If there ever was proof of the noetic effects of the fall, the debate over baptism would be it. Apparently equally sincere, confessional, conservative Christians seeking to know and to do according to the precepts of the Word of God reach different conclusions on a matter (i.e., the sacraments) which should NOT be incidental or treated as unimportant.

On the one hand, we do not want to go to war over baptism. On the other hand, we don't want to ape the relativistic "tolerance" that is the zeitgeist of this time in history. Frankly, if many of us were truly candid, we would admit that our convictions on any number of topics were formed and shaped in an environmental soup flavored with the strong salt of subjectivity.

A teacher we admired or found to be brilliant argued a case, we couldn't come up with a decent counter, and we embraced his thinking on the topic. Oversimplified to be sure, but that is not necessarily the best recipie for objective weighing of the evidence and coming to firm conclusions on the implications of any important doctrine or issue.

Whichever side you take on the baptism debate, unless you have studied it exhaustively and listened carefully to the strongest arguments for each position, I am not sure that we can say that we have dispassionately come to our convictions. For many of us, we will find ourselves struggling to come to clarity and conviction. Some of us will even find ourselves switching positions over time as different considerations impinge upon our thinking.

So, Chris, God bless you for your honesty. May we all be clear in our understanding of God's Word and have sound reasons for the doctrines we hold to so dearly.

__________________
Dennis E. McFadden, Ex Mainline Baptist (in Remission)
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

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