If you’re a stickler for facts, the Baptist religion started in 1609 with John Smyth’s awkward self-dunk. If you’re a romantic, it started with John the Baptist in 30 AD. Either way, it’s a religion built on one simple idea: you should make your own choice about getting wet, and you should do it as an adult who can legally sign a waiver.
And that, my friends, is how a group of English exiles, a Dutch canal, and a whole lot of yelling gave us the chicken-fried, hymn-singing, potluck-loving faith that is modern Baptism. Now go forth and be entertained—or start an argument. It’s very Baptist of you either way.
