Lessons from the Caffyn Controversy

 

 

Can we learn from history? Given the oft-repeated mistakes of men, the adage that answers in the negative seems all too true. In the hope that perhaps we can be an exception, I’d like to draw your attention to Matthew Caffyn and the 17^th century.

Matthew Caffyn was a General Baptist pastor in Horsham, Sussex. Caffyn attended Oxford for two years. However, the authorities expelled him in 1645 for his Baptist views of baptism. Returning to his home, he “took up farming, but he also began visiting local churches and earning a reputation for his ability to preach and to debate the numerous Quakers in that region.”¹ The pastor of the local Baptist church invited him to join him as an assistant. In a short while, Caffyn succeeded his mentor as the pastor of the church. In 1654, he became one of the founding messengers for the first General Assembly of General Baptists. This assembly was a denominational body, similar to organizations we see today among some Baptists. “As a messenger, Caffyn began evangelizing and planting churches in a large southeastern region that included the counties of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey.”²

By 1660, Caffyn’s views took a decided turn away from orthodoxy. He taught that Jesus derived no part of his physical body from Mary, nor did he come from the uncreated substance of the Father. Rather, God sent the eternal Word into the world as his deputy, changing the Word into flesh and thus as a man dying to accomplish God’s will. One writer says Caffyn couldn’t understand the Trinity, so it must not be true. Despite these beliefs, Caffyn was able to sign the General Baptist doctrinal statement since it had no clause on the Trinity or the deity of Christ.

These errors prompted much reaction on the part of orthodox believers among the General Baptists. Several corrective measures were attempted. First was a challenge by Thomas Monk, warning Baptists in 1673 of Caffyn’s heretical views. Nevertheless, that year the General Assembly would do nothing to condemn Caffyn’s views. In 1678, a new creed appeared, the Orthodox Creed, propagated by fifty-four General Baptist messengers and pastors. Caffyn successfully lobbied the Assembly to reject it, “piously [arguing] that the New Testament should be the only standard for the Baptist faith.³ In 1686, a friend, Joseph Wright, despite the personal relationship, brought charges against Caffyn’s views before the General Assembly for heresy. Again, Caffyn defended himself smoothly. The General Assembly exonerated him and censured Wright for bringing the charges.

Finally, in 1696, a group of churches broke away from the General Assembly, calling themselves the General Association. The General Association churches vowed to have nothing to do with the Assembly until the Assembly repented and purged heresy from among them. This purging never took place; the two bodies remained apart until after Caffyn’s death, a period of thirty-four years. When the bodies reunited in 1731, they did so under a compromise. They agreed to affirm the six principles of salvation in Hebrews 6.1-2, but also agreed not to discuss the Trinity in anything but Scriptural terms. Anyone who wished to be part of the new unity must agree that they “shall not be permitted to ask any question, neither shall any question be asked of him, upon pain of being excluded.” Eventually, doctrinal weakness and tolerance of error led to the demise of the General Baptist Assembly. The group slid into Unitarianism where it survived and simply disappeared where it did not.

What lessons can we draw from this history?

We should note that this trouble occurred during a period of persecution of Dissenting churches. Even in times when orthodoxy was under pressure from external enemies, false teaching troubled it from within. We can never be so unwise as to assume the struggle for purity is over, we have “settled” all doctrinal issues. Vigilance is always necessary.

We should also note that the orthodox men in the group were frustrated, not by the heretics, but by the moderates who preached unity and discouraged controversy. The fact is there is no period of church history where there has been no controversy. Controversy is part and parcel of living out Christ’s life in a world ruled by the prince of the power of the air. The enemy of the church raises controversy and finds allies in the moderates who will not face down heresy.

The pattern of defeat by the suffocating moderate majority is one we can see at other times of controversy in church history. In the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy, it gave victory in the Baptist convention to the Modernist side. This led men out of the apostate convention. Initially, those coming out formed new associations and conventions, but trouble followed even there. Those of us connected through the FBFI eschew conventions and prefer the independent approach of a fellowship of individuals. In the Caffyn controversy, the power of convention association hindered ready action against Caffyn’s heresies. This pattern causes one to pause at denominational structures.⁴

Finally, we should note that whether we are involved in a denomination or a fellowship of individuals, the call to the ministry isn’t merely a call to care for one’s local flock alone. There is a need for a care for the health of Christ’s body “beyond our four walls.” Our labors among the churches may take various forms. At a minimum, it may mean simply warning our own flocks of dangerous ideas and trends. It may mean some public effort that brings one into a wider public view. Regardless, the duty remains. On an issue such as the Caffyn heresies, I hope it is clear that men should be ready to speak up. Other issues may be less dramatic, and some differences must simply be differences among brethren. Nevertheless, we can’t assume we have no duty at all outside our own local ministry.

The issues we face today are challenging. We see churches and denominations faltering and sometimes floundering on clear moral and doctrinal issues. We need to pray for clear-sightedness, pray for God’s preservation of our own orthodoxy, and act in defense of Bible truth wherever it is under attack and challenge.

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Don Johnson is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.

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Recommended Resources:

• David Beale, Baptist History in England and America
• Chute, Finn, & Haykin, The Baptist Story
• H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage

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1. Beale, David. Baptist History in England and America: Personalities, Positions, and Practices (Kindle Locations 1986-1988). Xulon Press. Kindle Edition. [↩]
2. Beale, (Kindle Locations 1992-1993). [↩]
3. Beale, (Kindle Location 2013-2015). [↩]
4. We acknowledge that some of our brethren have maintained healthy churches and doctrinal standards within some conventions. [↩]