Where is the Protestant Spirit?

I remember in college I had a friend, a fraternity brother even who was a life-long Baptist, but refused to be called Protestant. We were at a Roman Catholic university, and we had to place our religious affiliation on the application. I put down Protestant because I believed then as I do now that Baptists are part of the Protestant family. I've come across others through their writings that argue that Baptists are not Protestants because Baptists represent the true Church. This is the classic Landmark position. I am no Landmark. I consider myself first and foremost a Reformed Catholic Christian. What do I mean by this? I hold to the historic and orthodox expression of Reformed Christianity, which holds to supreme biblical authority in all matters of faith and practice. I'm Catholic in that I confess the teachings of the Ecumenical Creeds---the Apostle's Creed, the Nicean Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. As a Christian, of course, I have repented from sin and placed saving faith in Jesus Christ as the one who has paid the penalty for my sin and merited heaven for me.

Having stated all of this, why am I writing on this Lord's Day? I argue that Protestants including Baptists have forgotten the Protestant spirit. I see this in a number of ways. First, the gospel has lost ground in African American Baptist circles. The gospel of Jesus Christ crucified, dead, and buried has been replaced by the gospel of expecting the miraculous, and this-worldly success. This has a great impact on biblical holiness; there is little emphasis on it. Second, African American Baptist pastors are heavy into the Romish pomp and circumstance. Have you seen the way African American pastors are dressing? They look like priests and prelates rather than servants of God who preach the word of God. Third, the worship reflects human tradition rather than the commandments of God. In a Baptist churches, I've witnessed sensual, culture-driven, and emotional "worship" as well as elements from Rome such as lighting candles, processions, and the aformentioned vestment wearing. Lost is the simplicity of New Covenant worship seen on the pages of Holy Scripture.

We are losing the gospel, we have returned to Old Testament types and shadows, and we command how we shall worship. No wonder we've lost that Protestant spirit that stood against all of this in its best expression.