ISBN 978-1-934741-01-6 No single doctrine or polity defines Baptists, but taken as a whole, they make Baptists a distinctive denomination. Some of these convictions, such as a belief in God, are held by all Christians. Others, such as belief in congregational governance, are held in common with certain denominations. However, the entire combination of beliefs, polities, and practices held by Baptists makes them a unique fellowship of Christians. Baptists may not all agree on the exact meaning of some of these, but practically all Baptists embrace all of them. Basic doctrines include these: The Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Bible as the sole written authority for faith and practice, soul competency, salvation only by a voluntary response of repentance and faith to God’s grace through the gift of his Son, the priesthood of all believers, baptism only of believers and only by immersion, and a regenerate (born again) voluntary church membership. Basic Baptist polities include these: Congregational church governance, the autonomy of Baptist churches and other Baptist entities, baptism and the Lord’s Supper as symbolic, financial support by the voluntary contribution of tithes and offerings (not by taxes), and worship styles freely chosen under the Lordship of Christ. Basic Baptist practices and emphases include these: Evangelism, missions, ministry, the application of the gospel to all of life, and Christian education. Baptist commitment to religious freedom undergirds all of these. Voluntarism, never coercion, permeates these convictions. Thus Baptists contend for a free church in a free state. Conclusion The Baptist story is colorful and exciting, filled with victory and defeat, sacrifice and success, agreement and dispute. Baptists differ in many ways, but they generally concur on basic beliefs and practices. As long as Baptists remain true to these core convictions, they will not only endure but also will thrive. For further information, see cbhh.dbu.edu {Answers to “Did you know”: Roger Williams; Ann Hasseltine and Adoniram Judson; Thomas Helwys; Sam Houston; George Liele; George W. Truett; John Leland; Billy Graham; Gail Borden, Jr.; Jimmy Carter; James L. Kraft; Oswald Chambers.} The basic material in this leaflet originally appeared in a series of articles in the Baptist Standard in 2005. Wanting to share information about Baptist distinctives, Noble Hurley, shortly before his death in 2004, established the Jane and Noble Hurley Baptist Identity Fund to provide for publishing the series. He asked William M. Pinson, Jr. and Doris A. Tinker to prepare the articles. The financial assistance of The Prichard Family Foundation and Vester T. Hughes, Jr. enabled this series of nineteen leaflets to be produced based on the articles. Skyler Tinker designed and formatted the leaflets for publication. Each leaflet is for both individual and group study. The topics in this series: (1) Baptists: Who? Where What? Why? (2) What Makes a Baptist a Baptist? (3) The Lordship of Christ; (4) The Bible as Authority for Faith and Practice; (5) Soul Competency; (6) Salvation Only By Grace Through Faith; (7) The Priesthood of All Believers; (8) Believer’s Baptism; (9) A Regenerate Church Membership; (10) Congregational Church Governance; (11) Church Autonomy; (12) Baptist Church Life: Organization, Worship, Officers, Ordinances; (13) Voluntary Cooperation; (14) Evangelism; (15) Missions; (16) Ministry; (17) Christian Education; (18) The Application of the Gospel; (19) Religious Freedom. © Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-1-934741-01-6 No single doctrine or polity defines Baptists, but taken as a whole, they make Baptists a distinctive denomination. Someof these convictions, such as a belief in God, are held by all Christians. Others, such as belief in congregational governance, are held in common with certain denominations. However, the entire combination of beliefs, polities, and practices held by Baptists makes them a unique fellowship of Christians. Baptists may not all agree on the exact meaning of someof these, but practically all Baptists embraceall of them. Basic doctrines include these: The Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Bible as the sole written authority for faith and practice, soul competency, salvation only by a voluntary response of repentance and faith to God’s grace through the gift of his Son, the priesthood of all believers, baptism only of believers and only by immersion, and a regenerate (born again) voluntary church membership. Basic Baptist polities include these: Congregational church governance, the autonomy of Baptist churches and other Baptist entities, baptism and the Lord’s Supper as symbolic, financial support by the voluntary contribution of tithes and offerings (not by taxes), and worship styles freely chosen under the Lordship of Christ. Basic Baptist practices and emphases include these: Evangelism, missions, ministry, the application of the gospel to all of life, and Christian education. Baptist commitment to religious freedom undergirds all of these. Voluntarism, never coercion, permeates these convictions. Thus Baptists contend for a free church in a free state. Conclusion The Baptist story is colorful and exciting, filled with victory and defeat, sacrifice and success, agreement and dispute. Baptists differ in many ways, but they generally concur on basic beliefs and practices. As long as Baptists remain true to these core convictions, they will not only endure but also will thrive. For further information, see www.baptistdistinctives.org {Answers to “Did you know”: Roger Williams; Ann Hasseltine and Adoniram Judson; Thomas Helwys; Sam Houston; George Liele; George W. Truett; John Leland; Billy Graham; Gail Borden, Jr.; Jimmy Carter; James L. Kraft; Oswald Chambers.} The basic material in this leaflet originally appeared in a series of articles in the Baptist Standard in 2005. Wanting to share information about Baptist distinctives, Noble Hurley, shortly before his death in 2004, established the Jane and Noble Hurley Baptist Identity Fund to provide for publishing the series. He asked William M. Pinson, Jr. and Doris A. Tinker to prepare the articles. The financial assistance of The Prichard Family Foundation and Vester T. Hughes, Jr. enabled this series of nineteen leaflets to be produced based on the articles. Skyler Tinker designed and formatted the leaflets for publication. Each leaflet is for both individual and group study. The topics in this series: (1) Baptists: Who? Where What? Why? (2) What Makes a Baptist a Baptist? (3) The Lordship of Christ; (4) The Bible as Authority for Faith and Practice; (5) Soul Competency; (6) Salvation Only By Grace Through Faith; (7) The Priesthood of All Believers; (8) Believer’s Baptism; (9) A Regenerate Church Membership; (10) Congregational Church Governance; (11) Church Autonomy; (12) Baptist Church Life: Organization, Worship, Officers, Ordinances; (13) Voluntary Cooperation; (14) Evangelism; (15) Missions; (16) Ministry; (17) Christian Education; (18) The Application of the Gospel; (19) Religious Freedom. © Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
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