Baptist Distinctives

Baptist Distinctives is a name usually given to a set of historical doctrinal principles common to most Baptist traditions. While no single principle listed below is completely unique to Baptists, taken as groups they represent tdistinctives.__TOC__

Four Freedoms

One way of classifying Baptist Distinctives is called the "Four Freedoms," articulated by Baptist historian Walter B. Shurden: [Shurden, Walter B. "The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms." Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 1993.]

* Soul freedom: the soul is competent before God, and capable of making decisions in matters of faith without coercion or compulsion by any larger religious or civil body
* Church freedom: freedom of the local church from outside interference, whether government or civilian (subject only to the law where it does not interfere with the religious teachings and practices of the church)
* Bible freedom: the individual is free to interpret the Bible for himself or herself, using the best tools of scholarship and biblical study available to the individual
* Religious freedom: the individual is free to choose whether to practice their religion, another religion, or no religion; Separation of church and state is often called the "civil corollary" of religious freedom

"B-A-P-T-I-S-T-S" acrostic

Another popular list of beliefs shared by most Baptist traditions is expressed in the form of the following acrostic backronym, spelling BAPTISTS: [ [http://www.baptistdistinctives.org/articles_list.html Articles on Baptists beliefs, polity, ministries, practices, organizations, and heritage. The information is intended to be useful for Baptists and non-Baptists alike.] ]

* Biblical authority (; )
* Two ordinances (believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper) ()
* Two offices of the church (pastor and deacon) (; ; ). The qualifications fall generally into two categories: character and gifts for ministry.

Each Baptist church selects (calls) the person to be its pastor. The specific process differs to some degree among churches, but the following pattern is followed by most:

* When the church is pastorless, the congregation elects a pastor search committee to prayerfully evaluate the qualifications of various persons to be the church's pastor.

* After careful deliberation, the committee recommends to the church as a whole the person it believes God wants to be the pastor.

* The prospective pastor visits the church and preaches "in view of a call." The congregation then votes on whether or not to "call" the person. If the vote is favorable, the prospective pastor either accepts or declines.

* A pastor serves in the church as long as both pastor and congregation agree the relationship should continue.

Deacons

The second office in a Baptist church is that of deacon. Whereas pastors are usually selected from persons outside the membership of the congregation, deacons are selected from within the membership. The biblical qualifications for a deacon (). Government leaders are to act for the benefit of the citizens (), pay taxes ().

References