Introduction:
United Baptist is name of several diverse Baptist groups of Protestant Christianity in the United States. The unaffiliated United Baptist associations differ from one another in their views on the atonement, eternal security, and prerequisites of communion. They are fairly consistent in avoiding general unions and conventions, observing the ordinance of feet washing, and preferring an itinerant and unsalaried ministry. A majority of the churches tend to primitivism, rejecting a trained ministry, Sunday Schools, and even instrumental music. Most prefer natural water baptisms. Associations promote fellowship by “corresponding” with (sending representatives to) other associations that they deem to be of “like faith and order”.
There are three groups associated with the United Baptist:
United Baptist (General), some Arminian-oriented, open communion bodies that fellowship with other bodies (that are moderately Calvinistic and closed communion). The common factor is style of worship;
United Baptist (Landmark), moderately Calvinistic closed communion bodies that once nominally cooperated with the Southern Baptist Convention;
United Baptist (Regular), closed communion bodies that were early in opposition to Baptist missionary and educational enterprises, but that remained aloof from the Primitive Baptists. The largest concentration of these churches is in Kentucky.
History:
United Baptist Church was formed on November 19, 1989 when two separate congregations took a final vote to adopt Merger Agreements, a Doctrinal Statement, a Covenant, a Church Constitution, and the name “United Baptist.”
The name “United Baptist” came from two separate unions of Baptist groups: (1) the union of Regular Baptists and Separate Baptists in Kentucky, Virginia, and the Carolinas in the United States late in the 18th century and near the turn of the 19th century, and (2) the union of Regular Baptists and Free Baptists in the Maritime Provinces of Canada around the beginning of the 20th century. Many Baptists in the southern United States were called United Baptists, while most in the north were called Regular Baptists. Missionary Baptist bodies such as the Southern Baptist Convention, the American Baptist Association (ABA) and even some American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) are descendants of the United Baptists. Churches in the ABCUSA retaining the name United Baptist are primarily in the northeast, especially Maine, and are products of the Regular/Free Baptist union.
Belief:
United Baptists believes in one God, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit who is the Sovereign ruler of all.
United Baptists believes in the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. Every word is inspired by God.
United Baptists believes The Bible is the only specific revelation for understanding theology proper, namely God, and is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice.
United Baptists believes Jesus, the Son of God, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect sinless life, died for the sin of the world on the cross as a vicarious (substitutionary) sacrifice, rose from the dead (bodily resurrection) ascended into heaven where He is currently active as our
High Priest and Advocate.
United Baptists believes man was created in the image of God, however he disobeyed God, and thereby incurred spiritual death as a consequence. Therefore the entire Adamic race is born in sin; meaning, man is a sinner by nature and practice.
United Baptists believes all who believe in Jesus by faith are justified on the grounds of His shed blood. Those who believe are called the Children of God and experience new birth and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
United Baptists believes in the eternal security of the believer.
United Baptists believes the Lord Jesus instituted two ordinances of the church, namely Baptism and the Lord’s Supper to be observed by all believers until His return.
United Baptists believes in the personal, premillennial and imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
United Baptists believes in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting punishment of the lost.
United Baptists believes that marriage is sanctioned by God and is exclusive to one man and one woman as delineated in Scripture.
United Baptists are not involved in any movement which makes a practice of or deems normative the apostolic gifts like speaking in tongues (unknown languages), sign gifts, raising the dead.
Reference:
Official website for the United Baptists: http://unitedbaptist.org/
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “United Baptists:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Oct 2013.< https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2488,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2013, October) “United Baptists:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2488,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2013) “United Baptists:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (October), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2488, (accessed).