完成前三篇之後，也許有人會產生一個自然的疑問。如果浸信會如此重視基督作教會的元首，如此強調群體共同辨識，也如此看重教會是一個門徒群體，那麼為什麼在實際歷史發展中，浸信會卻總是呈現出一種十分多元的面貌？
在不同地方、不同年代，甚至同一間教會裡，我們都可能遇見十分不同的浸信會信徒。有些人特別重視嚴謹的釋經與系統神學，有些人較著重靈修生活和內在生命；有些人十分關心宣教與福音工作，也有人更著重家庭牧養、社會關懷或敬拜更新。即使在加拿大華人浸信會的處境中，我們也不難發現，有人喜歡約翰．派博，有人喜歡盧雲；有人較受改革宗影響，也有人曾在靈恩或五旬節背景中成長。
這種現象有時甚至會令人產生疑問：究竟哪一種才是真正的浸信會？有趣的是，如果回顧浸信會四百多年的歷史，我們可能會發現，這個問題本身或許並不太符合浸信會的思維。
因為浸信會從來不是先由某一套完整而封閉的神學系統發展出來，再要求所有人按照同一個模式追求神。從十七世紀的普通浸信會（General Baptists）和特殊浸信會（Particular Baptists），到十八世紀的大覺醒運動、十九世紀的宣教運動和聖潔運動，再到二十世紀不同的神學和靈修傳統，浸信會歷史一直呈現出相當大的多樣性。某程度上，浸信會似乎從來都不是一個十分整齊的群體。¹
然而，這種多元並不一定代表浸信會缺乏身份，反而可能正好反映出浸信會神學本身的一種特質。
其中一個重要原因，正是「信徒皆祭司」。
很多時候，當人們提起信徒皆祭司，首先想到的是人人都可以參與事奉，或者人人都可以發表意見。然而，在宗教改革和浸信會的理解中，信徒皆祭司首先意味著，每一位信徒都能直接來到基督面前，每一位信徒都能閱讀聖經、回應聖靈，也都需要親自向神負責。²
然而，這並不表示神會把所有人塑造成完全相同的樣子。恰恰相反，神往往透過不同的恩賜、經歷、背景、性格和呼召，在同一個身體中建立彼此需要的關係。正因如此，當每一位信徒都被邀請直接回應神的帶領時，多樣性某程度上便成為一種自然的結果。
這種多元並不是因為每一個人都有自己的真理，也不是因為信仰變成個人主義，而是因為同一位聖靈，會在不同的人身上產生不同的感動與負擔。有人較容易透過深入研究聖經來認識神，有人較容易在安靜和禱告中經歷神；有人對宣教充滿熱情，有人關心社會公義；有人特別著重家庭和下一代，也有人深受敬拜和靈修傳統吸引。
因此，多元並不是浸信會發展中的意外，而是信徒皆祭司所帶來的一種自然結果。
當然，這並不表示浸信會是一種「什麼都可以」的傳統。信徒皆祭司並不等於人人都有自己的真理，也不等於每一個人的看法都具有同樣權威。浸信會歷史上始終堅持一些共同的核心信念，包括聖經的權威、三一神、基督的救恩、教會生活以及大使命等等。不同的屬靈傳統和不同的神學強調，都是建立在這些共同基礎之上，而不是取代這些基礎。³
某程度上來說，成熟的群體並不是沒有差異的群體，而是懂得分辨哪些是核心，哪些是次要；哪些是必須共同持守的信念，哪些則可以容許不同的強調和實踐。
因此，真正的問題從來不是多元本身，而是如何讓不同的人一起生活。
事實上，大部分教會所面對的張力，並不是異端與正統之間的衝突，而是不同強調之間的差異。大家都愛主，也都願意服事神，只是所看重的事情不盡相同。有人重視釋經，有人重視靈修；有人重視宣教，有人重視家庭；有人重視敬拜，有人重視社會關懷。當這些不同的重點開始影響事工方向、資源分配和群體文化時，張力便自然產生。
也正因如此，帶領浸信會的人，很容易受到誘惑，希望透過統一來解決問題，希望把所有人塑造成相同的樣子，希望建立一套所有人都認同的文化。然而，浸信會的歷史似乎提醒我們，真正成熟的群體，不一定是沒有差異的群體，而是一個懂得如何在共同核心之下彼此尊重、彼此聆聽和彼此配搭的群體。
某程度上，領導浸信會最大的挑戰，或許不是如何消除多元，而是如何帶領多元。
而帶領多元，所需要的也不只是管理技巧，而是一種屬靈上的辨識能力。成熟的領袖需要學習分辨哪些事情涉及福音核心，哪些事情只是不同傳統之間的強調差異；需要幫助群體彼此聆聽，而不是急於彼此說服；也需要幫助不同恩賜的人看見，自己並不需要成為對方，卻仍然能夠彼此需要、彼此成全。因為真正的合一，並不等於一致。
真正的成熟，也不一定代表所有人喜歡同一位神學家、用同一種方式靈修，或擁有相同的屬靈氣質。
回顧浸信會的歷史，我愈來愈覺得，它最大的恩賜，從來不是讓所有人都變得一樣，而是在共同順服基督之下，學習如何讓不同的人一起成為基督的身體。
而這，也許正是今天每一位牧者、執事和領袖都需要重新學習的功課。
然而，當我們承認多元本身並不是問題時，另一個問題也隨之而來：既然浸信會本身一直存在不同的神學和屬靈傳統，那麼我們又應該如何看待教會歷史中其他更廣闊的屬靈傳統？我們是否只能留在自己的傳統之中，還是能夠在持守浸信會核心信念的同時，謙卑地向其他基督徒群體學習？
或許，這將是下一篇值得繼續思考的問題。
Antony傳道
註腳
- H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1987), 600–720.
- Timothy George, Theology of the Reformers (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2013), 85–97.
- James Leo Garrett Jr., Baptist Theology: A Four-Century Study (Macon: Mercer University Press, 2009), 169–188.
Rethinking the Church from Baptist Tradition, History and Theology
Part 4 — Unity Without Uniformity
Having completed the first three essays, one may naturally arrive at another question. If Baptists place such emphasis on Christ as the head of the church, value communal discernment, and understand the church primarily as a community of disciples, why has Baptist life throughout history exhibited such remarkable diversity?
Across different countries, generations, and sometimes even within the same congregation, one encounters Baptists with strikingly different spiritual emphases. Some are deeply committed to careful biblical exposition and systematic theology, while others are particularly drawn to spiritual formation and the inner life. Some are passionate about missions and evangelism, whereas others devote themselves to family ministry, social engagement, or the renewal of worship.
Such realities naturally give rise to an understandable question: Which of these truly represents the Baptist tradition?
Interestingly, a survey of four centuries of Baptist history suggests that the question itself may not entirely fit the Baptist way of thinking. Baptists did not emerge from a single, self-contained theological system that required everyone to pursue God in exactly the same manner. From the General Baptists and Particular Baptists of the seventeenth century, through the Great Awakening, the missionary movement, and the Holiness movement of the nineteenth century, to the diverse theological and spiritual traditions that have developed in more recent centuries, Baptist life has consistently displayed a remarkable degree of diversity. In this sense, Baptists have never been an especially uniform people.¹
Yet this diversity should not be mistaken for a lack of identity. On the contrary, it may reflect something intrinsic to Baptist theology itself.
One important reason lies in the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. When Christians speak of this doctrine, they often think first of participation in ministry or the right of believers to express their opinions. Yet within both the Reformation and the Baptist tradition, the doctrine means something deeper. It affirms that every believer has direct access to Christ, that every believer may read Scripture and respond to the work of the Holy Spirit, and that each person must ultimately give an account before God.²
This does not mean, however, that God intends to shape every believer into the same mold. Quite the contrary. God often works through different gifts, experiences, personalities, backgrounds, and callings in order to establish relationships of mutual dependence within the body of Christ. Consequently, when believers are invited to respond personally to God's leading, a certain degree of diversity becomes almost inevitable.
Such diversity does not arise because each person possesses his or her own truth, nor because the Christian faith has become a form of individualism. Rather, it reflects the fact that the same Holy Spirit works in different people in different ways. Some believers come to know God most deeply through careful study of Scripture, while others encounter Him profoundly through silence and prayer. Some are burdened for missions and evangelism, whereas others are particularly sensitive to social justice and ministries of compassion. Some devote themselves to family formation and the next generation, while others are nourished by traditions of worship and spiritual formation. Diversity, therefore, should not be viewed as an accident within Baptist life, but as a natural consequence of taking the priesthood of all believers seriously.
Of course, this does not imply that the Baptist tradition embraces a theology of “anything goes.” The priesthood of all believers does not mean that everyone possesses his or her own truth, nor that every opinion carries equal authority. Throughout their history, Baptists have consistently affirmed a shared theological center, including the authority of Scripture, the Triune God, salvation through Jesus Christ, the life of the church, and the Great Commission. Different spiritual traditions and theological emphases are built upon these common foundations rather than replacing them.³ In this sense, mature communities are not communities without differences, but communities that have learned to distinguish between what is central and what is secondary, between convictions that must be held in common and practices that may legitimately vary.
For this reason, the real challenge has never been diversity itself, but learning how to live together amid diversity. In reality, many tensions within churches arise not from conflicts between orthodoxy and heresy, but from differences in emphasis among sincere believers. People love Christ and desire to serve Him faithfully, yet they often care deeply about different things. Some emphasize biblical exposition, while others emphasize spiritual formation. Some prioritize missions, while others devote themselves to family ministry. Some are passionate about worship, whereas others are concerned with social engagement. As these different priorities begin to influence ministry direction, resource allocation, and congregational culture, tensions naturally emerge.
It is precisely at this point that leaders within Baptist churches are often tempted to solve problems through uniformity. There is a natural tendency to assume that harmony can be achieved by making everyone think alike, value the same things, or embrace the same culture. Yet Baptist history suggests otherwise. A mature church is not necessarily one without differences, but one that has learned to live together under a shared center, practicing mutual respect, listening, and cooperation in the midst of legitimate diversity.
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges of leading a Baptist church is not learning how to eliminate diversity, but learning how to shepherd diversity well. Such leadership requires more than organizational skill; it requires spiritual discernment. Mature leaders learn to distinguish between issues that belong to the heart of the gospel and differences that merely reflect varying traditions and emphases. They help people listen to one another rather than rushing to persuade one another, and they encourage believers with different gifts to recognize that they need not become one another in order to serve one another.
True unity, therefore, is not the same thing as uniformity. Spiritual maturity does not require everyone to admire the same theologians, practice the same forms of devotion, or possess identical spiritual temperaments.
The more I reflect upon Baptist history, the more convinced I become that one of its greatest gifts has never been the ability to make everyone alike. Rather, its enduring gift lies in teaching believers how to become one body under Christ while remaining wonderfully different from one another. Perhaps this is one of the lessons that pastors, deacons, and ministry leaders in our own day need to learn again.
Yet once we recognize that diversity itself is not the problem, another question naturally arises. If Baptist life has always encompassed different theological and spiritual traditions, how should we relate to the wider traditions of the church throughout history? Are we called merely to remain within our own heritage, or can we hold firmly to Baptist convictions while learning humbly from other Christian communities?
Perhaps this is one of the next lessons we need to explore.
Pastor Antony Lee
Notes
- H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1987), 600–720.
- Timothy George, Theology of the Reformers (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2013), 85–97.
- James Leo Garrett Jr., Baptist Theology: A Four-Century Study (Macon: Mercer University Press, 2009), 169–188.
Originally written in Chinese.
English translation assisted by ChatGPT.
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