One of the best places to learn first hand what we preach, believe andteach at Hickory Hammock in the way of doctrine is to visit our THE DISCOVERY CLASS - The class meets during the Sunday School hour inthe CHOIR SUITE Building. This class is designed to enable you to get to know ourChurch and how it operates as well as how you can be an active part of it. In this class you willalso be given materials and personal teaching concerning our beliefs anddoctrine. You will also find this a useful equipping class in such thingsas The Cults, Basic Doctrine, Church Polity, Christian History,and much more.
At HHBC, we ask all who wish to unite with our church to go through the six "New Members" classes. So, come on out and get started! You will enjoy it!
At Hickory Hammock Baptist Church, we adhere to the Bible as the ultimatebasis for all we teach, preach, live and believe concerning our faith. Weadhere to the understanding of basic Bible doctrine as outlined in the Baptist Faith and Message.
In order for you to have a quick glance at the fundamentals of ourBiblical faith, if you are looking for a church home or a place to worship,I have outlined them below. For conservation of space, I have not gone intogreat detail or the listing of all the scripture references that support ourbeliefs. If you have any questions or concerns with what you see here, feelfree to call the church office and speak with the Pastor or one of our AssociatePastors.
1. Jesus - We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the MostHigh God. He is God in the Flesh, God with us, The Son of God, God the Son,King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We believe that personal faith in JesusChrist as Lord and Savior is the only way of Biblical salvation andeternal security.
2. Salvation - We believe that if a person is truly, Biblicallysaved, that person is eternally saved and cannot "lose" their salvation.
3. The Bible - We believe that the Bible is the infallible,inspired, and only true Word of the Living God. We do not holdthat a particular version is the only true version of the Bible.We encourage our people to use a scholarly version/translation such asthe King James version, The New King James version, The New American Standardversion or the New International Version. Our Pastor normally preaches and teaches from the New International Version.(See ASK THE PREACHER - RADIO PROGRAMS ONLINE to listen to a 30 minute radio program on this topic.) Also, please read the very short article by our Pastor titled - WHY THE KJV CANNOT BE THE ONLY TRUE VERSION OF THE BIBLE.
4. Salvation by Grace - We believe that a person is saved by God'sGrace alone. Salvation is the complete work of God, calling men torepent of their sin and turn to Jesus Christ as Lord.
5. Baptism - We believe that Baptism is for born again believersonly and that true Biblical baptism is by immersion and is tantamountto a public profession of one's faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
6. The Lord's Supper - We do not believe that the Lord's Supper isfor Baptists only or for HHBC members only. We believe that it is distinctlya celebration of worship for born again, Biblically baptized believers inJesus Christ. The Lord's Supper is for "His Church". If you are a born againbeliever worshipping with us on a Lord's Supper day, you may feel free totake the Lord's Supper with us.
7. Worship - Our worship services are reserved at times andcelebrative at times, making for a good Biblical balance. We have a uniqueblend of the traditional with the more contemporary praise and worship styleof music. We have no problem with the Biblical worship practices (whenobviously appropriate) of the clapping of hands, raising of hands in praiseand worship, verbal affirmation of Biblical truth (amen, praise the Lord,etc.) We encourage the use of skilled and gifted musical talent in voice,instrumental and choral renditions. We incorporate drama, creativepresentations of scriptural truths and principles, etc. Our worship servicesare creative, innovative, convicting and uplifting with the sole purpose ofglorifying Jesus and exalting His Holy Word.
8. The Church - We believe that the church is the Biblical "bride"of Jesus for which he died. We believe that the true church is made up ofborn again, baptized believers the world over, but that the Biblicalexpression of the church is through the local, autonomous body of calledout believers.
9. The Return of Jesus Christ - We believe that Jesus Christ willreturn physically, literally and bodily with the glorified saints to ruleand reign on the earth for a thousand years. Then, the Lord Jesus will siton the Great White Throne of Judgment to finally judge the world, the lost,Satan and his demons and usher in the "new heaven and new earth."
10. Creation/Evolution - We believe in a literal 7 day creationaccount and a relatively young earth and human history. (Around 10,000 yearsas opposed to evolution's 4.5 billion year proposal) We believe that humanbeings are created in the image of God as unique, special creationsrepresenting God's crowning glory of all creation. As such, each human lifehas dignity, purpose, value and worth and is to be highly treasured. Eventhe unborn child. We believe that the theory of evolution is a lieand is desperately wicked at its core. We understand and know that there isnot one piece of scientific evidence to support the lie of evolution. Webelieve that evolution is a God-less "statement of faith" and it isdiametrically opposed to the Christian Gospel and Biblical faith.(See ASK THE PREACHER - RADIO PROGRAMS ONLINE to listen to a 30 minute radio program on this topic.)
11. Doctrine of Election - The issue of "Calvinism" has become quite a matter of controversy in many churches. IT IS NOT at HHBC! We believe in the absolute Sovereignty of God, BALANCED with the responsibility, accountability and choice of man. Some people have a difficult time balancing these two seemingly difficult Bible truths. However, just as the Bible declares that there is one God yet at the same time He exists in three distinct persons, (the Doctrine of the Trinity) and we accept it by faith, without question; so we also believe that God is sovereign and moving all things toward his planned end, yet at the same time, calling men everywhere to make a choice. We do not have a problem reconciling these two important biblical truths any more than we have a problem reconciling the Trinity statements in the Bible.
Our Pastor has written a booklet that goes into great detail on this subject so that there is no misunderstanding where we stand on this controversial doctrinal issue. Click on the Predestination Booklet PAGE to download a copy of this booklet.(See ASK THE PREACHER - RADIO PROGRAMS ONLINE to listen to a 30 minute radio program on this topic.)
12. Speaking in Tongues The issue of Tongues is another controversial doctrine among Christian churches today. At HHBC, we believe the Bible, when properly and contextually interpreted on this subject is CRYSTAL CLEAR! Acts Chapter 2 is the precedent chapter for the topic of tongues. Therefore, ALL scriptures regarding tongues MUST be interpreted in light of the definition of tongues found in ACTS 2. Here it is CLEARLY laid out that BIBLICAL tongues is; the instantaneous, supernatural ability for a born again believer to be able to speak in a KNOWN language of the world (not gibberish or babbling or a "prayer language".) This gift is given by the Holy Spirit and is not intended to be given to all believers. The purpose of tongues is to bring glory to Jesus to those who may not otherwise understand the native language being spoken.
There MUST be an interpreter who will verify that the tongue spoken is a KNOWN TONGUE of the languages of men and the interpreter will also know the interpretation. We believe that the "TONGUES MOVEMENT" so prevalant in Christian circles today DOES NOT meet these clear, biblical criteria and thus, in order to maintain doctrinal and biblical integrity, would NOT be allowed at HHBC. However, BIBLICAL tongues would be allowed.(See ASK THE PREACHER - RADIO PROGRAMS ONLINE to listen to a 30 minute radio program on this topic.)
A tongue would be deemed biblical if it met the criteria previously discussed, found in Acts 2, as well as the criteria of I Corin 14 (one or two, three at the most speak in a BIBLICAL tongue in an ENTIRE worship service. That it be done decently and in order. That there be an interpreter for EACH instance of the use of a tongue. That the women NOT speak or interpret in tongues in a public worship service.) I Corinthians 14 is extremely clear on ALL these points!
13. Freemasonry and Christianity At HHBC we are convinced beyond any doubt that Freemasonry and its suborganizations (Shriners, Eastern Star, Rainbow Girls, Demoly, etc) is NOT COMPATIBLE with the true biblical Christian faith in Jesus Christ! Our Pastor has written a booklet on this topic that is very extensive. Click on the Freemasonry Booklet PAGE to download a copy of this booklet. Or go to this page FREEMASONRY DVD ONLINE (Number 12 on the list of DVDs) to watch an on-line 30 minute DVD presentation on this matter.
This topic has received extensive coverage by many scholarly authors who verify the stand that we take at HHBC regarding this issue. You can find these works at any reputable Christian bookstore. We know and understand that FREEMASONRY denies the absolute deity and sufficiency of Jesus Christ, that it denies the absolute and sovereign authority of the Bible as the ONLY word of the Living God and that it denies that salvation is through Jesus Christ and the Grace of God ALONE (not of works). These are the 3 essential fundamental doctrines of the true, biblical Christian faith and FREEMASONRY teaching denies them ALL! Therefore, we do not allow anyone who is a Mason or a part of any of its organizations to hold any place of leadership or teaching at HHBC. A Mason may feel free to worship with us in the sincere hope that he or she would find real faith in Jesus Christ alone.14. Women in Church Leadership CLICK HERE
15. WEDDING POLICIES CLICK HERE