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Originally Posted by JBaldwin  Quote:
Originally Posted by BaptistInCrisis I'd be happy to join in this discussion but I see too many land mines to step over. | Come on in, Bill. I really wasn't setting land mines, just voicing some thoughts. |
Sister, I didn't think for one moment that you were setting land mines. Trip wires maybe, but certainly not land mines.
Seriously, I always proceed with caution in baptism threads. Never know where they're gonna go.
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I can think of at least four (possibly 5) circumstances under which someone might be baptised:
1. Infant baptism by sprinkling
2. Infant baptism by immersion (Greek orthodox)
3. Baptism after conversion when the person was not baptised as an infant (usually sprinkling)
4. Baptism after conversion only (immersion)
5. Baptism after conversion only (sprinkling) does anyone do this?
We classify those who perform the first 3 categories as paedo baptists and those in the last two (if there are two) as credo baptists. And this makes sense to a point.
Isn't circumstance 3 also credo baptism? I realize I might be splitting hairs here, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if the difference isn't more about "mode" than it is about baptism after conversion.
Any thoughts?
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I won't comment on the paedo position. It's well known and I don't believe the intent of your OP was to engage in a paedo vs. credo debate.
Believers baptism by sprinkling is a distinct minority among Baptists. To be sure, there are Baptist churches that practice sprinkling but they are few and far between. I believe in immersion for professing believers only. For this Baptist it is more than just mode. I would not recognize sprinkling as a valid credo baptism. I know, I know. This is where my paedo brethren would accuse me of advocating re-baptizing. That is a fair accusation coming from their theological position. I flirted with Piper's position a few months back. He proposed to his elders that paedo baptists who join Bethlehem Baptist Church would not have to be baptized by immersion. Upon careful thought and study I have rejected Piper's premise. It's either a valid baptism or it's not. Within the credo camp it is baptism by immersion as the only valid mode imho. I would require someone who was sprinkled, even as a credo, to submit to the biblical model of baptism - immersion.
There, I just jumped right on a big ole bouncing Betty.