Beliefs

In General
As "authentic" Baptists, we identify ourselves and our congregation as:

• Free Church
• Congregational
• Trinitarian
• Ecumenically-minded
• Evangelistic
• Inclusive
• Justice-seeking

Remember that this is a "descriptive" statement about who we are--like a "family picture" taken at a specific time and place--rather than a "prescriptive" statement saying what we "must" believe--or what Baptists "always and everywhere" believe.

Baptists and Sin
We believe that, to God, all sin is sin and there is no hierarchy of sins; therefore, we hold that some sins are NOT "more acceptable" than others. We believe that every member of the congregation is a sinner and, as such, has no right to judge other sinners. (Who among us is worthy to "cast the 'first stone'?")

Authentic Baptists do not view our church buildings as "sin-free zones" nor ourselves as "former sinners." As such, we are very careful when confronting each other about unconfessed sin.

We encourage each other to amend our lives and to cease habits that are damaging and destructive to ourselves and others. We also encourage each other to deal constructively with guilt and to grow toward a Christian maturity where we can accept God's grace and mercy for us and others.

What do we mean by the word "sin"? more...