What Makes Our Church Baptist?

What Makes Our Church Baptist? - John Beukema

Perhaps you've heard about the guy who was asked what he believed.
His response was, "I believe what my church believes."
"Well what does your church believe?"
The man replied, "My church believes what I believe."
Exasperated, his questioner asked, "Tell me then, what do you and your church believe."
"Why sir, we both believe the same thing."

One of the most frequent questions of those visiting our church is, what kind of Baptist are you? That is a fair question. It is obvious that not all Baptists believe or practice the same things. Yet there is an historic and theological definition. In fact, there are seven important convictions. Understand that we are not the only Christians who hold to any one of these beliefs; but these seven doctrines shape our identity.

1. Personal Faith And Worth
One is not born into the Baptist church. Having Christian parents doesn't make anyone a Christian; it is only an individual's personal faith in Christ that counts. Baptists strive to have a membership that includes only those who truly know Christ. This is one of several reasons why we do not baptize infants. Though we recognize the great importance of parental faith (hence child dedication) we believe that each individual must choose Jesus. Each individual has value, for we are all created in the image of God. Every life has importance, dignity and great worth to God. Included with that is freedom of choice. The choice to believe and follow Christ cannot be forced upon someone. Each of us most choose.
• Downside: Baptists can struggle with stubborn individualism.
• Upside: Baptists care about every person's relationship with God.

2. All Believers are Priests
The only mediator needed by a true Christian is Christ himself. Any believer has the right to approach God because of Jesus. All of us can pray, ask for forgiveness, worship, share the truth, and so on. Other human aid or intervention is not required. "All believers are their own priests before God, having free access at any time to God the Father for spiritual comfort and forgiveness of sins through the one and only High Priest, Jesus Christ our Savior." [Robert Torbet] Because of this, anyone recognized as a spiritual leader by the local church has the ability to administer the Lord's Table, baptize, and teach Scripture. For this reason, and others, Baptists avoid clergy garments.
• Downside: Some are convinced they have a direct pipeline to God. Therefore, they find it difficult to be subject to authority.
• Upside: There are no second-class citizens.

3. A Free Church
Each congregation has the right and responsibility to govern itself as they follow Christ. Baptists do not believe that a denomination, an official, or any outside government has the right to impose anything upon a local congregation. No one tells us how to worship, who our leaders will be, or where our money will go. The only ruler is the Lord. The word "Christocracy," has been coined to define the ideal for each local church. We facilitate this by giving each individual a voice. That is why we have a congregational form of government. Though not something the Bible clearly commands, this practice allows for the priesthood of all believers, and individual freedom.
• Downside: Wherever five Baptists are gathered together, there are at least ten opinions. Walter Shurden says that instead of Christocracy we sometimes get "mobocracy! Baptists differ, and their differences are often broad and deep."
• Upside: As in independent church, we are free to follow Christ wherever, and however he leads us.

4. Authentic Spirituality
Baptists have historically avoided liturgy for many reasons, and a desire for authenticity may be a primary one. Many Baptists have frowned upon the use of classical music, robes, written prayers, religious symbols, and the like. They associate such things with dead ritual. Baptist worship services have notoriously tended to informality and exuberance, as opposed to hushed liturgical order. The emphasis is more on horizontal friendliness, than upon vertical reverence. This is not absolutely true of all Baptists. In fact, our church welcomes classical music, some liturgy, and symbolism. We demand worship that is God-wardly focused. But the tendency remains, and it has a theological reason. Baptists want to spurn superficial spiritual expression. They want to banish what is impersonal, routine, academic, and institutional, in order to embrace what is real, genuine, heartfelt, alive, personal. So traditionalism is anathema, and relationship is prized over ritual.
• Downside: Baptists have developed their own rituals, which can be just as formulaic, deadly and mechanical as anything else. Too often, they neglect to make use of valid worship forms from other centuries and traditions. They fail to appreciate that form and tradition do not eliminate authenticity, nor does the absence of form and tradition guarantee it.
• Upside: We are not locked into a particular worship form, and have freedom to embrace what God is doing today.

5. The Authority of the Bible
We discover how to live to please God through the study of Scripture. The Word is one of the tools the Holy Spirit uses to transform us to be more like Christ. The written Word is not worshipped as God, but it is our final authority for faith and practice. No other creeds, confessions, constitutions, or doctrinal statements can take the place of Scripture. We may use those things, but they do not carry authority over the Bible. In fact, Baptists have often avoided all creeds and confessions, fearing it would undermine the primacy of Scripture. Our church does have a doctrinal statement. But it is brief and rather broad. That is a true Baptist approach. This allows freedom to understand and interpret Scripture, rather than imposing minute, non-critical, and debatable doctrines. Baptist belief allows room for God to speak to the individual, freeing each of us to investigate personally, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because we are all priests, the Bible is open to all who believe.
• Downside: Baptists easily fall into the trap of becoming too dogmatic on non-essential issues. They can be detached from historic Christianity, failing to learn from the past and appreciate what God has revealed since the first century. There can also be a sort of "bibliolatry" (bible worship) that leads away from Christ.
• Upside: Seeing the Bible as an objective, authoritative revelation, helps to keep us in line with Christ.

6. Believer's Baptism
The issue of baptism is usually the first and sometimes only doctrine that people associate with Baptists. Baptists are not the only Christians who baptize by immersion. The biblical justification for total immersion is a very solid one. But how we baptize is nowhere near as important as who we baptize. Forced to choose between baptizing by immersion or baptizing only believers, we would almost certainly give up immersion. Only those who can express their personal faith in Christ, should undergo the waters of baptism. We take baptism as the outward sign of an inner reality. By this public act, one says, "Yes. I am a follower of Christ and I am not ashamed of him." That is why we link baptism to church membership. We don't ask that you know a certain amount of Scripture, memorize a creed, understand every major doctrine, or be living in victory. We ask only that you have believed, and express that belief publicly, in the way Christ commanded.
• Downside: We sometimes lose gifted, godly people who simply don't agree.
• Upside: It helps to encourage people to take seriously their allegiance to Christ.

7. Religious Liberty
This is an overlooked Baptist belief that has greatly contributed to our society. We obey the State because God says we must. We are good citizens, law-abiding, tax-paying, and socially-active, because that is what God desires. When any form of government demands us to violate God's commands, we obey only God. Historically, Baptists hold to the separation of Church and State. They see it as wrong for any religion to control a government, and for any government to control religion. Baptists champion the right of all to believe as they wish. The freedom all people to worship or not worship God is a Baptist tenet. Since forced faith cannot be authentic, we all must have the freedom to believe as we do. E.Y. Mullins said, "Baptists believe in religious liberty for themselves. But they believe in it equally for all men. With them it is not only a right; it is also a passion. While we have no sympathy with atheism or agnosticism or materialism, we stand for the freedom of the atheist, agnostic, and materialist in his religious or irreligious convictions."
• Downside: We sometimes forget that the liberty must extend to all. We get too wrapped up in the erroneous assumption that America is a "Christian Nation," and want to restrict the rights of those who believe differently or not at all.
• Upside: We enjoy the freedoms of this country, and support the extension of those freedoms to others.