I recently attended a study week with Josh, my co-writer at Eat Write Sleep. Around a nice, roaring fire in a country manor on the Welsh border, he asked an interesting question: ‘Who are your top ten theologians?’ His point being that the vast majority of them were Presbyterians. 

Now apart from my deep concern about where Josh was going with this (is he secretly a Presbyterian!?) We discussed his question within a small group, and one of the men pointed us to Balthasar Hubmaier. 

Now you can find out the basics about Hubmaier from other sources such as Desiring God’s article on him. However, in this blog post, I will briefly introduce him, but will focus more on why he should be so important to us. 

Who was Hubmaier?

Balthasar Hubmaier was born in the Duchy of Bavaria (part of modern-day Germany) around 1480 and later studied at the University of Freiburg. In 1511 he continued his academic work and eventually received a doctorate at the University of Ingolstadt. Hubmaier went on to serve as a preacher and chaplain at the Church of the Virgin, and in time he became the chief preacher at the cathedral there.

Like many figures associated with the Reformation, Hubmaier devoted himself to the careful study of Scripture and gradually became convinced that the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church were wrong. During this period he engaged closely with the ideas of Huldrych Zwingli in Zurich. However, Hubmaier found himself in sharp disagreement with Zwingli, particularly over the question of infant baptism, a debate that would become central to the emerging Anabaptist movement.

Why is Hubmaier important?

Hubmaier was incredibly different from many of his contemporaries. Unlike Luther, Calvin or Zwingli, he rejected the idea of infant baptism and of state and church. You may have heard the term before, but he was the prelude to what we call the ‘Anabaptist movement’.

Hubmaier’s work on baptism is really essential reading for Baptists. He made the claims that infant baptism could not be found in scripture and it was up to the individual to make the decision to be baptised. In a day where cultural Christianity has become more and more important in popular culture, understanding the importance of believers baptism is essential when we consider salvation and obedience to the word of God, 

In addition, the rejection of infant baptism coincided with his demand for religious liberty. If the church and state could not be any longer interlinked, then churches must have the autonomy to self-govern; allowing different views and thoughts to be entertained and discussed. This was perhaps far more radical than the likes of Luther and Calvin, who maintained a deep relationship between church and state. While these made enormous contributions to Christian theology, their close partnership with civic authority also impacted how they read the scriptures and created tensions that later generations have had to wrestle with. 

Therefore, in our day and age, debates around Christian nationalism highlight that Hubmaier’s conviction is as relevant now as it was then. Simply the church must never depend upon political power in order to advance the gospel. Faith cannot be produced by law, nor can genuine belief be sustained by cultural pressure, political movements or national identity. Instead, the church must stand independently under the authority of Scripture, proclaiming the gospel freely and calling individuals to respond in repentance and faith. Hence, Hubmaier reminds us that the strength of the church has never rested in influence, popularity, or political authority, but in faithful obedience to the Word of God.

Theological equal to Calvin

Although John Calvin was a remarkable and influential theologian, Balthasar Hubmaier may deserve even greater recognition. Hubmaier developed a thoughtful distinction between two aspects of God’s will. He spoke of an “absolute” will, which cannot change and is ultimately fulfilled, and an “ordained” or “revealed” will, which people may either accept or reject. In his thinking, God’s absolute will related closely to the doctrine of predestination, while the revealed will corresponded to the many biblical passages that call human beings to respond freely to God’s commands. Sadly, Hubmaier’s life and ministry were cut short, and we are left to wonder how his theology might have developed had he been able to write more extensively. It is not difficult to imagine that, given more time, his work would have stood in higher esteem of even Calvin in influence and recognition.

What happened to Hubmaier?

The crime that was given to Hubmaier was insurrection. This crime demonstrates the situation in which Baptists found themselves. Presbyterians of the day still maintained a church and state policy which had its roots and claws within infant baptism. To argue against such a doctrine attacked the heart of power of the state in the sixteenth century.

This was a time when nation states began to form as we know them now. Bureaucracies and central power had become more and more important, and with the breakdown of the Roman Catholic church, Presbyterianism and Lutheranism were, I’d argue, more or less straight forward replacements to keep state and church interlocked. What Hubmaier was proposing was a threat to the state.

Image representing the tale of Dirk Willems

Sadly, he was executed because of what he believed. Yet, I’m not sure it was infant baptism as a doctrine that saw him killed, but the threat believer’s baptism posed to the sixteenth-century state. Baptists throughout the early modern period were often belittled, ridiculed and persecuted by their counterparts; they were seen as outsiders. A sad tale that sums this up is in the story of Dirk Willems, who although saving the life of his pursuer, was burned at the stake for his stance on baptism.  Calvin, Luther, Zwingli all contributed rhetoric which resulted in such ill treatment. They could very much relate to the situation of Hubmaier. 

On March 10, 1528, after much torture and forced recantations, he was burned alive, and then, just three days later, his wife was drowned, with a stone tied to her neck. It is a terrifying thought, considering that there seemed to have originally been a solid friendship between Zwingli and Hubmaier. 

Yet, he stood for what he believed, and he has shaped church doctrine over the last hundreds of years. Anyone who is a Baptist in doctrine will find a lot of common ground with Hubmaier, he was after all, our doctrinal forefather, and whom we owe a lot. 

Forgetting why we are Baptists and our origins

I have drawn attention to Balthasar Hubmaier because I have growing concerns about Baptist theology and teaching today. I am not sure that many of our churches treat baptism with the seriousness it deserves, nor do we seem to value the independence of the local church as highly as previous generations once did.

This raises an important question: what does it really mean to be a Baptist today? At times it seems that we have become poor at cherishing and defending doctrines that our forefathers held dearly, truths for which many were even willing to suffer and die centuries ago. We often read and benefit from the theological works of our Presbyterian brothers, and there is certainly much to learn from them. Yet there are also distinctives within Baptist theology that should not be forgotten. Perhaps it is time for us to return to these foundations and explore them again, for doing so can be both deeply enriching and spiritually rewarding.

This may begin in simple but meaningful ways: by studying the history and theology of the Baptist movement, by teaching clearly in our churches why a believer’s baptism matters, and reflecting what a believer’s baptism means for our own lives. We also need to remind ourselves of the responsibility and privilege of the local church to govern its life under the authority of Scripture. If these doctrines were precious enough for believers like Balthasar Hubmaier to suffer and die for, they are surely precious enough for us to study, cherish, and uphold today.

So who could we consider as our top ten Baptist theologians among Hubmaier ?

My knowledge of baptist theologians is sadly limited; perhaps like many of us, I have become too comfortable being a baptist because I had the fortune of growing up in a church which held to a baptist position. Like many of us, I have become comfortable in that and have not explored our rich heritage. 

One of my aims with blog posts of the future, is to write a bit more about individuals such as

  • William Kiffin (1616–1701)
  • John Smyth (c.1570–1612)
  • Thomas Helwys (c.1575–1616)
  • Benjamin Keach (1640–1704)
  • John Gill (1697–1771)
  • Andrew Fuller (1754–1815)
  • Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892)
  • John L. Dagg (1794–1884)
  • A. H. Strong (1836–1921)

Some of them are famous, some are less so. Some will be more controversial than others. However, it is important that we begin growing our knowledge of baptist heritage; and so I will dive into these men’s stories, and I hope you will join me. 

Conclusion

Hubmaier may not have been right about everything, but his stances of church autonomy, faith alone and baptism represent the essential core doctrines of the Baptist church. He sacrificed his life, along with many of his followers and pupils because they all believed in something so precious; a church like it was back in the first century, living closely obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ.

So why are there not many Baptist theologians? Well, historically Presbyterianism has held power over the majority of theological colleges, and all the greats like Zwingli and Calvin and Luther could publish was because they had the power of the state behind them. The Baptists never had that and many were killed, so, we’ve never really had the chance. Too many were on the run so never had enough time to write anything down !

So, let me urge you to do two things. Firstly, research the history of the Baptist church. It is a sad one, but through it the church worldwide has been shaped tremendously for the glory of God. Secondly, start exploring baptism and church autonomy in greater detail. There is a lot to think about! 

Further reading 

  • H. Wayne Pipkin and John H. Yoder. Balthasar Hubmaier: Theologian of Anabaptism (1989). 
  • Nick Needham. 2000 Years of Christ’s Power (vol. 3).