|
The Baptist Faith
and Message
On June 14th, 2000, the Southern Baptist
Convention adopted a revised summary of our faith. The committee's
report says in part:
"Baptists cherish and defend religious
liberty, and deny the right of any secular or religious authority to
impose a confession of faith upon a church or body of churches. We honor
the principles of soul competency and the priesthood of believers,
affirming together both our liberty in Christ and our accountability to
each other under the Word of God.
Baptist churches, associations, and general
bodies have adopted confessions of faith as a witness to the world, and
as instruments of doctrinal accountability. We are not embarrassed to
state before the world that these are doctrines we hold precious and as
essential to the Baptist tradition of faith and practice.
As a committee, we have been charged to address
the "certain needs" of our own generation. In an age
increasingly hostile to Christian truth, our challenge is to express the
truth as revealed in Scripture, and to bear witness to Jesus Christ, who
is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
The 1963 committee rightly sought to identify
and affirm "certain definite doctrines that Baptists believe,
cherish, and with which they have been and are now closely
identified." Our living faith is established upon eternal truths.
"Thus this generation of Southern Baptists is in historic
succession of intent and purpose as it endeavors to state for its time
and theological climate those articles of the Christian faith which are
most surely held among us."
It is the purpose of this statement of faith and
message to set forth certain teachings which we believe."
LINK |
|
