The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Infant Baptism

I'm about to open a can of worms as I'm being prompted to reply on my Facebook thread on infant baptism as not being biblical,.. I was wondering what is the best source that you can recommend me studying and sharing with those who oppose its practice.

Yep, that is one giant can of worms.

We have quite a nice selection of articles re: "Baptism" on The Highway. Did you do a search from the home page? You will find most of them in the Calvinism and the Reformed Faith > Ecclesiology > Sacraments section.

Yes, I'm reading one from the Highway now The Polemics of Infant Baptism

B. B. Warfield

I'll pray before making this move..

As Pilgrim said you definately are opening up a big can of worms.
I am a Reformed Baptist so you know where I stand on the issue.
However saying that, some of my favourite Christians are/have been paedo-Baptists. So I hope you are not coming at this matter, to make too big a deal about it.
The Reformed Baptist Church I attend (Called Providence Baptist) are in the process of allowing a Korean Presbyterian Church share our building, because they need to find another building.
We in the Reformed community of the confessional kind both paedos and credos have more in common with each other that we know.

Tom

I agree about the similarity of distinctive between both camps and my views as one who is Presbyterian are also know,.. This is being carefully considered by myself it I should post more information on this topic on my Facebook page because of the continuance that it will generate, and their are some who may not be kind in their comments as I have found before when speaking on this very briefly, .. but again its something that is important to the understand but going back and forth on it may not be the direction I will venture into at this moment.

Your search on the main web site will also provide links to previous discussions that we have had here on the Board. More than likely many pages worth and some of them got quite heated. I understand your reluctance to entertain discussions on this subject as well for some people are very emotionally charged about this topic and can be less than charitable in what they say.

Well, you could always read my article on why I'm a Credo Baptist here:

http://biblicalunityministries.yolasite.com/10-reasons-im-a-baptist-christian.php :-)

I will make it a part of my reading, .. I wanted to add more but as a Presbyterian, I will leave it right there...lol

This is why I "converted" from paedobaptist to credobaptist.

Robin
I was not aware you converted to credo-Baptist.
I thought the main reason for you going to a Reformed Baptist Church was because of some false teaching that was creeping into the paedo-Baptist Churches in your area.
Tom

My old PCA church was indeed becoming less and less Reformed in practice if not in doctrine, and I must admit to being motivated somewhat to get out of the PCA, but I visited OPC and RPCGA churches before I looked seriously at the only Reformed Baptist church in my town.

Robin
I take it then you wanted to become a member. As a member of a Reformed Baptist Church you need to embrace Credo-Baptism. Unless I miss my guess this caused you to study the matter further before doing so, lest you went against your convictions on the issue. Am I correct?
Over the years I have known people who didn't become members because of this issue; yet were active members on the body.

Tom

Correct! I had kinda sorta studied it before, half-heartedly, when I left the Charismaniac movement for a Presbyterian church. Rabidly excited to have "discovered" the Reformed faith for the first time, and eager to just get out of Charismania, I embraced paedobaptism mainly to get into a Reformed church.

A few apparent "contradictions" confused me (like why we baptized infants but forbade them from taking communion until they were able to articulate their faith; or why we interpreted the New Testament by the Old instead of the other way around), but I was satisfied just to be part of a body that remained faithful to the scriptures and guided by the historical creeds, rather than "however the Spirit moved" and however the teachers felt "led" to interpret the scriptures.

Indeed I might not have studied the issue seriously at all if not for the crisis that followed, years later, at my PCA church.

One of the articles that really helped tip the scales for me was this wonderful article by Dr. Walter Chantry. His reasoned arguments dealt with the "contradictions," and some other research uncovered that Baptists employ a different hermeneutic from that of their Presbyterian brethren (Baptists don't "deduce by good and necessary consequence," but rely only on what is contained in the Scriptures). The Baptist interpretation and application of the Regulative Principle of Worship ("whatever is not commanded is forbidden") necessarily precludes paedobaptism.

-Robin

Robin
Thanks for telling us part of your story.
I could go a lot further into this matter, but out of respect for Pilgrim and the rest of my fellow paedo-Baptist Christians; I don't think that would be appropriate.
Saying that, I am a little bit like John Bunyon when it comes to this issue.
Unlike a lot of Baptists, Bunyon did not make a huge issue about this issue.
I believe instead, as long as a paedo-Baptist in his congregation was respectful and could live in good conscience with credo-Baptists, they enjoyed full fellowship with the rest of the congregation.

Tom