We are a family of believers, connected by mutual faith in Christ Jesus and our love for each another. We share a common history with other believers whose ideals were formed out of the influence of the 19th century American Restoration Movement’s plea for the Unity of all Christians. To honor our spiritual ancestors we want to use some of their favorite slogans to tell you about ourselves.
In essentials…Unity
In non-essentials…Liberty
In all things…Love
Throughout the past 2000 years, there have been many attempts to make Christianity complicated and exclusive. However, scripture is very clear about what being a disciple of Christ entails.
Essentials
The Bible is very clear that there is such a thing as Truth – in fact that is one of the Truths of the Bible. Truth is essential to being a disciple of Christ. Christ himself was full of “grace and truth” (John 1:14). Truth forms the essentials of the Christian faith. Truth has to do with things pertaining to our salvation by “grace through faith”.
Non-Essentials
We understand that people hold a wide variety of opinions on many issues that are not central to the Good News of Jesus Christ. While we seek Unity in essentials (Truth), we strive to allow for Liberty in non-essentials (opinions). At Baldwin, we want to keep the main thing the main thing and the main thing is the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Love
Christianity in a word is love. God is love. The greatest commandment we have been given is to love and by our love the world will know that we are disciples of Jesus (John 13:34-35). We realize that if we do not have love we are useless (1 Corinthians 13:2). Therefore, above all, in everything we do, we strive to show our love.
Christians Only…Not the only Christians
Our aim is to be Christ-centered. We seek to be undenominational Christians. Our commitment is not to any human organization or creed, but to Jesus as Lord. (Luke 6:46.) We are people drawn from many different walks of life who have been brought together by our common love for and loyalty to Christ. We just want to be Christians and avoid the sin of sectarianism.
No Creed but Christ…No Book but the Bible
We do not follow or pledge our allegiance to any creed. While creeds are well intentioned, they have often been a source of division among Christians. We believe that the Bible is the word of God and has clear and sufficient information to guide the lives of all those who seek to follow it. (2 Timothy 3:16-17.) Each Christian is encouraged to read and study the Bible as the final authority for all religious faith and practice.