Reformed Baptist
The name Reformed Baptist does not refer to a distinct denomination but instead is a description of the church's theological leaning. Not all churches that are reformed in doctrine indentify themselves as such. There is one association of Reformed Baptist chuches: the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America which began in 1997.Reformed Baptist churches quite often adhere to either the First or Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1646 and 1689 respectively. These two statements are usually not considered exhaustive or completely accurate, but instead are convenient summaries of a church's belief. All Reformed Baptist derive all of their doctrine directly from the Bible and see it as the sole authority of faith and practice.
Reformed Baptist Churches are distinct in that they are both Reformed (adhering to and showing respect for much of the theology defined by John Calvin) as well as Baptists (believing in baptism for believers only, and that by immersion). Historically, the five points of Calvinism have been central tenets of the Reformed faith, which all Reformed Baptist churches agree with by definition. However, conservative Reformed theology is normally committed to Covenant Theology, one application of which is the practice of infant baptism. For this reason more traditional Reformed branches of Christianity (Presbyterian, etc) sometimes refuse to accept their Reformed Baptist brothers as truly Reformed.
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