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Cardinal Doctrines

Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by allamericandaddy, Aug 9, 2011.

  1. allamericandaddy

    allamericandaddy New Member

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    I was wondering if someone could tell me what the cardinal doctrines of the Baptist faith are. thank you
     
  2. TCGreek

    TCGreek New Member

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    I'm more interested in what the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith are.
     
  3. Amy.G

    Amy.G New Member

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    Your profile says you are a Baptist yet you don't know what Baptist doctrines are? :confused:

    Anyway, here you go.

    Baptist Faith and Message
     
  4. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    As a Baptist, I believe Baptist doctrine and Christian doctrine are one and the same.

    I suspect every list will have some differences. Baptists share many doctrines with other evangelical denominations, but taken together, certain doctrines identify one as a Baptist.

    Here are some:

    Salvation by grace alone through faith alone.
    Eternal security (Preservation of the Saints, Once-Saved, Always-Saved)
    Baptism of believers only by immersion only, non-sacramental.
    Two ordinances: Baptism & Lord's Supper
    Priesthood of believers
    Independent and autonomous congregations
    The visible return of Christ to Earth.

    I started to mention two offices: Pastor and Deacon, but some Baptist churches have adopted the elder-led model, or some variation. Pastor/Deacon is still the prevalent model.
     
  5. JesusFan

    JesusFan Well-Known Member

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    think that biblical doctrines are NOT though exclusively baptist!
    We have best statements of them, but our held beliefs NOT same as ALl biblical doctrines. exhaustive!

    We still have both reformed/dispy baptists, Gifts ceasing/not ceasing/
    cal and Arm, Free will and Dog etc!
     
  6. JesusFan

    JesusFan Well-Known Member

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    Even the ones that we don't ahdere to as baptists though?
     
  7. TCGreek

    TCGreek New Member

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    Do Southern Baptists speak for all Baptists?
     
  8. TCGreek

    TCGreek New Member

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    What do we mean by Cardinal doctrines?

    Some believers don't hold to some of these.
     
  9. JesusFan

    JesusFan Well-Known Member

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    Would instead call them "essentials" of Christian faith, must be adhered to by believers...

    saved by grace alone, faith alone
    bible infallible/inspired by god
    trinity
    Second Coming
    water baptism

    To name some of them!
     
  10. ktn4eg

    ktn4eg New Member

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    To which Cardinal doctrines are we referring?

    Those of the St. Louis Cardinals? What about the Louisville Cardinals? Maybe the Arizona Cardinals? Oh....OK...Wrong forum. Sorry, me bad. :smilewinkgrin:
     
  11. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    When allamericandaddy asked about the cardinal doctrines of the Baptist faith, he was asking what Baptists believe that make them Baptist.

    We could also call them Baptist distinctives, or Baptist essentials.

    It is a particular set of doctrines and practices which, if you articulated them, someone would say, "why, you're a Baptist."

    Sure, Baptists are not the only ones who believe in salvation by grace along through faith alone.
    Nor are they the only ones who hold to eternal security.
    Neither are they only ones who baptize believers only by immersion only.

    But if you'll go back to the list in my post #4, combine them, that's describing a Baptist, as a general rule.
    ----------
    TCGreek asked if Southern Baptists spoke for all Baptists, and of course, they don't. I have a book which lists something like 27 kinds of Baptists, including a group called Two-Seed-in-the-Spirit Predestinarian Baptists. Anybody ever heard of them?

    Baptists may differ over ecclesiology and eschatology. And in some cases, over soteriology. Free-Will Baptists and General Baptists, for example, do not hold to eternal security. But nobody would ever confuse them with Methodists or Pentecostals.

    You could ask the same question about a lot of denominations with the list in post #4.
    Does that list describe Roman Catholics? Nope
    Episcopalians? Nope
    Presbyterians? Nope
    Cumberland Presbyterians? Nah
    Church of Christ? Uh-uh.
    Disciples of Christ? Naw.

    Now, could that list describe Independent Fundamental Baptists? Yes.
    American Baptists? Yes
    Calvinist Baptists? Pretty close
    Non-Calvinist Baptists? Yep.
    National Baptists (African-American) Pretty close.

    It is precisely because Baptist have no hierarchy to impose monolithic doctrinal consistency that there are variations in some areas of belief and practice.

    All this reminds me of a story. A man was traveling, stopped in a town to have lunch at a cafe. He had noticed two identical church buildings directly across the street from each other. He asked the waitress about it.

    "Aw, they had a fallin' out a few years ago over foot-washin'. So they split into two churches. The one across the street believes that the same person who washes the feet should dry. The church on this side of the street believes a different person ought to dry."
     
  12. JesusFan

    JesusFan Well-Known Member

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    Good points!

    just thinking that too many times get feeling someone saying "we are baptists that happen to be Christians" not right way around!

    When asked, correct answer is that we are Christians who also happen to be baptists!
     
  13. SolaSaint

    SolaSaint Well-Known Member

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    Right now it is to beat the Brewers in the regular season, and then on to the playoffs. oohhhhh--you meant theological Cardinals? Sorry lol
     
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