Southwestern Journal of Theology
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 62, No. 1 – Fall 2019
Managing Editor: W. Madison Grace II
By Marvin Jones. Monographs in Baptist History. Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2017. 157 pages. Paperback, $22.00
Marvin Jones, Assistant Professor of Church History and Theology at Louisiana College, presents a dual purpose in writing The Beginning of Baptist Ecclesiology. The first, given in the preface, is to “give a fresh voice” to Helwys’s Baptist ecclesiology as well as contribute to the ongoing conversation surrounding Baptist origins (xiv). The second, presented in the final chapter, is to analyze Helwys’s belief—and major contribution to Baptist ecclesiology—that only Baptist churches are true churches, as demonstrated in A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity (139). Jones ultimately succeeds in the latter but flounders in his treatment of the former.
In addressing his second purpose, Jones presents an argument that, although not always explicit in his writing, is still discernible to the reader. After providing a brief biography of Helwys and establishing the basic hermeneutical approach to apocalyptic literature in the English Reformation, Jones posits that Helwys uses the same approach to interpret his own context, ultimately leading Helwys to establish a Baptist church since all other ecclesial traditions were apostate (34–37). The third chapter expands upon this point, revealing the reasons why Helwys rejected the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches. A history of religious toleration during the English Reformation is provided in the fourth chapter, giving the reader the historical context that led to Helwys’s ecclesiological formation. The final two chapters trace Helwys’s critiques of Puritanism and Separatism in Mystery of Iniquity. Jones argues that by rejecting the ecclesiology of every other group involved in the English Reformation, Helwys establishes a unique ecclesiology: a Baptist ecclesiology.
Jones ultimately achieves this second stated purpose; the reader is able to discern the argument throughout the work. However, this is largely done implicitly rather than explicitly. Jones does not always draw connections together, leaving the reader to do so on his own. For most of the work, the reader can still trace the argument, but there are three specific instances where a more explicit approach would alleviate some confusion. The first is found in the second chapter. The reader shifts from a biography of Helwys to a discussion of the historicist interpretation of apocalyptic literature in the English Reformation. The connection between Helwys and this method of interpretation is not immediately evident, and it is not until the end of the chapter that the reader discovers that Helwys applied this model to the Church of England to establish their status as an apostate church. Making this connection explicitly at the beginning of the chapter would aid readers in tracking Jones’s argument.
The second instance is connected to the theme of the “two churches” in Helwys’s Mystery of Iniquity and other apocalyptic works in the period. This theme is introduced by Jones on page 23, but is not defined as the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches until page 28. Proper understanding of this theme is needed for the reader to understand why Helwys rejects both churches as apostate, but Jones does not specify that Helwys and others connect the two churches to the beast and the false prophet in Revelation until later in the chapter.
The third instance is of a similar nature in the fourth chapter. Jones demonstrates how Helwys’s conception of religious toleration provides a framework for his Baptist ecclesiology. This is demonstrated largely through the tenet of royal supremacy. Royal supremacy is introduced as a concept on page 55 but is not defined until page 75. Royal supremacy does indeed play a role in Helwys’s thought, but the reader is left wondering as to its relevance for twenty pages. Forming this connection explicitly earlier in the chapter would aid the reader in understanding Jones’s argument. Ultimately, his argument is discernible, and the emphasis on Helwys’s historical context does much to inform the reader why Helwys argues in the manner presented in Mystery of Iniquity. However, both Jones’s and Helwys’s arguments would be more easily grasped if Jones argued them more explicitly.
As to Jones’s first stated purpose related to Baptist origins, The Beginning of Baptist Ecclesiology leaves much to be desired. Jones writes that Helwys formed his ecclesiology in response to, and thus resembles, both English Separatism and Anabaptism (xiv). Jones certainly demonstrates the commonality and distinctions between Helwys’s ecclesiology and that of the Separatist movement. Especially helpful in this regard is his treatment of the doctrine of covenant in Puritan, Separatist, and Helwys’s thought. However, other than an occasional assertion that Helwys did not follow his pastor and friend John Smyth in requesting membership into Mennonite circles, little attention is given to the Anabaptist connection.
