This study explores the historical and theological foundations of the Baptist Faith & Message (2000) by examining the relationship between some Southern Baptists’ self-identification as a non-creedal tradition and the significant role of creeds and confessions in shaping Southern Baptist beliefs and practices. This work highlights the historical dependence of Baptists on creeds for doctrinal guidance, analyzing pivotal ancient church creeds such as the Apostles’ Creed and those from Nicea, Constantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon. Moreover, the research traces the influence of these foundational documents on 17th-century Baptist confessions and their subsequent developments. Key historical confessions of faith in recent centuries, including the Westminster Confession (1646), Second London Baptist Confession (1677/1689), Philadelphia Baptist Confession (1742), and New Hampshire Baptist Confession (1833), are examined to illustrate their impact on contemporary Southern Baptist doctrine and practice. The thesis posits that Southern Baptists are not a non-creedal people but are instead deeply rooted in a confessional and creedal tradition that spans 2,000 years of church history. Both ancient church creeds from the 2nd to the 5th centuries and the confessions from post-Reformation England and early America from the 17th to the 19th centuries serve to clarify Southern Baptist identity in doctrine and practice in the 21st century.