Eventually, Barack Obama abandoned this non-conformism and skepticism to
be baptized as an adult in the Trinity United Church of Christ, a
denomination which emphasizes the freedom of the individual conscience
over adherence to creeds or hierarchical authority. This is similar to
traditional Baptist Christianity and something that is honored more in
theory than in practice when it comes to the Southern Baptist Convention.
Several historical creeds and catechisms are used by the United Church
of Christ as statements of what their faith, but none are used as "tests
of faith" which a person must swear upon.