On June 14th, 2000, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a revised summary of our faith. The committee's report says
in part:
"Baptists cherish and defend religious liberty, and deny the right of any secular or religious authority to impose a confession
of faith upon a church or body of churches. We honor the principles of soul competency and the priesthood of believers, affirming
together both our liberty in Christ and our accountability to each other under the Word of God.
Baptist churches, associations, and general bodies have adopted confessions of faith as a witness to the world, and as
instruments of doctrinal accountability. We are not embarrassed to state before the world that these are doctrines we hold
precious and as essential to the Baptist tradition of faith and practice.
As a committee, we have been charged to address the "certain needs" of our own generation. In an age increasingly hostile
to Christian truth, our challenge is to express the truth as revealed in Scripture, and to bear witness to Jesus Christ, who
is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
The 1963 committee rightly sought to identify and affirm "certain definite doctrines that Baptists believe, cherish, and
with which they have been and are now closely identified." Our living faith is established upon eternal truths. "Thus this
generation of Southern Baptists is in historic succession of intent and purpose as it endeavors to state for its time and
theological climate those articles of the Christian faith which are most surely held among us."
It is the purpose of this statement of faith and message to set forth certain teachings which we believe."
