Do many Baptist Churches still use this confession? Any thoughts on it as a confession of faith?

I know Mark Dever uses it.

The New Hampshire Confession of Faith | The Reformed Reader

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Conscience may lash us, but it cannot replenish a languishing life. Conscience may be God's word and minister to you, telling you of your faults and your follies and your destitution. It may point out, but it will never supply you. Christ must give you new life. Hart has well expressed it: "He to the feeble and the faint, His mighty aid makes known; and when their languid life is spent, supplies it with His own." - J. K. Popham

This probably isn't what you're looking for, but the Baptist church down the road from me is in the process of adopting it.

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Paul Korte
OPC
Flint, MI

They who perceive in themselves discoveries of the divine goodness, so full and absolutely perfect, and who make them the subject of earnest meditation, will never embrace new doctrines, by which the very grace they feel so powerfully in themselves is thrown into the shade. --John Calvin

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Interesting news.

It is supposedly based on the LBCF, but notably briefer and thereby less Calvinistically dogmatic in certain respects.

It doesn't seem to be as clear on the Scriptures as the inerrant Word of God -- maybe reflecting some hesitation in light of questions on inerrancy arising at that time (1833).

Some have suggested that it reflected a move toward congregationalism. I notice that it omits any reference to the concept of the "universal church."

It is less clear on the atonement, does not mention the word "substitution", and renders more univeralistic notions such as Amyraldism a compatible option.

It also never mentions the terms "covenant of grace" or "covenant of works."

As a Confession, I view it as an ambiguous and lacking in a number of areas. It could not be classified as Reformed in any meaningful sense.

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Jim
1689 LBCF
Independent Bible Church
North Texas, USA

How was the NHC used? Was it a standard for the pastor and elders or used as a standard for membership?

Standard for membership.

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Ivan R. Schoen, B.A., M.A., M.L.I.S.
Pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church (SBC)
Poplar Grove, IL, USA
http://maranatha-sbc.org

Is the LBC or WCF used as a standard for membership?

For what I have gathered here about the subject, I think the answer would be 'no'. I've only seen it referred to as a standard for elders and perhaps other officers of the church.

In the ARP (and other Presbyterian denominations as well, to varying degrees), as part of membership vows, there must be the affirmation that the standards of the church as found in the WCF are agreeable to and founded on the word of God, in so far as the person understands them. If a man is going to be ordained as an elder, then he must that that the Standards are an expression of his own faith.

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Tim Phillips
Pastor, Midlane Park Presbyterian Church (ARP)
Louisville, KY
Husband of Scottish Lass
My Blog: Gairney Bridge
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"Wherever the gospel is preached, it is as if God Himself came into the midst of us." ~ John Calvin

Ivan, we're in the process of adopting the 1689 LBC as our statement of faith; which must be accepted by those seeking membership. In our membership covenant we will have language similar to this:

"We believe the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith accurately and faithfully interprets, although not exhaustively, the major doctrines of scripture, and practices of the church. While it is not required that members be in agreement with each area of the Confession; members understand that the Confession reflects the beliefs and practices of the church."

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Bill Brown
Elder
Reformed Baptist
Maryland

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Visit my BLOG Theology for the Rest of Us

Has the 1689 been used, historically, as a standard for membership?

Historically? I believe it is in ARBCA churches.

Even thought I would obviously differ with it on a couple of sections, the LBC is an excellent confession of faith and seems to be far superior to the New Hampshire Confession.

Of course, the LBC is just the WCF with a little more water added on fewer people.

J/K

Something to add, Founders Ministries | Which Confession

The church I'm a member of is considering adopting a confession, the New Hampshire is on the table now.

Bill, will you also be joining ARBCA?

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http://www.villagecommunitychurch.org/


"Preparing a sermon is like cooking a meal. You need pots and pans and utensils, but you don't bring them out to the table where people are eating." Derek Thomas


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Brother, could you explain what you meant by the above statement? Thank you.

The New Hampshire Confession of Faith is certainly less Calvinistic than the 1689 (LBCF). The "family tree" of confessions of faith, at least for Southenrn Baptists would go, in general terms of theological heritage, like this (I do realize there are others that might be on this list too):

LBCF
NHCF
Abstract of Principles
Baptist Faith and Message 1925
BFM 1964
BFM 2000

The later BFMs still retain a little language from the NHCF. Each confession of faith has essentially become less Calvinistic and Reformed since the LBCF.

I know of only a handful of churches that use the NHCF today, Mark Dever's church being one of them.

Hope that helps.

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PMBrooks
Southern Baptist Pastor
New Orleans, LA
PhD Theology

I found a few over on the founders website...

JM,

Originally, Baptists were confessional and produced a number of confessions of faith. The LBCF and New Hampshire take their place alongside quite a list of documents . . .

ENGLISH BAPTIST-SEPARATIST CONFESSIONS
* A TRUE CONFESSION, 1596
* SHORT CONFESSION OF FAITH IN XX ARTICLES, 1609
* A SHORT CONFESSION OF FAITH, 1610
* A DECLARATION OF FAITH OF ENGLISH PEOPLE REMAINING AT AMSTERDAM, 1611
* PROPOSITIONS AND CONCLUSIONS CONCERNING TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, 1612-1614

EARLY ENGLISH BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONAL CONFESSIONS
* JOHN SPILSBURY AND HIS CONFESSION
* THE FIRST LONDON BAPTIST CONFESSION OF FAITH, 1644
* THE FIRST LONDON BAPTIST CONFESSION OF FAITH, 1646 Edition
* AN APPENDIX TO A CONFESSION OF FAITH, 1646, Benjamin Cox (Coxe)
* THE FAITH AND PRACTISE OF THIRTY CONGREGATIONS, 1651
* THE TRUE GOSPEL-FAITH DECLARED ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES, 1654
* THE MIDLAND CONFESSION OF FAITH, 1655
* THE SOMERSET CONFESSION OF FAITH, 1656
* CARTER LANE DECLARATION OF FAITH, 1757
* JOHN GILL'S DECLARATION OF FAITH, 1757

ENGLISH BAPTIST GENERAL CONFESSIONS
* THE STANDARD CONFESSION, 1660
* THE ASSEMBLY or SECOND LONDON CONFESSION, 1677 AND 1688, approved 1689 WITH SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
* A SHORT CONFESSION OR A BRIEF NARRATIVE OF FAITH, 1691
* THE COALHEAVER'S CONFESSION, 1745
* ARTICLES OF RELIGION OF THE NEW CONNEXION, 1770

AMERICAN BAPTIST CONFESSIONS
* THE PHILADELPHIA CONFESSION, 1742
* THE SANDY CREEK CONFESSION, 1758
* THE GOATYARD DECLARATION OF FAITH, 1792
* THE NEW HAMPSHIRE BAPTIST CONFESSION OF FAITH, 1833
* TREATISE ON THE FAITH AND PRACTICE OF THE FREE WILL BAPTISTS, 1834 AND 1948
* THE ABSTRACT OF PRINCIPLES, 1858
* ARTICLES OF FAITH PUT FORTH BY THE BAPTIST BIBLE UNION OF AMERICA, 1923
* BAPTIST FAITH AND MESSAGE, 1925
* BAPTIST FAITH AND MESSAGE, 1963
* CAMBRIDGE DECLARATION, 1998

GENERAL BAPTIST CONFESSIONS
* LIBERTY ASSOCIATION ARTICLES OF FAITH (1824)
* GENERAL ASSOCIATION ARTICLES OF FAITH (1870)
* GENERAL ASSOCIATION ARTICLES OF FAITH (1949)
* A SHORT CONFESSION OF FAITH, IN TWENTY ARTICLES, JOHN SMYTH

BAPTIST CATECHISMS
* A CATECHISM FOR BABES, OR LITTLE ONES, 1652
* A SHORT CATECHISM ABOUT BAPTISM, 1659
* INSTRUCTION FOR THE IGNORANT, BUNYAN'S CATECHISM, 1675
* BENJAMIN KEACH'S CATECHISM, 1677
* THE ORTHODOX CATECHISM, 1680
* A CATECHISM FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
* A CATECHISM OR INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
* THE PHILADELPHIA BAPTIST CATECHISM
* THE BAPTIST CATECHISM, CHARLESTON ASSOCIATION CATECHISM, 1813
* THE BAPTIST SCRIPTURAL CATECHISM, 1850
* A PURITAN CATECHISM, 1855
* A CATECHISM FOR LITTLE CHILDREN, 1864
* COMPEND OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES HELD BY BAPTISTS: IN CATECHISM, 186
* A CATECHISM OF BIBLE TEACHING, 1892
* A BRIEF CATECHISM OF BIBLE DOCTRINE

However, by the 19th century, both Northern/American Baptists and Southern Baptists decided that the center of the Christian affirmation was not located in doctrine (especially sola scriptura), but in Christian experience (e.g., Rauschenbusch from the north and E.Y. Mullins from the southern Baptists). The sad legacy of the "you ask me how I know he lives, he lives within my heart" religion is seen in the general eschewing of confessional boundaries among the majority of Baptists today.

Part of the struggle over homosexual ordination within the ABC was based on the idea that Baptists believe in congregational autonomy and the "fact" that nobody can tell a local Baptist church what to believe. Some of us on the right asked the question, "Does that mean it is OK to be a Baptist Atheist or Baptist Buddhist? I personally spent more than an hour one-on-one in the hotel room of the head of the ABC begging him to avoid courting schism by continuing to tolerate homosexual ordination. The sad result was my surrendering my ABC ordination and my judicatory withdrawing from the denomination. Trying to find a confessional Baptist today is like trying to find a non-drinker in a "drinks are on the house" soiree.

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Dennis E. McFadden, Ex Mainline Baptist (in Remission)
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

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The Spurgeon Baptist Association of Churches
Spurgeon Baptist Association of Churches [sbaoc.org]

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Thomas Yeutter,
Mason, MI
Member St. Patrick's Anglican Church, Comstock, MI

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach its statues in Isreal.

Yes, understood.

Reformed Reader is a great resource, one I have used often over the years, I wish the forum was still up and running though...

I cringe when I hear that song!

The last line was funny.

SermonAudio.com - The New Hampshire Confession of Faith-1

Full subscription to the 1689 is required for membership in ARBCA. Our church adopted it after much teaching.

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Mike Myers
Teaching Elder
West Suffolk Baptist Church
Suffolk, Virginia

Many a plain, honest, unlearned disciple of Christ, by meditation, experience, prayers, and especially obedience, attains to a more clear, sound, and useful knowledge of the word of God, than some great scholars with all their wit and learning. Matthew Henry