New Hampshire Declaration of Faith

The New Hampshire Declaration of Faith was the statement of faith adopted by the Baptist State Convention of New Hampshire on January 15, 1833. It was composed by a committee including I. Pearson, B. Stow, and J. Newton Brown. (Hurlin, et. al, 1902,56) The first edition included sixteen articles summarizing key components of Christian Doctrine. An expanded edition published in J. Newton Brown's Church Manual included two additional articles. Brown's Church Manual also included a church covenant. The first edition and Brown's edition included references to the Bible to explain or defend the articles. Sometimes, the Scripture references were omitted or abridged. A significant number of Baptist churches adopted the New Hampshire Declaration as a summary statement of Baptist beliefs. Many different kinds of Baptists adopted this document as well, or modified it to fit local or institutional needs. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's adoption of the New Hampshire Declaration with amendment is one example of the malleability of the Declaration. It provided a base text for the first edition of the Southern Baptist "Baptist Faith and Message" and the Baptist Bible Union's "Articles of Faith, 1923."