All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir

Baptism, a central act in the Baptist church, is a public declaration of faith. It differs from christening in that the person to be baptized should be old enough to understand and believe in the word of God. The person to be baptized is fully submerged in water before the community to become born again in a new life through faith in Jesus Christ. Beth Moore was nine when she was baptized.

In Southern Baptist churches, the Lord’s Supper (also called Communion) is an act of worship that involves eating unleavened bread and drinking grape juice to commemorate the Last Supper in the New Testament and to remind believers that Jesus died to save them from their sins. Each church decides how often to offer the Lord’s Supper.

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a collection of about 50,000 largely autonomous and like-minded churches that cooperate to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. Members believe that the Bible is God’s revelation to humankind, with a focus on the revelation of redemption through belief in Jesus. Representatives from churches meet yearly to elect officers, pass resolutions, and conduct other administrative business.

The SBC is the largest Baptist group in the world and the second-largest Christian denomination in America.