I don’t understand why it is assumed a Christian group is not legitimate unless they can prove they were a “church in exile” during the Apostolic and Ante Nicene era.
There is no shame in Baptists having a late start in Christian denominational history. I don’t agree with all of their beliefs but they are Trinitarian and call upon Jesus as Lord and Savior. That is what makes them legitimate not the age of their denomination.
If age is what legitimized a sect then Gnostics beat out Baptists. Which I will stoutly claim is a big fat lie.
I would much rather have Baptists around than Gnostics. But neither Baptists nor Gnostics were founded by Christ. That is no slam against Baptists. It is just a sobbering realization that neither one has any real authority on this earth, and both are simply sects. Again, however, I would much rather have Trinitarian Baptists over Gnostics any day!
According to Scripture, Christ wanted us to be one (John 17:22-23). We are all as a Church to be of one mind and to think the same (Philippians 2:2; Romans 15:5). There is only to be one "faith" (Ephesians 4:3-6), not many. For the Church is Christ's Body and Christ only had one Body, not many. Also, since the Church is Christ's Bride (Ephesians 5:29), can Christ be married to more than one wife (essentially a spiritual form of the the sin of polygamy)? No, Christ can only have one wife (i.e., one Church, not many).