Baptist theology shares core Christian beliefs such as the lordship of Jesus and salvation by grace through faith. Specific Baptist beliefs include believer’s baptism, the priesthood of all believers, and autonomy of churches. Baptist churches vary in beliefs due to their lack of hierarchy. They originated in the 15th century and have split into various groups. Baptist churches practice believer’s baptism by immersion and believe in salvation by grace through faith. They also believe in the priesthood of believers and self-governance. Baptist churches unite for fellowship and missionary efforts in groups such as the Southern Baptist Convention and the World Baptist Alliance.
Baptist theology includes many core beliefs shared by most Christian groups around the world, such as the lordship of Jesus of Nazareth; his birth, death and resurrection; and that one day he will return to judge the world. Other beliefs, more specific to the Baptist church, include believer’s baptism, salvation by grace through faith, the priesthood of all believers, and autonomy of churches. Because the Baptist church has no governing body or church hierarchy, these beliefs can vary greatly from church to church.
While many members claim the Baptist church has been around since Biblical times, others claim they are a Protestant group, split by Anabaptists or Separatists in the 15th century. Either way, Baptist churches were spread across both Europe and colonial America in the 1500s. Since that time, Baptist theology has split in many directions giving rise to groups such as United Baptists, Free Will Baptists, Southern Baptists, and many more.
Baptists get their name from one of their most basic beliefs, known as believer’s baptism. Rather than baptizing children born to church members, churches offer baptism to anyone who believes and confesses that Jesus is Lord. Also, baptism is done by immersion, rather than by sprinkling water on the head.
Another aspect of Baptist theology is known as salvation by grace through faith. This means that all human beings have sinned and need salvation, but can do nothing to save themselves. Instead, God saves people through his grace, as long as they have faith in him.
Baptist theology also includes a concept called the priesthood of believers. The Bible is considered the only spiritual authority and anyone can read the Bible or pray without the help of a priest, preacher or pastor. While pastors and deacons are highly respected, members are encouraged to study the Bible to see if the pastor’s teaching accords with scripture.
As a result of the priesthood of believers, Baptist churches are self-governing. There is no ecclesiastical hierarchy that determines how things are to be done; instead, most Baptist churches are governed primarily by a body of elected deacons or by church-wide votes. This localized decision making results in different beliefs and practices in various Baptist churches.
However, many churches unite for fellowship and missionary efforts in groups such as the Southern Baptist Convention and the World Baptist Alliance. While these groups have no authority over any congregation, the churches within a group tend to be similar. Thus, churches are often identified by their convention or association.
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