HISTORIC BAPTIST FAITH DOCUMENTS
As Baptists, we embrace the Reformation principle of Sola Scriptura, which means that we hold to Scripture as the final authority in matters of faith and practice. However, this does not mean that we cannot benefit greatly from the writings of the Church through the ages. Creeds and confessions, as faithful summaries of Scriptural truth, have been invaluable to Christians for millennnia. And catechisms (books full of questions and answers about faith) have been utilized for discipleship by Christians of many diverse traditions, including Baptists. Below are some of the most important historical faith documents to our tradition:
- First London Baptist Confession - In 1644, seven English Baptist churches came together during a time of unrest and persecution to lay down their doctrine. The result was the London Baptist Confession of Faith.
- Second London Baptist Confession - In 1677, a better and more complete confession was drafted, drawing heavily from the Westminster Confession of Faith. In 1689, when the persecution of Baptists in England ended, this 2nd London Baptist Confession was officially endorsed by a large representative body of Baptist congregations.
- Spurgeon’s Baptist Catechism - A catechism built from the Westminster Shorter Catechism and the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, with notes and additions by C.H. Spurgeon.
- Keach’s Catechism - One of the earliest Baptist catechisms, drafted in 1677 to clarify and explain the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith.
BACK TO ONLINE RESOURCES
|
