Our Beliefs
Calvary Baptist Church is a member of American Baptist Churches, U. S. A., (www.abc-usa.org) and the denomination's local region, American Baptist Churches of Greater Indianapolis (www.abcgi.org).
WE CONFESS JESUS CHRIST as the Son of the Living God, our Lord and Savior. We are joyously united in our common task for sharing the whole Gospel with the whole world.
WE BELIEVE IN THE BIBLE as the divinely inspired record of God's actions in history, and we believe it is a trustworthy, authoritative and all-sufficient rule of faith and practice. We recognize and respect the various translations of the Bible. As a rule, we at Calvary use the New International Version in our worship services and Sunday school classes.
WE BELIEVE that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and we believe Jesus died to save us from our sins. Those of us who believe this are forgiven by God and enter into a new life. That is what American Baptists mean we we say we are "born again." Being born again does not make us perfect, of ourse. It means we know God loves us and God has forgiven us.
WE OBSERVE two ordinances:
WE BAPTIZE believers by immersion. We regard "believer's baptism" as a symbol of death to the old life, and resurrection to a new life in Christ.
WE CELEBRATE the Lord's Supper (or Holy Communion) in memory of the sufferings of Christ. Calvary Baptist Church practices "open Communion," and invite all believers to participate in its celebration, whether they are formal members of Calvary or not. We observe Communion the first Sunday of the month and on special days, such as Maundy Thursday and Christmas Eve.
WE BELIEVE that all American Baptists, laity and clergy, are called together to be a family of disciples; witnessing at home and throughout the world to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and calling upon all individuals, groups, institutions and nations to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with their God.
(From American Baptists: A People of Faith.)
American Baptists share four freedoms:
BIBLE FREEDOM is the historic affirmation that the Bible, under the Lordship of Christ, must be central in the life of the individual and church, and that Christians, with the best and most scholarly tools of inquiry, are both free and obligated to study and obey the Scripture.
SOUL FREEDOM is the historic Baptist affirmation of the inalienable right and responsiblity of every person to deal with God without the imposition of creed, the interference of clergy or the intervention of civil government.
CHURCH FREEDOM is the historic Baptist affirmation that local churches are free, under the Lordship of Christ, to determine their membership and leadership, to order their worship and work, to ordain whom they perceive as gifted for ministry, male or female, and to participate in the larger Body of Christ, of whose unity and mission Baptists are proudly a part.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM is the historic Baptist affirmation of freedom of religion, freedom for religion and freedom from religion, insisting that Caesar is not Christ and Christ is not Caesar.
(From The Baptist Identity by Dr. Walter B. Shurden.)