ABSTRACT
The distinctive conviction for Baptists is the reality of the church found in each local congregation of believers, gathered from the wider community, and comprising those who have personal faith expressed through baptism and subsequent discipleship. This congregational polity, with its historic roots in a dissenting and largely Calvinistic faith, also brought about the demand for a radical separation of church and state. The resulting laws and norms for Baptists have, therefore, a particularly congregational texture. However, much of the character of Baptist church life shares common roots with the western theological tradition, and this chapter demonstrates how the majority of the Principles of Christian Law, in the ecumenical Statement of 2016, find their resonance in Baptist faith and practice.
