Contents

Foreword -- vii

Introduction -- xi

Section One: The Basics -- pg. 1 Faith, Salvation, and the Scriptures

Section 2: Christian Responsibility -- pg. 23 Soul Competency, The Priesthood of All Believers, Social Justice, and Christian Mission

Section Three: Ecclesiology -- pg. 69 Believer's Church, Congregational Polity, Christian Calling, and the Autonomy of the Local Congregation

Section Four: The Ordinances -- pg. 123 Baptism and the Lord's Supper

Section Five: A Free Church in a Free Land -- pg. 151 Religious Liberty and the Separation of Church and State

About the Contributors -- pg. 173

Without laying exclusive claim to any one doctrine, Baptists have established a collective of briefs that are distinctive and defining. Unfortunately, in an increasingly post-denominational age, fewer Baptists are aware of the power and potential of their own witness. When Baptists celebrated the 400th anniversary of their distinctive tradition in 2010, faculty of the George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University delivered a unique chapel series to proclaim he Baptist identity. Beginning with those sermons and expanding upon them, this book offers this generatin a relevant understanding of Baptist faith and identity, based on the proclamation of 14 classic and emerging distinctives. Intended fiest to encourage and equip Baptist preacher, Distinctly Baptist is also a useful tool for individual of small-group study.