Baptists

Baptists are a group of Christian denominations, churches, and individuals who subscribe to a theology of believer's baptism (as opposed to infant baptism), salvation through faith alone, Scripture alone as the rule of faith and practice, and the autonomy of the local church. They are generally characterized by the practice of immersion (as opposed to affusion or sprinkling) and a disavowal of authoritative creeds. Baptist churches are regarded as falling within the family of Protestantism, and some churches or individuals further identify with evangelicalism or fundamentalism. Diverse from their beginning, those identifying as Baptists today differ widely from one another in what they believe, how they worship, their attitudes toward other Christians, and their understanding of what is important in Christian discipleship.