Pensees: Baptist to Presbyterian

So as to, um, immerse BIG people?

Rather, so as to immerse. Period!

They had really, really, REALLY big babies back then. You know it was before global warming and preservatives in food and all that.

While Augustine’s time may provide an argument for your immersionist views, I’m pretty sure you guys really shouldn’t bring Augustine into this discussion. You might get immersion but you’ll definitely not get memorialism or even “non-mystical means of grace-ism”.

Augustine’s mother, Monica, thought that baptism washed away original sin and all the sins committed prior to one’s baptism. Therefore, because she was afraid that he’d commit sins and not repent sooon enough(a reasonable fear based on his adolescent behavior), she did not have him baptized as an infant or young child. In _The Confessions_ Augustine seems to share her understanding on this matter. And Ambrose (the minister . . . ok bishop . . . who “led him to the Lord”) didn’t challenge it either that I’m aware.

Don’t get me wrong, Augustine is The Man on many topics. I just don’t know how smart it is for baptists to bring him into a discussion on this particular topic (big smiley).

True enough. But I think the point is that immersion is not the johnnie-come-lately. Other modes are.

And, btw, that was funny about the REALLY BIG BABIES!

Yeah, I think it must be conceded that there is archeological evidence to support immersion way, way back. I bet, though, we can also find archeological evidence to support sprinkling or pouring pretty far back.

Of course, since presbyterians accept immersion as true baptism, we really don’t have a major problem. Should we find a really, really small font or basin, though, you guys will have a lot to answer for. (again smiley, smiley, smiley)

Bob, Mark’s post reminded me of our recent tour group standing around a Byzantine baptistry in the floor of an archaeological site in Turkey. The Baptist pastors among us gloated.

Keith,

Baptists are not concerned at all about an archeological discovery of a “really, really small font or basin” because we, no matter how old, we are pretty confident that it will be easily proved that rivers, ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water are much older. ;-)

Dever is at it again… :-)