“Baptists do disagree with Catholics about a specific apostolic succession because the consequent of a “priesthood of all believers” is that a witness succession is, essentially, apostolic. The Christianity of which Baptists give witness is not a new line. Each Baptist was witnessed to by a Christian, who was in turn witnessed to by another, and he by another and so on, back down a line of successive witnessing to the original Christians, the Apostles. “
The priesthood of all believers does NOT make all believers Apostles. There hasn’t been an Apostle since the first century. In a very general sense, it can mean anyone sent with a message, but the original Apostles were unique in their ability to speak for God, backed by miracles from God.
Yes, Christians witnessed to Christians. And there have been Christians since the beginning, but they haven’t always belonged to independent congregations. Just as God knew of a lot of followers that Elijah did not, He knows His own, and has, for 2000 years. Jesus said the visible church would have a mix of wheat and tares, and he’ll deal with it on judgment day.
“Really, it has been some time since I’ve seen someone on THIS forum turn to a dictionary as “the adult in the room”. The given definition is so obviously wrong that it simply underscores the widely understood truth that dictionaries are unreliable and non-authoritative.”
Ummm...when speaking of how to use English, dictionaries ARE authoritative. You see, most people use English to communicate, and use standard meanings in their English. You can redefine Protestant if you wish, but you have no right to be upset if others don’t follow your unique definition.
You can believe what you wish. You can no more speak for all Baptists than I can. I will say that I have never met a Baptist in the flesh who would take offense at being called a Protestant. But they exist, without a doubt. I just think it is silly.
I clearly did not claim that believers were/are apostles. I was responding to post #51: "There is no line of succession from the early church to Baptists, nor would a thinking Baptist require one". It is important to distinguish the treatment of the subject by Baptists from that of both Catholics and Protestants. Baptists DO claim succession from the early church through successive witness, whereas Catholics point to a succession of office. Some non-Catholic denominations are founded upon successive witness from supposed new revelations. Will you claim them as fellow Protestants? The point is that Baptists feel that it is important that their religion was not later conceived in a cave or found on invisible tablets.
Ummm...when speaking of how to use English, dictionaries ARE authoritative. You see, most people use English to communicate, and use standard meanings in their English.
Funny that you would say that given that, of all the languages in the world, English has the least prescriptive dictionaries, as a matter of history. There is no English equivalent of the Académie Française. The closest thing we have is the MLA, and it is a point of religion for those people that English language dictionaries are merely descriptive. There is nothing magical about the covers of a book that they render the text contained within any more infallible that the glowing pixels before you now.