What we mean by "baptist"
At its best, the name Baptist suggests sacred principles of faith held fast by generations of believers.
Soul Liberty is one - it is the conviction that each human soul is solely accountable to God without need of intercessor for confession or forgiveness. No particular person speaks to God on behalf of others nor on behalf of God to people. Everyone has the same access to the Divine. Soul liberty is also sometimes called priesthood of the believer.
The strict and complete Separation of Church and State is another fundamentally Baptist principle. While called to be good citizens, our citizenship in God's Kingdom is primary. Baptists throughout history were imprisoned by governments and kicked out of churches for resisting government infringement upon the church or preaching against religious alliances with government.
Soul Liberty is one - it is the conviction that each human soul is solely accountable to God without need of intercessor for confession or forgiveness. No particular person speaks to God on behalf of others nor on behalf of God to people. Everyone has the same access to the Divine. Soul liberty is also sometimes called priesthood of the believer.
The strict and complete Separation of Church and State is another fundamentally Baptist principle. While called to be good citizens, our citizenship in God's Kingdom is primary. Baptists throughout history were imprisoned by governments and kicked out of churches for resisting government infringement upon the church or preaching against religious alliances with government.
These Days . . .
Racism, sexism, a mistrust of science, Christian nationalism, hate speech, and intolerance toward our LGBTQ+
brothers, sisters, and immigrant neighbors, are associations too often made with the name Baptist. Nevertheless, as a congregation we have chosen to keep our name and do our best to redeem the courage of our Baptist ancestors by speaking out and working toward biblical justice in our own time and place. Toward that end these are the three words we've chosen for our life together, from Micah 6: Justice * Kindness * Humility |
|