Landmarkism

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Landmarkism is a type of Baptist ecclesiology. The term refers to the belief in the exclusive validity of Baptist churches and invalidity of non-Baptist churchly acts. The movement began in the Southern United States in 1851, influenced by James Robinson Graves of Tennessee. The movement was a reaction to religious progressivism earlier in the century. At the time it arose, its proponents claimed Landmarkism was a return to what Baptists had previously believed, while scholars since then have claimed it was "a major departure".

In 1859, the Southern Baptist Convention approved several resolutions disapproving of Landmarkism leading adherents to withdraw gradually from the Southern Baptist Convention "to form their own churches and associations and create an independent Landmark Baptist tradition."