Postmillennial Baptists

You might be a homeschooler if…you think the man on the left is Michael Pearl. It’s not. Nor is it anyone affiliated with ZZ Top. It’s B. H. Carroll, a giant of the faith and founder of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas. He was a postmillennial Baptist. So were the great missionaries William Carey and Adoniram Judson. So were many outstanding Baptist scholars and preachers like J. M. Pendleton, A. H. Strong, Calvin Goodspeed and J. A. Broadus.

So are we.

There’s been a noticeable resurgence in the postmillennial viewpoint in the last few years. It’s even cropping up again in some Baptist churches, most of which have been floundering in the fog of dispensationalism for over a century (more on that in another post perhaps).

What is postmillennialism? It’s the belief that Christ will come back only one more time, at the end of the world, to resurrect the dead and judge all people. (Sounds radically simple, huh? Plus it’s actually in the Bible). It’s the belief that prior to that “last day,” the church is supposed to fulfill the Great Commission. It’s the belief that Christ—not Satan—has dominion on earth, that He reigns now from heaven, and that He expects his kingdom to grow one soul at a time.

We certainly don’t consider it a matter of fellowship if someone isn’t a postmillennialist. But if you’ve ever been confused or bothered by dispensational teachings (the “Left Behind” narrative), or can’t seem to find what they’re saying in Scripture, we hope you take a look at postmillennialism. It’s kind of a relief to shed the pessimism and fear instilled by dispensationalism and return to a more optimistic and Biblical view of God’s plan.

Trivia: these hymns are postmillennial--“Joy to the World,” “Lead On O King Eternal,” “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “Hail to the Brightness,” probably countless others. Oh, and most of Handel’s “Messiah.” If anyone can think of any others, leave them in the comments.