Baptist Foundations

At the start of the Baptist denomination Thomas Helyws wrote a letter to king James of England arguing for religious freedom for all individuals. He wrote that each individual will stand before God and be judged by him alone, therefore leaders should not be so oppressive in their religious standards. Freedom to exercise personal religious conviction lies at the very foundation of the Baptist denomination. This is important to remember today as Baptists. We so often condemn our fellow Christians for having different convictions than us, without realizing that each person will stand before God. While we should still hold each other accountable to clear biblical truths, we should not be so condemning of less clear convictions. 

Another principal that the Baptist denomination was founded on is the importance of missions in every Christian's life. This is seen when Johann Gerhard Oncken says, "Every Baptist a missionary." Baptists in the past have taken the great commission seriously in funding and participation in missions. As Baptists today can be involved in missions in many ways, it is good to remember that missions are a part of what makes a Baptist a Baptist. Missions is something that has and should continue to be a foundational commitment in our lives.