The Encyclopedia of World Religions

Baptist churches S 47

an altar to receive communion, members of Baptist churches receive it where they are sitting.

At the beginning of the 20th century a reaction to modernism set in. Several groups advocated what they called the “fundamentals” of Christian ity, including the view that every word of the Bible is literally true. In the first half of the 20th cen tury controversies between modernists and funda mentalists rocked the Northern Baptists. Toward the end of the 20th century similar controversies erupted in the Southern Baptist Convention. TEACHINGS Baptists recognize no CREEDS or statements of faith. For them, the Bible is the final and ultimate author ity. As a result, the beliefs and teachings of differ ent groups of Baptists differ widely. For example, some Baptists emphasize that people are predes tined for salvation. Others are “free will Baptists.” Baptists agree, however, that the Bible is the ultimate authority in all matters of faith. They gen erally conceive of the religious life in terms that derive from the evangelistic movement: An indi vidual must recognize her or his sinful condition, accept God’s gift of salvation, and be born again in order to be saved. As a result, Baptists emphasize that the church is a voluntary association. PRACTICES Baptist churches are nonliturgical. That is, they do not use the LITURGY or mass, which centers on the E UCHARIST , that the Orthodox and Catholic churches developed. The centerpiece of Baptist worship is the sermon ( see PREACHING ). Besides the sermon, Baptist services include music performed by solo ists and choirs, hymns sung by the congregations, and prayers. Baptists continue to use the revival meetings that developed during the 18th century. They have also made effective use of mass media, for example, radio and television. Baptists take their name from the practice of baptizing only believers, that is, people old enough to choose Christianity. Early on in their history they adopted the practice of baptizing by total immer sion. Baptists also celebrate the eucharist or com munion. But while Catholic and Orthodox Christians celebrate communion every Sunday, Baptists may celebrate it once a month. Instead of approaching

ORGANIZATION Baptists accept the N EW T ESTAMENT teaching of the priesthood of all believers. For them, this teach ing means that any person is qualified to minister to any other. But individual congregations appoint persons to perform the functions of pastor and deacon. Baptists also strongly emphasize the indepen dence of individual congregations. Some Baptist churches have remained isolated, but most have joined with other Baptist churches in regional and national associations. Representatives of the indi vidual congregations make decisions about joint activities at meetings of these larger associations. In principle, however, the larger bodies have no authority over the individual congregations. SIGNIFICANCE Baptists have been actively involved in foreign missions, but they are sparsely represented out side of the United States. Within the United States, however, Baptists comprise the largest group of Protestants. Historically they were important in helping to separate church and state in American law. Through public figures like Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson, they continued to influence American public life in the latter part of the 20th century. Although some devout Baptists, like President Clinton, were moderate or liberal, many Baptists have been associated with conser vative causes, such as opposition to abortion ( see ABORTION AND RELIGION ). Further reading: Nancy Ammerman, Baptist Battles: Social Change and Religious Conflict in the Southern Baptist Convention (New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1990); Bill J. Leonard, Baptist Ways: A History (Valley Forge, Penn.: Judson Press, 2003); James E. Wood, Jr., Baptists and the American Experience (Valley Forge, Penn.: Judson Press, 1976); R. Wayne Stacy, A Baptist’s Theology (Macon, Ga.: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2000).