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Article: The Baptist World Alliance: its identity and ecumenical involvement. (The World Council and the Christian World Communions)
- Article from:
- The Ecumenical Review
- Article date:
- October 1, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 World Council of Churches. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Baptists around the world have probably displayed greater reluctance than most world communions to engage with other Christians in serious efforts to effect Christian unity. Behind their hesitancy lies a potent corporate fear of ecclesiastical structures which might exert control and coerce either individuals or congregations in matters of religion and thus circumscribe freedom of the word of God. To be authentic and responsible, Baptists have insisted with tiresome frequency, faith must be free; and nothing poses a more ominous threat to freedom than over-arching ecclesiastical structures accorded divine sanction, even if they bear the name Baptist.
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