Gospel Standard Strict Baptists
| Founder | |
|---|---|
| William Gadsby | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| UK (predominately England), Australia, USA, Pakistan | |
| Scriptures | |
| The Bible, usually KJV | |
| Website | |
| https://www.gospelstandard.org.uk/ |
Gospel Standard Strict Baptists, also known as Gospel Standard Baptists, SBs or Esbies, are a Protestant Baptist Christian denomination that reject the "free offer of grace", and became institutionally distinct when a magazine of the same name was first published in 1835 by William Gadsby.[1] This magazine is the tenth oldest monthly magazine still in print in the British Isles.
All Gospel Standard Strict Baptist churches are affiliated with and recognised by the publishers of the Gospel Standard.[2][3][4]
History
The Gospel Standard Strict Baptist denomination arose in the early 19th century in opposition to the perceivably liberal Baptist Union, which was itself an attempt to unite loosely connected Reformed Baptist denomination.[5]
A prominent but controversial Reformed Baptist preacher, William Gadsby, together with his son John, a printer, launched the Gospel Standard magazine in Manchester in 1835 to promote Gadsby’s teachings and to help organise the Churches which held strongly to Calvinist soteriology and refused to join the Baptist Union into their own visible, institutional church.[6]
Beliefs
The beliefs of the Gospel Standard Strict Baptists are contained within the Articles of Faith and Rules, which among other things affirm the infallibility of Scripture, the Nicene view of the Trinity and salvation by grace alone through faith alone.[7]
Some of the Articles are taken from the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) and the London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), while others are written by William Gadsby, John M’Kenzie, and Joseph Charles Philpot themselves.[8]
References
- ^ Garrett, Jr., James Leo (2009). Baptist Theology: A Four-Century Study. Mercer University Press. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-88146-129-9. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ^ "Churches" (PDF). The gospel standard. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
- ^ "Magazines". Gospel Standard. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ Toon, P., English Strict Baptists, 1964
- ^ "19th Century". www.baptisthistory.org.uk. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
- ^ "Gospel Standard Trust Publications - William Gadsby". www.gospelstandard.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ ARTICLES OF FAITH AND RULES. Harpenden, England: GOSPEL STANDARD TRUST PUBLICATIONS. 1878.
- ^ "The Gospel Standard Articles Of Faith". The Baptist Particular. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
Further reading
- Ramsbottom, B.A., ed. (1985). The History of the Gospel Standard Magazine (1835-1985). ISBN 0-9510796-0-3.