Frequently Asked Questions

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"Liberal" Baptists?  I thought all baptists were fundamentalists?
That's a common misconception.  The cardinal defining characteristic of a baptist church is that it is completely autonomous.  It is essentially a denomination unto itself.  For each congregation, there is no higher authority than the vote of the congregation's members.  As a result, there is tremendous diversity of beliefs and worship practices among baptist churches.  Most baptist churches match the stereotype of conservative theology and informal worship.  Many of them, however, are more mainstream or even liberal; and many of these have more formal, high-church worship.

Baptist :denominations" are actually cooperative bodies that were formed so that individual churches could pool resources, primarily for missions, theological education, and publications.  Even when baptist denominations make theological pronouncements, they are not defining the beliefs for their constituent congregations; they are simply giving the opinions of those who have gathered for a particular meeting or session. 

Baptist denominations cannot enforce any kind or theological or practical orthodoxy among their constituent congregations.  This would be not unlike your book club telling you how to raise your children.  Baptist denominations can choose not to accept the money or participation of congregations whose beliefs are outside whatever norms the group has established.  Likewise, they can refuse to recognize the ministerial credentials of clergy, and set boundaries for orthodoxy for institutions owned or operated by the denomination.
 

So what makes someone a baptist?
Because of their diversity, it is best to define baptists descriptively.  That is to say, we can look at the groups that have identified themselves as "baptist" over the past 500 years and look for common threads.  Baptist historian Walter Shurden has done this, and his conclusion is that baptists are defined more by their approach to faith than by their conclusions about it.  We are defined by our practice more than our doctrine.

In particular, Shurden describes four "fragile freedoms" that are, historically, the hallmarks of baptist identity:

• Bible Freedom - Baptists believe in the individual's obligation and freedom to interpret Scripture under the sole lordship of Christ.

• Soul Freedom - Baptists believe that faith is an individual matter, and our responsibilities as Christians call us to act first according to the dictates of our own conscience.

• Church Freedom - Baptists believe that the Church is both local and universal, but that there is no authority over the local church.

• Religious Freedom - Baptists are committed to liberty, not just toleration.  Historically, baptists have been the strongest advocates for absolute separation of church and state.
  (Taken from Four Fragile Freedoms.)
   

Why do you use a lower-case"b" in "baptist"?
I picked up this habit from baptist historian Leon McBeth.  It is a reminder that "baptist" in-and-of itself is not a denominational identity.  It refers to an approach to faith, not a uniform belief system.
 

Your book list and links contain resources that aren't from baptists.  Isn't this a baptist site?
Some baptists believe that baptists are the only "true" Christians; or that only baptist material is edifying for baptists.  I'm not that kind of baptist.  We all "see through a glass darkly;" and I think it is a bit presumptuous to think that baptists have an exclusive perspective on the truth.  Other traditions are Christian too, and they have some truly excellent Christian resources.
 

I've seen people say things on here that I think aren't even Christian, much less baptist.  Why do you let that happen here?
First of all, they may not be Christians.  Our posting policy does not require that a person be a baptist, or a Christian, or even a theist to post here.

In addition, we have many liberal Christians who post here who might say or believe things that would come as a shock to people who come from more theologically conservative backgrounds.  We have baptists here who are pro-choice, pro-gay, anti-Republican, and all sorts of other labels.

It's easy to fall into the trap of believing that all Christians think like the people in our local church.  That is simply not true, and Thinking Baptists is meant to be a place where people can engage in friendly, honest conversations with people who think very differently from them.

With a few notable and rare exceptions like personal attacks and obvious spam; I do no not censor posts here.  I think that one of the great strengths of our baptist heritage is that it facilitates the kind of diversity that allows the Holy Spirit to move in whichever direction God wishes.  Consequently, I believe that - for any discussion forum to be truly baptist - people should be able to state what they really believe.
 

Baptists are always talking about being "saved."  What does that mean?
Even on something as foundational as salvation, there is diversity among baptists about how they define the concept.  In the most general terms, all baptists believe that to be human is to be intrinsically flawed ("sinful").  We are inherently separate from our Creator, from that which is divine and complete.

Jesus is the perfect union of divinity and humanity; and his death represents the collision of his perfection with our mortality.  Here baptists get into differences of opinion on how to interpret Jesus' death; either as atoning sacrifice or judicial restitution or symbolic act.  Personally, I'm willing to assume that - as a flawed human with a mortal brain - I'm incapable of understanding the logic by which God acts.  Jesus' death is most likely, at last partially, all of these things; and in total it is most likely none of them.

Nevertheless, like all Christians, baptists recognize that at the cross God acted permanently and absolutely to restore the connection between God and humanity.  Whether God did this for all of creation, only those who choose God, or only those whom God chooses is another source of debate among baptists.  Whatever the underlying theory, though, the reality is that any person who seeks the mercy, healing, and hope of God to restore them from the pain and weakness of their sin will find all of that and more in the person of Jesus.  That is salvation.

Click here for more detailed thoughts and relevant Scripture passages on salvation.
 

 The Rev. C. Joshua Villines
Last Updated December 07, 2003