No serious scholar accepts this book and chart as an accurate depiction of history. Even the vast majority of Baptist historians know these arguments are ridiculous. The author claims that the names on the chart were ”nicknames given to Baptists during the passing years and ages –Novations, Montanists, Paulicians, and Waldenses.” Such a claim is impossible to take seriously (see below for links to book and chart)
The theology of such groups was extremely different from Baptists’. For example, the
Montanists were a false prophecy movement that emphasized speaking in tongues and new revelation. They also believed in baptismal regeneration and some taught that adultery is the unforgivable sin. The
Donatists were essentially a Catholic schism confined to North Africa; they had all of the Catholic sacraments and venerated the martyrs and relics. The
Paulicians and the
Albigensians both held that there are actually two Gods, a good God who made our souls, and a bad God who made the material world.
One thing the chart does have right is that
Baptists did not split off from the Catholic Church. In fact, they split off of the Anglican church. The first Baptist congregation was founded in Holland by a man named John Smyth, who was an expatriate Englishman, like the members of his congregation. These people had thus come out of the Church of England or the Anglican church.
For additional groups see:
oce.catholic.com
Steve Ray’s excellent rebuttal to The Trail of Blood is at
216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:XUVB_i-P854J:www.catholic-convert.com/DesktopModules/UserDocuments/UserDocuments_ViewDocument.aspx%3FDocumentID%3D62+steve+ray++trail+of+this+blood&hl=en
Another article to read on this subject is Dave Armstrong’s Were the Albigensians Primitive Protestants?
ic.net/~erasmus/RAZ290.HTM
Dr. J.M. Carroll’s book (including chart) is at the following sites:
users.aol.com/libcfl/chart.htm
picknowl.com.au/homepages/rlister/baphist/blood/chart.htm