kanisa la kwanza la Kibaptisti. John Clarke ni jina jingine la kukumbuka. Alikuwa mchungaji Mbaptisti maisha yake yote, na mwaka 1663 alipata kutoka kwa Mfalme Charles wa Pili hati ya kifalme ya Rhode Island iliyolinda uhuru wa dhamiri.Some historians go further. They say that Williams was never really a Baptist, because he left the church so quickly. The Baptist answer is that this is partly true, and partly beside the point. It is true that Williams moved away from the church. But it is also true that he believed in believer's baptism for a time, and that his arguments for liberty of conscience were the same as those Baptists made and still make. Baptists do not claim that Williams was a Baptist all his life. We honor him as a friend of liberty who helped to start the first Baptist church. John Clarke is another name to remember. He was a Baptist pastor all his life, and in 1663 he obtained from King Charles II a royal charter for Rhode Island that protected freedom of conscience.

Mateso MassachusettsSuffering in Massachusetts

Rhode Island ilikuwa kimbilio. Massachusetts haikuwa hivyo. Wabaptisti walioishi huko waliteseka.Rhode Island was a refuge. Massachusetts was not. The Baptists who lived there suffered.

Mwaka 1651 Clarke na watu wengine wawili kutoka Rhode Island, Obadiah Holmes na John Crandall, walimtembelea Mbaptisti kipofu huko Lynn, Massachusetts. Mamlaka ziliwakamata kwa kufanya mkutano. Holmes alikataa kulipa faini, naye alichapwa hadharani viboko thelathini. Holmes baadaye alikuwa mchungaji wa kanisa la Kibaptisti la Newport.In 1651 Clarke and two other men from Rhode Island, Obadiah Holmes and John Crandall, visited a blind Baptist at Lynn, Massachusetts. The authorities arrested them for holding a meeting. Holmes refused to pay a fine, and he was publicly whipped with thirty lashes. Holmes later became the pastor of the Baptist church in Newport.

Kesi nyingine ni ya Henry Dunster, rais wa kwanza wa Chuo cha Harvard. Katika miaka ya 1650 alianza kutilia shaka ubatizo wa watoto wachanga. Alifundisha mtazamo huu, na mwaka 1654 alilazimishwa kuacha wadhifa wake. Wabaptisti huko Massachusetts waliunda kanisa Boston mwaka 1665 na walitozwa faini na wakati mwingine kufungwa kwa miaka baada ya hapo.Another case is Henry Dunster, the first president of Harvard College. In the 1650s he came to doubt the baptism of infants. He taught this view, and in 1654 he was forced to give up his post. Baptists in Massachusetts formed a church in Boston in 1665 and were fined and sometimes imprisoned for years after that.

Viongozi wa Kipuritani walikuwa wa dhati. Waliamini kwamba walikuwa wanailinda mioyo ya watu wao. Jibu la Kibaptisti lilikuwa lilelile siku zote: kanisa haliwezi kujengwa kwa upanga, na dola haliwezi kusoma moyo. Mateso huzaa wanafiki, si waumini.The Puritan leaders were sincere. They believed that they were protecting the souls of their people. The Baptist answer was always the same: the church cannot be built with the sword, and the state cannot read the heart. Persecution makes hypocrites, not believers.

Ukuaji na Uamsho MkuuGrowth and the Great Awakening

Kufikia mwanzoni mwa miaka ya 1700 kulikuwa na Wabaptisti katika makoloni kadhaa, hasa Pennsylvania, New Jersey na Carolina. Mwaka 1707 makanisa matano yaliunda Chama cha Wabaptisti cha Philadelphia (Philadelphia Baptist Association), chama cha kwanza cha Kibaptisti Amerika. Mwaka 1742 kilipokea Maungamo ya Pili ya London kama Maungamo ya Philadelphia (tazama Kipindi cha 4).By the early 1700s there were Baptists in several colonies, especially in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Carolinas. In 1707 five churches formed the Philadelphia Baptist Association, the first Baptist association in America. In 1742 it adopted the Second London Confession as the Philadelphia Confession (see Unit 4).

Badiliko kubwa lilikuja na Uamsho Mkuu, mfululizo wa uamsho uliofagia makoloni kuanzia karibu mwaka 1740. Watu wengi waligeuka na kuacha makanisa yaliyoanzishwa na dola ili kuunda makanisa ya "Watengano" (Separate). Baadhi yao waliamua kwamba ubatizo wa watoto wachanga haupatikani katika Maandiko na wakawa Wabaptisti. Miongoni mwa Wabaptisti hawa Watengano, Shubal Stearns (1706-1771) na watu wake walikaa Sandy Creek, North Carolina mwaka 1755. Kutoka hapo, wahubiri walisafiri sana katika Virginia na Carolina. Wabaptisti hawa walisisitiza kuzaliwa upya, ibada rahisi na bidii ya kuinjilisha. Walikua haraka.The great change came with the Great Awakening, the series of revivals that swept the colonies from about 1740. Many people were converted and left the established churches to form "Separate" churches. Some of these decided that infant baptism was not found in Scripture and became Baptists. Among these Separate Baptists, Shubal Stearns (1706-1771) and his people settled at Sandy Creek, North Carolina in 1755. From there, preachers traveled widely in Virginia and the Carolinas. These Baptists stressed the new birth, simple worship and zeal for evangelism. They grew rapidly.

Isaac Backus na Ombi la UhuruIsaac Backus and the Appeal for Liberty

Isaac Backus (1724-1806) alizaliwa Connecticut. Aligeuka wakati wa Uamsho. Mwanzoni alijiunga na Waongozi wa Kusanyiko Watengano (Separate Congregationalists), lakini mwaka 1751 akawa Mbaptisti. Kuanzia 1756 hadi kifo chake alikuwa mchungaji wa kanisa la Kibaptisti huko Middleborough, Massachusetts.Isaac Backus (1724-1806) was born in Connecticut. He was converted during the Awakening. He first joined the Separate Congregationalists, but in 1751 he became a Baptist. From 1756 until his death he was the pastor of a Baptist church at Middleborough, Massachusetts.

Tatizo alilokabili lilikuwa sheria. Massachusetts bado ilitoza kodi kila mtu kuunga mkono kanisa lililoanzishwa na dola. Wabaptisti wangeweza kusamehewa wakileta cheti kutoka kanisa lao wenyewe, lakini maafisa mara nyingi walikataa au kufanya iwe ngumu. Wakati mwingine mali ya Wabaptisti ilitwaliwa, na wachache walifungwa kwa kukataa kulipa.The problem he faced was the law. Massachusetts still taxed everyone to support the established church. Baptists could be excused if they brought a certificate from their own church, but the officials often refused or made it difficult. Sometimes Baptists' property was seized, and a few were jailed for refusing to pay.

Mwaka 1767 makanisa ya Kibaptisti katika eneo hilo yaliunda Chama cha Warren (Warren Association), nacho kilianzisha kamati ya kukusanya malalamiko ya Wabaptisti, na Backus akiwa kiongozi. Mwaka 1773 alichapisha An Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty (Ombi kwa Umma kwa Ajili ya Uhuru wa Dini). Mwaka 1774 Backus alisafiri hadi Philadelphia, ambako Bunge la Bara (Continental Congress) lilikuwa likikutana, na akayafikisha malalamiko ya Wabaptisti mbele ya wajumbe kutoka Massachusetts.In 1767 the Baptist churches in the region formed the Warren Association, and it set up a committee to gather the complaints of Baptists, with Backus as a leader. In 1773 he published An Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty. In 1774 Backus traveled to Philadelphia, where the Continental Congress was meeting, and brought the grievances of the Baptists before the delegates from Massachusetts.

Backus alijadili mambo mawili. Kwanza, alisema kwamba kanisa na dola ni serikali tofauti zenye kazi tofauti. Dola linadumisha amani ya kiraia, lakini kanisa linashughulikia dhamiri mbele za Mungu. Pili, alionyesha mgongano usiofaa. Walowezi walilalamika kwamba Uingereza iliwatoza kodi bila ridhaa yao. Hata hivyo serikali ya Massachusetts ilitoza Wabaptisti kodi kuunga mkono kanisa ambalo hawakuliamini, na ilifanya hivyo bila ridhaa yao. Backus hakuwa dhidi ya harakati ya Amerika. Alitaka kanuni za mapinduzi yenyewe zitumike nyumbani.Backus argued two things. First, he said that the church and the state are different governments with different tasks. The state keeps civil peace, but the church deals with the conscience before God. Second, he pointed out an awkward contradiction. The colonists were complaining that Britain taxed them without their consent. Yet the Massachusetts government taxed Baptists to support a church they did not believe in, and did so without their consent. Backus was not against the American cause. He wanted the revolution's own principles to be applied at home.

Katiba ya Massachusetts ya 1780 bado ilidumisha msaada kwa makanisa yaliyoanzishwa na dola. Backus aliipinga. Mfumo wa mwisho wa aina hiyo huko Massachusetts haukukoma hadi 1833, muda mrefu baada ya Backus kufa. Pia aliandika juzuu tatu za History of New England with Particular Reference to the Denomination of Christians Called Baptists (Historia ya New England kwa Kurejelea Hasa Dhehebu la Wakristo Linaloitwa Wabaptisti) (1777-1796), ambacho bado ni chanzo chenye thamani.The Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 still kept support for the established churches. Backus opposed it. The last such system in Massachusetts did not end until 1833, long after Backus died. He also wrote a three-volume History of New England with Particular Reference to the Denomination of Christians Called Baptists (1777-1796), which is still a valuable source.

John Leland na VirginiaJohn Leland and Virginia

Huko Virginia Kanisa la Uingereza lilikuwa kanisa lililoanzishwa na dola hadi Mapinduzi. Kuanzia karibu mwaka 1768, wahubiri Wabaptisti huko walikamatwa kwa kuhubiri bila leseni kutoka kwa mamlaka. Wengine walihubiri kutoka dirishani mwa gereza. Uthabiti wao uliwashinda wengi kwa ajili ya sababu yao.In Virginia the Church of England was the established church until the Revolution. From about 1768, Baptist preachers there were arrested for preaching without a license from the authorities. Some preached from the jail window. Their steadiness won many to their cause.

John Leland (1754-1841) alikuwa mhubiri Mbaptisti kutoka Massachusetts aliyekuja Virginia mwaka 1776 na kutumikia huko kwa karibu miaka kumi na mitano.John Leland (1754-1841) was a Baptist preacher from Massachusetts who came to Virginia in 1776 and served there for about fifteen years.

Wakati wa Mapinduzi, Wabaptisti wa Virginia waliunga mkono uhuru, lakini pia waliomba uhuru wa dini katika jimbo jipya. Mwaka 1779 Thomas Jefferson alipendekeza mswada wa uhuru wa dini. Baada ya miaka ya mapambano ulipitishwa mwaka 1786 kama Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (Sheria ya Virginia ya Uhuru wa Dini), huku James Madison akiongoza juhudi hizo katika bunge. Wabaptisti walisaidia kwa kutuma maombi kutoka makanisani mwao na kwa msaada wao thabiti wa hadharani.During the Revolution, the Virginia Baptists backed independence, but they also asked for freedom of religion in the new state. In 1779 Thomas Jefferson proposed a bill for religious freedom. After years of struggle it was passed in 1786 as the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, with James Madison leading the effort in the legislature. The Baptists helped by sending petitions from their churches and by their steady public support.

Kisha likaja swali la Katiba mpya ya taifa. Wabaptisti wengi waliogopa kwamba waraka huo haukulinda uhuru wa dhamiri. Mapokeo yanayojulikana yanasema kwamba Leland alikutana na Madison, na kwamba Madison aliahidi kufanya kazi kwa ajili ya mswada wa haki, na kwamba Leland kisha akamuunga mkono kwa mkutano wa Virginia mwaka 1788. Wanahistoria wanajadili ni uzito gani wa kutoa kwa hadithi hii. Lakini ni hakika kwamba Madison alifanya kazi kwa ajili ya marekebisho, na kwamba Marekebisho ya Kwanza yaliidhinishwa mwaka 1791. Yanasema kwamba Bunge halitatunga sheria yoyote inayoheshimu kuanzishwa kwa dini, wala kukataza utendaji wake huru.Then came the question of the new national Constitution. Many Baptists feared that the document did not protect freedom of conscience. A well-known tradition says that Leland met with Madison, and that Madison promised to work for a bill of rights, and that Leland then supported him for the Virginia convention in 1788. Historians debate how much weight to put on this story. But it is certain that Madison did work for the amendments, and that the First Amendment was ratified in 1791. It says that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting its free exercise.

Leland alirudi Massachusetts mwaka 1791. Katika mwaka huo alichapisha The Rights of Conscience Inalienable (Haki za Dhamiri Haziwezi Kuondolewa), akijadili kwamba dini ya mtu ni jambo kati ya mtu huyo na Mungu, na kwamba serikali haina haki ya kuhukumu maoni ya kidini. Aliendelea kupigana na mfumo wa Massachusetts hadi mwisho wa maisha yake.Leland returned to Massachusetts in 1791. In that year he published The Rights of Conscience Inalienable, arguing that a person's religion is a matter between that person and God, and that the government has no right to judge religious opinions. He kept fighting the Massachusetts establishment to the end of his life.

Mwaka 1801 Chama cha Wabaptisti cha Danbury cha Connecticut kilimwandikia Rais mpya Jefferson kuhusu ukosefu wao wa uhuru wa dini katika jimbo lao. Katika jibu lake mwanzoni mwa 1802, Jefferson alitumia picha ya "ukuta wa kutenganisha kanisa na dola." Wabaptisti hawakumaanisha kwamba imani inapaswa kusukumwa nje ya maisha ya umma. Walimaanisha kwamba serikali isidhibiti kanisa, na kanisa lisitawale serikali.In 1801 the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut wrote to the new President Jefferson about their lack of religious freedom in their state. In his reply in early 1802, Jefferson used the picture of "a wall of separation between church and state." Baptists did not mean that faith should be pushed out of public life. They meant that government should not control the church, and the church should not rule the government.

Pingamizi na Majibu ya KibaptistiObjections and the Baptist Answers

Pingamizi la 1: Wabaptisti waliomba uhuru walipokuwa dhaifu tu.Objection 1: Baptists asked for liberty only when they were weak.

Wakosoaji wanasema kwamba Wabaptisti walitaka uhuru kwa ajili yao wenyewe, na wangefanya kama Wapuritani wangeshika madaraka. Jibu letu. Kumbukumbu zinapinga hili. Williams aliomba uhuru hata kwa wale ambao imani zao alizipinga, na Wabaptisti kama Backus na Leland waliomba uhuru kwa wote, si kwa ajili yao wenyewe tu. Kanuni inaonekana kama inashikiliwa kwa kweli pale inapogharimu kitu. Wabaptisti waliishikilia kabla ya kupata nguvu na baada yake.Critics say that Baptists wanted freedom for themselves, and would have done as the Puritans did if they had held power. Our answer. The record is against this. Williams asked liberty even for those whose beliefs he opposed, and Baptists like Backus and Leland asked liberty for all, not only for themselves. A principle is shown by whether it is held when it costs something. Baptists held it before they gained power and after.

Pingamizi la 2: Sifa ni za wanafikra wa Enzi ya Mwangaza (Enlightenment), si za Wabaptisti.Objection 2: The credit belongs to Enlightenment thinkers, not Baptists.

Baadhi ya wanahistoria wanasema kwamba Jefferson na Madison walisukumwa na akili na falsafa mpya ya zama zao, na Wabaptisti walisaidia tu. Jibu letu. Yote mawili ni kweli. Jefferson na Madison walileta ustadi wa kisiasa na hoja za akili. Lakini Wabaptisti walileta Biblia, maelfu ya waombaji, na ushahidi wa mateso yao wenyewe. Bila shinikizo hilo sheria hizo huenda zisingepita. Hatuhitaji kusema kwamba Wabaptisti walifanya peke yao. Tunasema kwamba mchango wa Kibaptisti ulikuwa wa kweli, na kwamba mzizi wake ulikuwa Maandiko.Some historians say that Jefferson and Madison were moved by reason and by the new philosophy of their age, and the Baptists only helped them. Our answer. Both are true. Jefferson and Madison brought political skill and arguments from reason. But the Baptists brought the Bible, thousands of petitioners, and the proof of their own suffering. Without that pressure the laws might not have passed. We do not need to say that Baptists did it alone. We say that the Baptist contribution was real, and that its root was Scripture.

Pingamizi la 3: Kutenganisha kanisa na dola kunamaanisha uadui dhidi ya dini.Objection 3: Separation of church and state means hostility to religion.

Wengine wanafikiri kwamba Wabaptisti walitaka kuweka dini nje ya uwanja wa umma. Jibu letu. Wabaptisti walitaka kanisa huru, si kanisa lililonyamazishwa. Backus na Leland walikuwa wahubiri waliosema hadharani na kuandika kuhusu mambo ya umma. Walitaka kanisa liwe huru kuhubiri, kufundisha na kuwakosoa watawala inapobidi (Matendo 5:29), na pia walifundisha kwamba Wakristo wanapaswa kuwaombea watawala na kutii sheria (Warumi 13:1; 1 Timotheo 2:1-2). Lengo ni uhuru kwa kanisa, na ulinzi kwa dola dhidi ya kutumiwa na kanisa.Some think that Baptists wished to keep religion out of the public square. Our answer. Baptists wanted a free church, not a silent one. Backus and Leland were preachers who spoke in public and wrote about public matters. They wanted the church to be free to preach, to teach and to criticize rulers when necessary (Acts 5:29), and they also taught that Christians should pray for rulers and obey the law (Romans 13:1; 1 Timothy 2:1-2). The aim is freedom for the church, and protection for the state from being used by the church.

Pingamizi la 4: Baadhi ya Wabaptisti baadaye walisahau kanuni hii.Objection 4: Some Baptists later forgot this principle.

Hilo ni lalamiko la haki. Wabaptisti, kama Wakristo wengine, hawajakuwa thabiti siku zote. Hii ni sababu ya kushikilia kanuni kwa uangalifu, si ya kuiacha.That is a fair complaint. Baptists, like other Christians, have not always been consistent. This is a reason to hold the principle with care, not to give it up.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Wewe ni mchungaji Mbaptisti katika mji mdogo wa Amerika ya Kilatini. Kabla ya uchaguzi wa mahali, afisa anakuja kanisani kwako na kukuomba umsemee mgombea mmoja kutoka mimbarini Jumapili. Pia anadokeza kwamba vibali vya kanisa vinaweza kuwa rahisi kupatikana ukifanya hivyo.You are a Baptist pastor in a small town in Latin America. Before a local election, an official comes to your church and asks you to speak for one candidate from the pulpit on Sunday. He also hints that the church's permits may be easier to obtain if you do.

Mchungaji aliyeumbwa na historia hii atajibu kwa hatua kadhaa. Kwanza, anampokea afisa kwa adabu na kumshukuru kwa kujali mji, kwa sababu Maandiko yanatutaka tuwaombee wenye mamlaka (1 Timotheo 2:1-2). Pili, anaeleza kwa wema kwamba mimbara ni ya Neno la Mungu, na kwamba kanisa haliwezi kuwa chombo cha chama chochote. Tatu, anajikumbusha mwenyewe na watu wake kanuni: "Imetupasa kumtii Mungu kuliko wanadamu" (Matendo 5:29). Nne, anafundisha kanisa lake kuomba, kupiga kura kulingana na dhamiri, na kutii sheria. Tano, anaweka kumbukumbu ya mazungumzo hayo na, ikibidi, anatafuta ushauri kutoka kwa wachungaji wengine katika chama chake. Kwa kufanya hivi analinda uhuru wa kanisa lake, na dhamiri ya kila mshiriki.A pastor shaped by this history will respond in several steps. First, he receives the official politely and thanks him for his concern for the town, because Scripture asks us to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Second, he explains kindly that the pulpit belongs to the Word of God, and that the church cannot become a tool of any party. Third, he reminds himself and his people of the principle: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Fourth, he teaches his church to pray, to vote according to conscience, and to obey the law. Fifth, he keeps a record of the conversation and, if needed, seeks counsel from other pastors in his association. By doing this he protects the freedom of his church, and the conscience of every member.

MuhtasariSummary

Roger Williams alifukuzwa kutoka Massachusetts mwaka 1635, alianzisha Providence mwaka 1636, na alijadili "uhuru wa roho" katika The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution (1644). Kanisa la Kibaptisti liliundwa Providence karibu mwaka 1638 au 1639, na John Clarke alianzisha kanisa Newport na kupata hati ya Rhode Island ya 1663. Wabaptisti waliteseka Massachusetts: Obadiah Holmes alichapwa mwaka 1651, na Henry Dunster alipoteza wadhifa wake Harvard mwaka 1654. Chama cha Philadelphia kilianza mwaka 1707, na Uamsho Mkuu ulileta ukuaji wa haraka, ikiwemo Wabaptisti Watengano wa Shubal Stearns. Isaac Backus aliongoza mapambano New England na kuchapisha Appeal yake mwaka 1773. John Leland alifanya kazi Virginia, alisaidia kupata Sheria ya Virginia (1786), alifanya kazi na Madison kwa ajili ya Marekebisho ya Kwanza (1791) na aliandika The Rights of Conscience Inalienable. Wabaptisti wanawajibu wakosoaji kwa kuonyesha kwamba kanuni yao ilishikiliwa kwa ajili ya wote, ilitokana na Biblia, na ni zawadi kwa kanisa na dola pia.Roger Williams was banished from Massachusetts in 1635, founded Providence in 1636, and argued for "soul liberty" in The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution (1644). A Baptist church was formed in Providence about 1638 or 1639, and John Clarke founded a church in Newport and obtained the Rhode Island charter of 1663. Baptists suffered in Massachusetts: Obadiah Holmes was whipped in 1651, and Henry Dunster lost his post at Harvard in 1654. The Philadelphia Association began in 1707, and the Great Awakening brought rapid growth, including the Separate Baptists of Shubal Stearns. Isaac Backus led the fight in New England and published his Appeal in 1773. John Leland worked in Virginia, helped win the Virginia Statute (1786), worked with Madison for the First Amendment (1791) and wrote The Rights of Conscience Inalienable. Baptists answer critics by showing that their principle was held for all, grew from the Bible, and is a gift to church and state alike.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• Roger Williams, The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution (Mafundisho ya Damu ya Mateso) (1644), kikoa cha umma.• Roger Williams, The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution (1644), public domain.

• Isaac Backus, An Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty (Ombi kwa Umma kwa Ajili ya Uhuru wa Dini) (1773), kikoa cha umma.• Isaac Backus, An Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty (1773), public domain.

• Isaac Backus, A History of New England with Particular Reference to the Denomination of Christians Called Baptists (Historia ya New England kwa Kurejelea Hasa Dhehebu la Wakristo Linaloitwa Wabaptisti) (1777-1796), kikoa cha umma.• Isaac Backus, A History of New England with Particular Reference to the Denomination of Christians Called Baptists (1777-1796), public domain.

• John Leland, The Rights of Conscience Inalienable (Haki za Dhamiri Haziwezi Kuondolewa) (1791), kikoa cha umma.• John Leland, The Rights of Conscience Inalienable (1791), public domain.

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

• Bill J. Leonard, Baptist Ways (Njia za Kibaptisti) (2003).• Bill J. Leonard, Baptist Ways (2003).

• Anthony L. Chute, Nathan A. Finn na Michael A. G. Haykin, The Baptist Story (Hadithi ya Wabaptisti) (2015).• Anthony L. Chute, Nathan A. Finn and Michael A. G. Haykin, The Baptist Story (2015).

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