Baptist

It is accepted by moderate Baptists who identify with the revival in the United States in the 1700s known as the First Great Awakening. Injured Reserve. It is rejected by some liberal Baptists who consider the term to describe a theological position that is too conservative. Bench. The label Evangelical is rejected by some fundamentalist Baptists who consider the term to describe a theological position that is not fundamentalist enough. Starters. Other Baptists accept the label, feeling that it does not carry a negative connotation but rather is merely a synonym for a Christian or religious group. Their season ended in the first round of the playoffs as they lost to their in-state rival, the Dallas Mavericks 4-3 in the Western First Round.

Another reason for the rejection of the label is the influence of the Restoration period on Baptist churches, which emphasized a tearing down of denominational barriers. McGrady and Yao let their team to their best record in 10 years, finishing the year at 51-31 and seeded 5th in the Western Conference Playoffs. Being a denomination is viewed as having a hierarchy that substitutes for the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. Then during the offseason the Rockets trio ended as Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley and other familar teamates were traded to the Orlando Magic, but in return was Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, and many others. The label denomination is rejected by some because of the local autonomous governance system used by Baptist churches. The next 2003-2004 season was totally similar season, with another familiar record of 45-37, but the only difference was that they finally made their 21st Century playoff debut, however they were eliminated in a similar fate as their preceeding teams, being knocked out with a 4-1 record in the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers. Other Baptists accept the Protestant label as a demographic concept that describes churches who share similar theologies of sola scriptura, sola fide, the priesthood of all believers and other positions that Luther, Calvin and traditional reformers held in contrast to the Roman Catholic Church in the 1500s. However the season ended in a familar record of 41-38.

They do not feel that they are protesting anything and Landmark Baptists believe they pre-date the Roman Catholic Church. The 2002-2003 basketball season was a big clean up and a definite return of a winning team reputation which was lost during the turn of the century and a new "Rockets trio" (Yao Ming, Steve Francis, and Cuttino Mobley). The name Protestant is rejected by some Baptists because Baptists do not have a direct connection to Luther, Calvin or the Roman Catholic Church. People conidered him as the "New Hakeem" due to his height and the ability to shoot the ball easily, and his tough blocking defense. Conversely, others accept the label Baptist because they identify with the distinctives they consider to be uniquely Baptist. But then Yao Ming a tall 7 foot and 6 inches Chinese basketball player from the Shanghai Sharks decided to participate in the NBA draft of 2002, eventually he was picked and was ready for the job. Those who reject the label Baptist prefer to be labeled as Christians who attend Baptist churches. The losing season of 2001-2002 brought dishonor and a total loss of faith of the Rockets nationally and locally in Houston.

Some Baptists object to the application of the labels Protestant, denomination, Evangelical and even Baptist to themselves or their churches, while others accept those labels. The first "Hakeem-less" season in almost 20 years was tied up at a disspointing record at 28-54. Leon McBeth and many others. Then the aged Hakeem Olajuwon was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2001 which only leaves Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley as their successors in being the head stars in the team, but the following 2001-2002 season was no success, as their team was moslty made up of young Rookies and bench players which made Steve and Cuttino's job of making the team a winning one more difficult. This is the most common view held by modern Bapists, which is found represented in the works of H. The Rockets during the this era were a total blowout, and in return brought loss of national respect they once had, the Rockets however in the year 2000 brought a 45-37, but it still didn't cut them into the playoffs. American Baptists soon followed suit. They got into the playoffs in 1999 with a record of 45-37 on a 7th place seed, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round with a series of 4-1, this ended the Rockets winning years as the the years ahead would bring a series of losses and a bad reputation.

The Particular and General Baptists would disagree over Arminianism and Calvinism until the formation of the Baptist Union of Great Britain in the 1800s under Andrew Fuller and William Carey for the purpose of missions. Then in 1999 brought the fall of the winning team reputation they had, as Charles Barkley was injured and planned to retire after the injury, but the fall also brought some once thought new hope, Scottie Pippen was traded from the Bulls after Micheal Jordans 2nd retirement, and Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley arrived into the team that year. Both groups had members who sailed to America as pilgrims to avoid religious persecution in England and Europe and who started Baptist churches in the early colonies. They were good, but the Utah Jazz eliminated them from the Western Conference Finals in 1997 and in the Western Conference Semifinals in 1998, dimished any chances of holding an NBA title again. In 1616, Henry Jacob led a group of Puritans in England with a Calvinist theology to form a congregational church that would eventually become the Particular Baptists in 1638 under John Spilsbury. Some of the role players like Sam Cassell and Robert Horrywere traded for Charles Barkley from the Phoenix Suns and Matt Maloney drafted into the team in 1996. In 1609, John Smyth, led a group of separatists to the Netherlands to start the General Baptist church with an Arminian theology. The post championship years declined the team as Hakeem Olajuwon was aging.

This view suggests that Baptists were originally separatists in the Puritan reaction to perceived corruptions in the Church of England in the 1600s. Like his old friend Olajuwon did the previous year, Drexler experiences the joy of winning an NBA championship at last. The works of William Roscoe Estep offer the best presentation of this viewpoint. However, Houston comes back to win the last three games of the series, and then gets past the Spurs to reach the Finals, where they are matched up with the Orlando Magic. With Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, the Magic is expected to win the championship, but Houston sweeps the series in four straight games. One of the strongest relationships between the two groups happened when John Smyth's General Baptists attempted but failed to merge with the Mennonites. In fact, the Suns lead the second-round series 3 games to 1 (just as they did in the same round the year before). It is difficult to say how much influence the Anabaptists had on the actual formation of Baptist churches. They are not expected to defeat the Utah Jazz in the first round, the Phoenix Suns in the second round, or the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals.

They share many teachings of the early Baptists, such as the believer's baptism and religious freedom and were probably influential in the development of many Baptist characteristics. While their names suggest some connection, some Anabaptists differed from the Baptists on many other issues such as pacifism and the communal sharing of material goods. Houston struggles in the regular season, and they enter the playoffs as a sixth seed in the Western Conference. Anabaptists (Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites) were a group in the 1500s that rejected infant baptism and "rebaptized" members as adults. In a midseason trade with Portland, the Rockets obtain star guard Clyde Drexler, who had played alongside Olajuwon at the University of Houston. Christian offer the best presentation of this viewpoint. After being down 3 games to 2 in the NBA Finals, the Rockets win the last two games on their home court, thanks to the misfortunes of New York's best shooter: Knicks guard John Starks misses what would have been a series-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer in Game 6 after the shot was blocked by Olajuwon, and he shoots a cold 2-for-18 from the field in Game 7, missing all six of his 3-point shot attempts. The works of John T. With Hakeem Olajuwon as their center, the Rockets defeat the New York Knicks in seven games.

It is also difficult to show historical connections between those groups which were often separated by large gaps in geography and time. The Celtics defeated the Rockets again in the 1986 NBA Finals. Several groups considered to be part of this Baptist succession were groups persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church throughout history including Montanists, Novatianists, Donatists, Paulicians, Albigensians, Catharists, Waldenses, and Anabaptists. While some of these groups shared a few theological positions with current Baptists, many held positions that would now be considered heretical by current Baptists. Unfortunately, the Celtics with Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Cedric Maxwell, and Kevin McHale were too strong. Carroll's The Trail of Blood, written in 1931, is commonly presented to defend this origins view. The championship series with Boston was fought to six games. M. The Houston Rockets finally made it to finals, the first time a team from Houston played for a championship in basketball, football, or baseball.

J. The Kings, led by Otis Birdsong, Scott Wedman, and Phil Ford fell to the Rockets in five games. Alexander Campbell of the Restoration Movement was a strong promoter of this idea. This set up an unlikely conference finals matchup with Kansas City. It also allows for the view that Baptists predate the Catholic church and is therefore not part of the reformation or the protestant movement. The Rockets upset Los Angeles, two games to one, then got past the Spurs and George Gervin, four games to three, in the western conference semifinals. This succession grants Baptist churches the status of being unstained and separate from what they see as the corruptions of Catholicism and other denominations. Houston playoff run began by drawing the defending NBA-champion Lakers and Magic Johnson in the first round.

This view is theologically based on Matthew 16:18 , "...and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." and a rejection of Catholicism as part of the historical origins of Baptists. Houston tied with Kansas City for second place in the Midwest behind San Antonio with regular season at 40-42. Proponents believe that Baptist traditions have been passed down through a succession of visible congregations of Christians that were Baptist in doctrine and practice, but not necessarily in name. Other members of the 80-81 team were Rudy Tomjanovich, Robert Reid, Mike Dunleavy, Sr., Allen Leavell, Billy Paultz, Bill Willoughby, Calvin Garrett, Tom Henderson, and Major Jones. Landmarkism is the belief that Baptist churches and traditions have preceded the Catholic Church and have been around since the time of John the Baptist and Christ. Murphy, the shortest player in the league, sets two NBA records, sinking 78 consecutive free throws to break Rick Barry's mark of 60 set in 1976 achieving a free-throw percentage of .958 breaking Rick Barry's record set with the Rockets in 1979. There are several views about the origins of Baptists within the Baptist church. Malone carries the Rockets to NBA finals.

These churches can seat thousands at once and can have sports fields, gyms, cafes, book stores and libraries. The arrival of a third NBA team in Texas, the Dallas Mavericks, caused a reshuffling in 1980-81 that sent Houston to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference, which also included San Antonio, Kansas City, Denver, Utah, and Dallas. Though most Baptist churches are small, a significant percentage of megachurches are Baptist. After beating the Spurs, two games to one, in the first-round playoff series, they were swept by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Many church buildings are equipped with round receptacles on the rear of the pews for depositing the empty glasses after the service. The Rockets finished the year at 41-41, tying the San Antonio Spurs for second place in the Central Division. The grape juice is typically served in small glasses, though some churches use one cup for the entire congregation. Del Harris replaced Nissalke at the helm for the 1979-80 campaign.

It is usually served by the pastor to the deacons, and by the deacons to the congregation. The Rockets went 47-35 in 1978-79, Nissalke's last season as coach, finshing second in the Central Division losing two straight to Atlanta in a best-of-three first-round series. The bread used in the service may be cubes of normal white bread, unleavened bread, wafers or small crackers. He would play one more year for the Rockets before retiring in 1980. This is patterned after the Last Supper, which was a celebration of the Passover. He did set a new NBA record, however, by posting a .947 free-throw percentage for the season. Those who profess belief in Christ as their Savior are invited to partakeš of the symbolic body and blood of Jesus, portrayed by bread and "wine" (which may be grape wine, but is more often non-alcoholic grape juice). The future Hall of Famer, now in the twilight of his career, averaged a modest 13.5 points.

The communion portion takes place at the end of the normal service. Rick Barry also joined the team that year as a free agent, with the Rockets sending John Lucas to Golden State Warriors as compensation. Communion services are typically held once a month on Sunday mornings, but may be held weekly, quarterly or annually. Malone, Murphy, and Tomjanovich (who had returned to average 19.0 points) all played in the 1979 NBA All-Star Game. Other common features in a Baptist church service include the collection of offering, the serving of symbolic communion and a period of announcements. Malone, not exceptionally big or quick, used subtle moves, perfect positioning, and bulldog determination to become a superb center. Some conservative Baptists oppose the use of drums and/or electric guitar in their service because those two instruments are associated with rock music which is considered sinful or Satanic to them. Malone receives the league's MVP Award.

Some conservative Baptists will only sing hymns which usually includes songs written between the 1700s and the 1950s and are often played with an organ. Tomjanovich, displaying the "heart of a champion", spent the next five months in rehab returning to play as an NBA all-star. The choice in music style is often correlated to the age of the members with older congregations preferring hymns while younger congregations prefer contemporary music. That shocking scene became the defining moment of not only the Rockets' 1977-78 season (a conference finals team the previous year, collapsed into last place with a 28-54 record) but also of two basketball players' professional careers. Musical style varies between hymns and Contemporary Christian music with many churches choosing a blend of the two. The powerful blow landed squarely on the face of a running Tomjanovich, causing massive jaw, eye, and cheek injuries; Tomjanovich's skull was also fractured when his head hit the floor. The sermon is often surrounded by periods of musical worship lead by a song leader, choir or band. As Tomjanovich ran over to the two, Washington turned and blindly swung his fist.

They range in style from expository sermons that focus on one biblical passage and interpret its meaning, to topical sermons which address an issue of concern and investigate several biblical passages related to that topic. In a December 9 game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kunnert got into a fight with the Lakers' Kermit Washington. Sermons can range in time from about 30 minutes to several hours. The Rockets' hopes ended against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals on a controversial charging call against Lucas in the final moments of Game 6. The focus of Baptist church services is the sermon. Malone, then a novice 21-year old, outbattled Wes Unseld and Hayes to help the Rockets to a playoff victory in six games against the Washington Bullets. The two groups share similar theology, even sharing a bible college. The Rockets, now led by Tomjanovich, Murphy, Newlin, Malone, Kevin Kunnert, and rookie guard John Lucas, took the Central Division title.

In Australia, the Baptist Union is very close to the Campbell-Stone Church of Christ. At the insistence of new coach Tom Nissalke, a trade was completed with the Buffalo Braves to acquire Moses Malone, who as a high school star made the unprecedented decision of bypassing college basketball to sign on as a professional with the Utah Stars of the ABA in 1974. The Pacifism of the Anabaptists and the Quakers is not an ideal held by most Baptists. The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America was organized in 1984 to promote peace, justice, and non-violence, but it does not speak for all Baptists that accept the ideal of pacifism. The rockets defeated the New York Knicks (with Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, and Jerry Lucas) in the first round and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals before losing to the Boston Celtics. While the general flavor of any denomination changes from city to city, this aspect of Baptist churches is much more prominent than in most Episcopal, Lutheran and Presbyterian churches. With Coach John Egan's guidance and Tomjanovich, Murphy, and Mike Newlin leading the way, the Rockets made their first appearance in the playoffs since arriving in Houston. Baptists share certain emphases with other groups such as evangelism and missions. The lack of winning did little to capture the city's attention.

Baptists generally believe in the literal Second Coming of Christ at which time God will sit in judgment and divide humanity between the saved and the lost (the Great White Throne judgment Book of Revelation 20:11) and Christ will sit in judgment of the believers (the Judgment Seat of Christ Second Epistle to the Corinthians 5:10), rewarding them for things done while alive. Amillennialism, dispensationalism, and historic premillennialism stand as the main eschatological views of Baptists, with views such as postmillennialism and preterism receiving only scant support. After trading Hayes to the Baltimore Bullets for Jack Marin, the Rockets went into a rebuilding mode for the next two seasons. Because of the congregational style of church governance on doctrine, doctrine on the following issues often varies greatly between one Baptist church and another. Despite this, the team played well, acquiring two promising young players in Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich. The theology holds that Christ died on the cross to give humans the promise of everlasting life, but that this requires that each individual accept Christ into his life and ask for forgiveness. Nevertheless, the Baptist view of soteriology runs the gamut from Calvinism to Arminianism. A local legend has it that some days the local churches in Waco drew more people than the Rockets. Baptist theology teaches that humans have been contaminated by the sin of Adam and Eve's rebellion against God and that for this sin we are condemned to damnation. The Rockets began playing at the Astrodome and AstroHall, both in Houston, the HemisFair Arena, in San Antonio, the Hofheinz Pavilion, on the University of Houston campus, and at Waco. However, fan support was also scarce in the football-dominated city, and the Rockets averaged less than 5000 fans per game the first season.

Baptists have a strong emphasis on the concept of salvation. In 1971, real estate broker Wayne Duddleston and banker Billy Goldberg bought the franchise for $5.6 million and relocated the team from San Diego, where there was a lack of fan support, to Houston, Texas, the home town of Hayes. Justification by faith or sola fide states that it is by faith alone that we receive salvation and not through any works of our own. Hayes led the team to the franchise's first ever playoff appearance in 1969. The Baptist position of the priesthood of believers is one column that upholds their belief in religious liberty. The Rockets won the coin toss versus the Baltimore Bullets, earning them the number one pick in the NBA Draft, selecting Elvin "the Big E" Hayes from the University of Houston. This doctrine is based on the passage found in 1 Peter 2:9 and was popularized by Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation and John Wycliff's Lollards before Luther. They selected Pat Riley with their first draft pick in 1967, and proceeded to a then-NBA record 67-loss season.

Priesthood of all believers states that every Christian has direct access to God and the truths found in the Bible without the help of an aristocracy or hierachy of priests. The San Diego Rockets entered the NBA in 1967 as an expansion team in the same year the Seattle SuperSonics entered. One work which is commonly read by Baptists is the allegory Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. The Toyota Center was eventually built after the team pressured the city for a new arena. Even though it is only the Bible that is authoritative, Baptists also cite other works as illustrative of doctrine. The team's former home was the Compaq Center, originally called The Summit. However, because of the variety allowed under congregational governance, many Baptist churches are neither literalist nor fundamentalist, although most do believe in biblical inerrancy. The Houston Rockets are a National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas.

Biblical inerrancy is also a common position held by Baptists in addition to literal interpretations of the bible and fundamentalist theologies. 45 Rudy Tomjanovich. Each person is responsible before God for his or her own understanding of the bible and is encouraged to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. 34 Hakeem Olajuwon. Any view that cannot be directly tied to a scriptural reference is generally considered to be based on human traditions rather than God's leading. 24 Moses Malone. Authority of the Scriptures or sola scriptura states that the Bible is the only authoritative source of God's truth in contrast to the role of Apostolic tradition in the Roman Catholic Church. 23 Calvin Murphy.

states, Southern Baptists form a majority of the population and have successfully banned alcohol sales, and prevented the legalization of certain kinds of gambling. 22 Clyde Drexler. In parts of some southern U.S. Bill Willoughby. Currently in the United States, Baptist (particularly Southern Baptist) involvement in politics often involves controversies concerning gambling, alcohol, abortion, homosexual marriage as well as the teaching of evolution and state-sanctioned public prayer in public high schools. Walt Williams. Support of Seperation of Church and State does not imply a retreat from the political realm and Baptists do not generally eschew involvement in the political process. Jimmy Walker.

Today, though, some prominant Southern Baptist leaders believe that the government, at some level, should favor Christianity in certain contexts. Otis Thorpe. Anabaptists and Quakers also share a strong history in the development of separation of church and state. Kenny Smith. Baptists were influential in the formation of the first civil government based on the separation of church and state in what is now Rhode Island. Purvis Short. That same year, Thomas Helwys wrote that the King of England could "comaund what of man he will, and wee are to obey it," but concerning the church -- "with this Kingdom, our lord the King hath nothing to do." In 1614, Leonard Busher wrote what is believed to be the earliest Baptist treatise dealing exclusively with the subject of religious liberty. Ralph Sampson.

In 1612 John Smyth wrote, "the magistrate is not by virtue of his office to meddle with religion, or matters of conscience". Glen Rice. Baptists who were imprisoned or died for their beliefs have played an important role in the historical struggle for freedom of religion and separation of church and state in England, the United States, and other countries. Robert Reid. Main article: Baptists in the history of separation of church and state. Brent Price. In addition, there are sometimes very strong disputes even within conventions, which are often divided between Christian fundamentalists and moderates. Scottie Pippen.

There are hundreds of Baptist conventions and many Baptist churches do not fall into any of them. Moochie Norris. The second largest is the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., which is also America's second largest predominantly African-American denomination. Mike Newlin. The largest of these in the United States is the Southern Baptist Convention. Cuttino Mobley. In a manner typical of other congregationalists, many cooperative associations of Baptists have arisen. Rodney McCray.

Administration, leadership and doctrine are decided democratically by the lay members of each individual church, which accounts for the variation of beliefs from one Baptist church to another. Vernon Maxwell. Baptist churches are not under the direct administrative control of any other body, such as a national council, or a leader such as a bishop or pope. Matt Maloney. Congregationalist church governance gives autonomy to individual local churches in areas of policy, polity and doctrine. Sam Mack. Some Baptists do not hold the concept of an "Age of Accountability". John Lucas.

Children and those who are not mentally or emotionally capable of discerning their sins are not held accountable for their sins and are considered to be in a state of grace. Lewis Lloyd. Jesus began to visibly do the work of God at the age of 12 and somewhere around there is the typical "Age of Accountability". Allen Leavell. This is not a specific age, but rather the age at which God determines that person is accountable for their sins. Kevin Kunnert. Only a person who has reached an "Age of accountability" is eligible for baptism. Don Kojis.

Through Anabaptist influence, Baptists reject the practice of infant baptism or pedobaptism because they believe parents cannot make a decision of salvation for an infant. Toby Kimball. Some Baptist churches will recognize baptisms performed in other orthodox Christian churches that were not performed on infants. Buck Johnson. A few Baptist churches allow for baptism by sprinkling as an alternative mode for the disabled or elderly. Robert Horry. Recognition of other modes of baptism by other Baptists and Christian groups vary from one church to another. Carl Herrera.

This mode is also preferred for its parallel imagery to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Steve Harris. Baptists emphasize baptism by full immersion, the mode used by John the Baptist, which consists of lowering the candidate in water backwards, while a pastor invokes the Trinitarian formula of Matthew 28:19. Othella Harrington. Most Baptist church used baptism as a criterion for membership. Eddie Griffin. It is also a public identification of that person with Christianity and with that particular local church. Dave Gambee.

It is an outward expression that is symbolic of the inward cleansing or remission of their sins that has already taken place. Steve Francis. Believer's baptism is an ordinance that plays no role in salvation and is performed after a person professes Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Eric Floyd. This acrostic is used by some Baptist churches as a summary of the distinctives or distinguishing beliefs of Baptists. Mario Elie. Baptist distinctives are beliefs that are common among Baptist churches, some of which are also shared with many other post-reformational denominations. Pete Chilcutt.

Baptist churches do not have a central governing authority, resulting in a wide range of beliefs from one Baptist church to another. Kelvin Cato. In the late 1990s, there were about 43 million Baptists worldwide with about 33 million in the United States. Sam Cassell. A congregational governance system gives autonomy to individual local Baptist churches, which are sometimes associated in organizations such as the Southern Baptist Convention. Matt Bullard. Baptists emphasize a believer's baptism by full immersion, which is performed after a profession of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Chucky Brown.

Baptist churches are part of a Christian movement often regarded as an Evangelical, Protestant denomination. Scott Brooks. Williams, Roger. Rick Barry. Warren, Rick. Charles Barkley. Spurgeon, Charles H. PG - #17 Charlie Ward (Florida State).

Roberson, Lee. F - #5 Juwan Howard (Michigan). Rice, John R. SG - #7 David Wesley (Baylor). Pawson, David. F - #30 Clarence Weatherspoon (Southern Miss). B. PG - #23 Moochie Norris (West Florida).

Meyer, F. C - #55 Dikembe Mutombo (Georgetown). King, Martin Luther. PG - #13 Mike James (Duquesne). Hyles, Jack. SG - #20 Jon Barry (Georgia Tech). Grenz, Stanley. F/C - #42 Vin Baker (Hartford).

Graham, Billy. C - #11 Yao Ming (姚明) (China). Falwell, Jerry. SF - #40 Ryan Bowen (Iowa). Douglas, Tommy. PF - #35 Scott Padgett (Kentucky). Chambers, Oswald. PG - #3 Bob Sura (Florida State).

Carter, Jimmy. Zion Christian Academy, Rocky Mount, North Carolina). Carey, William. SG - #1 Tracy McGrady (Mt. Bunyan, John. Clyde Drexler. Eschatology. Calvin Murphy.

homosexuality. Moses Malone. the ordination of women. Elvin Hayes. the nature of Law and Gospel. Calvinism/Arminianism.

doctrine of separation. Two offices of the church (Pastor and Deacon). Separation of Church and State. Individual soul liberty.

Two ordinances (Believer's Baptism and Symbolic Communion). Priesthood of all believers. Autonomy of the local church. Biblical authority.