You make a lot of good points, but I think you miss a key point, which is that the Baptist position is theologically based on how we view the covenant of grace.
Baptists who do not learn this distinction with Presbyterianism are often the ones that fall prey to Presbyterian view of the covenants which leads to infant baptism.
The LBCF intentionally removes the word good from 1.6 to show that we understand logical deduction, but believe we aren't required to believe every good consequence that is not necessarily derived from the scripture.
Hey Michael! Good article. I may have missed this so if I have please let me know, but do you have any plans at some point to write about eschatology and what your specific views on it are?
Thanks Brandon. I consider myself optimistic Amil. I'm friendly with post mill guys and appreciate their arguments, but I'm not persuaded at this point. I'm doing some reading on it now and might write on it in the future.
I know you won’t agree, and that’s ok, but I believe a study of the covenants, of Covenant Theology specifically, eventually leads there. I believe it likely that many Baptist pastors come to agree with the Scriptural implications leading to Paedo baptism and switch to another denomination (Presbyterian or Anglican most often), like Barrett did, but I think it likely many stay in Baptist denominations because they are too far into Baptist circles to switch! Their entire lives (their education and careers) have developed around credo-baptism, if you will. It is not easy or practical to change denominations and they relegate this issue to a “second” or even “third tier” issue. Some, like you, remain unconvinced of paedo baptism, but hold to progressive covenentalism (do you?), which (to me) is a theological system that does not hold together and to which our forefathers never ascribed, it having been established only in the last 20, maybe 30 years. Craig and I made quite a lengthy theological journey ourselves, so I do understand that young pastors’ theological beliefs are not always fully formed, and this puts them in a difficult situation, should their positions change, but I applaud those who are courageous enough and financially able to take the leap. We who are in the reformed Baptist and Presbyterian camps have much in common, though, and I am thankful that we can be united in our desire to see all of the elect gathered into God’s kingdom to the praise of His glory. Thanks for your writing, Michael. I really appreciate it.
As a trad Anglican who used to be credo-baptist Bible Church, I'll just say that I'm glad this is a topic brothers can agree to disagree on and still be brothers.
BTW, my parish is baptizing the baby of a former Baptist pastor this Sunday. Don't be too mad at us. ;)
Good observations. The appeal to knowledge is really an appeal to Gnostism (special knowledge).
I would add a 5th appeal here and that is an appeal to the communal blessings - meaning, that there is a rite of entrance into the community of the church here based on a birthright. It brings cohesion and uniformity to the group in the same way that circumcision created a unique national culture for the Jews. Many people who are striving for some kind of cultural change want that to begin with a distinct culture in the church (as do I!), but they wrongly find that cultural change in the production of more babies, not the production of more converts. Thus, the cultural change is inherently superficial and/or forced.
You make a lot of good points, but I think you miss a key point, which is that the Baptist position is theologically based on how we view the covenant of grace.
Baptists who do not learn this distinction with Presbyterianism are often the ones that fall prey to Presbyterian view of the covenants which leads to infant baptism.
The LBCF intentionally removes the word good from 1.6 to show that we understand logical deduction, but believe we aren't required to believe every good consequence that is not necessarily derived from the scripture.
Hey Michael! Good article. I may have missed this so if I have please let me know, but do you have any plans at some point to write about eschatology and what your specific views on it are?
Thanks Brandon. I consider myself optimistic Amil. I'm friendly with post mill guys and appreciate their arguments, but I'm not persuaded at this point. I'm doing some reading on it now and might write on it in the future.
I know you won’t agree, and that’s ok, but I believe a study of the covenants, of Covenant Theology specifically, eventually leads there. I believe it likely that many Baptist pastors come to agree with the Scriptural implications leading to Paedo baptism and switch to another denomination (Presbyterian or Anglican most often), like Barrett did, but I think it likely many stay in Baptist denominations because they are too far into Baptist circles to switch! Their entire lives (their education and careers) have developed around credo-baptism, if you will. It is not easy or practical to change denominations and they relegate this issue to a “second” or even “third tier” issue. Some, like you, remain unconvinced of paedo baptism, but hold to progressive covenentalism (do you?), which (to me) is a theological system that does not hold together and to which our forefathers never ascribed, it having been established only in the last 20, maybe 30 years. Craig and I made quite a lengthy theological journey ourselves, so I do understand that young pastors’ theological beliefs are not always fully formed, and this puts them in a difficult situation, should their positions change, but I applaud those who are courageous enough and financially able to take the leap. We who are in the reformed Baptist and Presbyterian camps have much in common, though, and I am thankful that we can be united in our desire to see all of the elect gathered into God’s kingdom to the praise of His glory. Thanks for your writing, Michael. I really appreciate it.
Thanks Denise, great hearing from you! God bless you and your family
As a trad Anglican who used to be credo-baptist Bible Church, I'll just say that I'm glad this is a topic brothers can agree to disagree on and still be brothers.
BTW, my parish is baptizing the baby of a former Baptist pastor this Sunday. Don't be too mad at us. ;)
Deal!
Good observations. The appeal to knowledge is really an appeal to Gnostism (special knowledge).
I would add a 5th appeal here and that is an appeal to the communal blessings - meaning, that there is a rite of entrance into the community of the church here based on a birthright. It brings cohesion and uniformity to the group in the same way that circumcision created a unique national culture for the Jews. Many people who are striving for some kind of cultural change want that to begin with a distinct culture in the church (as do I!), but they wrongly find that cultural change in the production of more babies, not the production of more converts. Thus, the cultural change is inherently superficial and/or forced.