浸礼宗(Baptist)

基督教新教内的一派，认为只有信道之成年人才可受洗，而洗礼必须是全身浸在水中（浸礼）。在英格兰，两支浸礼派信徒兴起於17世纪的清教主义运动中。一派认为救恩普及一切人，称为浸礼宗普救派；另一派人提出，救恩只给特选的人们，称为浸礼宗特选派。美国浸礼宗的起源可追溯到威廉斯，1639年在普罗维登斯创立浸礼会。18世纪中叶的大觉醒（Great Awakening）运动促进了浸礼宗的壮大。到1814年，美国的浸礼宗才联合起来，建立全国性机构。不久由於在蓄奴问题上意见不一，1845年南方浸礼联会成立，於是正式分裂，而1907年北方浸礼联会也继而成立，使分裂进一步证实。金恩所领导的黑人浸礼会教会和教牧人员在1960年代的美国民权运动中发挥重大作用。浸礼宗认为，在信仰和习俗问题上，权威是在於处在基督之下的各地方教会受过浸礼的全体信徒的手中。浸礼宗的礼拜以讲经布道为中心内容，即席祈祷和唱诗也是该宗的特色。

English version：

Baptist

Member of a group of Protestant Christians who hold that only adult believers should be baptized and that it must be done by immersion. During the 17th century two groups of Baptists emerged in England: General Baptists, who held that Christ's atonement applied to all persons, and Particular Baptists, who believed it was only for the elect. Baptist origins in the American colonies can be traced to Roger Williams, who established a Baptist church in Providence, R.I., in 1639. Baptist growth in the U.S. was spurred by the Great Awakening in the mid-18th century. The 1814 General Convention showed divisions among U.S. Baptists over slavery; a formal split occurred when the Southern Baptist Convention was organized in 1845 and was confirmed when the Northern (American) Baptist Convention was organized in 1907. African-American Baptist churches provided leadership in the 1960s civil rights movement, notably through the work of Martin Luther King. Baptist belief emphasizes the authority of local congregations in matters of faith and practice; worship is characterized by extemporaneous prayer and hymn-singing as well as by the exposition of scripture in sermons.