Today, one of my Facebook friends publicly shared that he has arrived at a major life decision after a long journey.
After three years of attending a United Reformed Church, never as a member but as one open to the possibility of the Reformed position of baptism, and having read many of the major works on the subject, I mailed the following to my pastor last night. I am comfortable sharing it publicly…
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Baptismal font in 12th century Swedish church (click to enlarge)
Dear Rev. _____________,
I am told a person once said of me, the reason I have remained so long at OURC without becoming a member is that I am stubborn, perhaps hard-headed. I hope it has never appeared so. I can testify from my conscience that I have always wanted to have what was required of me by the consistory. But I could not compel myself to affirm for truth what seemed to my limited, though overly informed judgment to be one of multiple possibilities.
If there is a reason why I stayed, it was because you and others at OURC encouraged me countless times to remain as long as it took to reach an affirmative position regarding baptism, whether paedo or credo. I have no doubt that had you asked, I would have made necessary arrangements to attend a Reformed Baptist congregation, however inconvenient and unhappy the loss of my regular fellowship with you all would have been. In such an environment we can only guess the likelihood of a changed view, if at all…
Like Michael, I also had a long, tedious journey. I was baptized as an infant in a mainline, paedobaptist denomination, was convinced later in life to be immersed at Lake Washington in Seattle, then cozied up to paedobaptism again after attending a baptismal orientation for parents before my third child was baptized in a Presbyterian church.
Through it all, until my son’s baptism, I never dug any deeper into the back-and-forth, proof-texting arguments…Â I accepted the view that baptism is the believer’s testimony of his faith before the congregation…
Reformed, Presbyterian, graduate of Westminster Seminary California, missionary in the Philippines, has a passion for teaching the historic Protestant faith to a mindless world
The ARP, OPC, PCA, RCUS, URCNA, OCRC, WPCUS, RPCUS and the RPCNA have all made public statements rejecting the FV. Some are bold enough to call it “heresy.”
Like Michael, I also had a long, tedious journey. I was baptized as an infant in a mainline, paedobaptist denomination, was convinced later in life to be immersed at Lake Washington in Seattle, then cozied up to paedobaptism again after attending a baptismal orientation for parents before my third child was baptized in a Presbyterian church.
