POLL: How are the Westminster Standards to be understood-

[a mere housewife]

Note that there are different choices depending on whether you are a paedo or credo baptist (below). This is simply for information about how the Westminster Standards are actually understood and whether having a paedo- or a credo- paradigm makes a difference in our understanding. (If it goes off topic, could the moderators please make a new thread: I want this to focus on how the Confession actually is understood on this point, not even on how it 'should' be or whether we agree with it, etc.)

Here are the options: (they were too long to go in the poll).

Paedo 1: Only infants of parents who have confessed faith in Christ and display obedience to Him should be baptised.

Paedo 2: All infants of parents who are willing to submit to baptism should be baptised (everyone in the pale of the visible church should be discipled), without requiring confession of faith in Christ or further obedience on the part of the parents: being baptised is professing and obeying.

Paedo 3: Infants of baptised parents who have not made any confession of faith in Christ should be baptised, but such parents are likely only baptised themselves because they made it into the church as infants and never did anything bad enough to get kicked out --adults must confess their faith in Christ and obedience to Him to get in, but an infant can grown up and stay in without professing faith.

Paedo 4: All infants of parents who are willing to submit to baptism and who demonstrate progressive obedience to the law of God should be baptised regardless of faith; but this is fundamentally different than the credo position because we examine how people live, not what they profess.

Paedo 5: Other

Credo 1: agree with Paedo 1

Credo 2: agree with Paedo 2

Credo 3: agree with Paedo 3

Credo 4: agree with Paedo 4

Credo 5: Other

 

[a mere housewife]

Note: the poll is obviously not working (second try . I've asked the moderators for help and hopefully it will be working soon.

 

[etexas]

Note: the poll is obviously not working (second try . I've asked the moderators for help and hopefully it will be working soon.

Good ,I prefer clicking a choice than typing one.... Not lazy, it has been a long day.

 

[a mere housewife]

Poll is fixed.

 

[a mere housewife]

I guess I shouldn't get a job working for Barna. Maybe I should start a poll taking votes on what is wrong with this poll. Not enough options?

 

[a mere housewife]

Oh good; we have a consensus. 2 votes for 'Paedo 1'!

Just wanted to add that of course I understand that credobaptists and paedobaptists don't really agree on whose infants are to be baptised: but along with the views of the paedos on the board I would also like to know, if I haven't somehow made this too confusing or deadly dull or whatnot, what other credobaptists think the Westminster Confession says?

 

[ColdSilverMoon]

With all due respect, it seems very obvious what the WCF is saying:

Not only those that do actually profess fatih in and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to be baptized.

I'm not sure how the answer to the question can be anything other than the first option...

 

[ChristianTrader]

Heidi,
You might want to add a link to the current discussion on this topic.

CT

 

[a mere housewife]

Will do -- CT, when you get a minute, could you explain what you mean by 'other'?

Current discussions:
http://www.puritanboard.com/f30/westminster-confessions-teaching-who-baptised-34853/
http://www.puritanboard.com/f47/infant-baptism-admitted-unconverted-35089/

 

[greenbaggins]

I understand number one to include the option of saying that one parent has to be confessing faith. On the principle of 1 Corinthians 7, if one parent is believing and confessing, and is a member of the local church, then the child may be baptized.

 

[a mere housewife]

Yes, Rev. Keister, that is correct --parent(s) for all options. Sorry I didn't make that more clear.

Thank you everyone who is voting.

 

[toddpedlar]

I understand number one to include the option of saying that one parent has to be confessing faith. On the principle of 1 Corinthians 7, if one parent is believing and confessing, and is a member of the local church, then the child may be baptized.

(note that the poll says nothing about church membership, though...)

 

[greenbaggins]

I understand number one to include the option of saying that one parent has to be confessing faith. On the principle of 1 Corinthians 7, if one parent is believing and confessing, and is a member of the local church, then the child may be baptized.

(note that the poll says nothing about church membership, though...)

Couldn't "confessing faith" be interpreted as church membership?

 

[a mere housewife]

Todd, I'm sorry --that is because I assume membership, simply as a fact of a baptised Christian being part of a local body, -in the case of parents- taking the Lord's table, etc. In Mexico we had no 'church role' because to incorporate required jumping through hoops with the govt. The oversight was not because I have anything against church membership: I just don't see how a baptised, communicating person in a local church (the church obviously doesn't deem that they should be disciplined) could not be considered a member, who needs to be discipled and disciplined etc (or that their children could be refused baptism over a paper formality). In other words, please assume membership as that is what I am doing, though perhaps from a 'third world' mindset.

 

[a mere housewife]

Rev. Keister, thank you for that useful post (all my icons are gone and I can't thank, quote, etc). Confessing faith can be interpreted as many things .

 

[a mere housewife]

Joshua, our friendship has survived so much already that I will venture to hope, despite your hairtrigger reactions to minor issues, it can survive this confusing poll. By the way thank you for your useful post. I know how upset you get when I don't thank you.

 

[jaybird0827]

With all due respect, it seems very obvious what the WCF is saying:

Not only those that do actually profess fatih in and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to be baptized.

I'm not sure how the answer to the question can be anything other than the first option...