Sunday, November 05, 2006

Baptist?

I'm going to need a little audience participation for this one. So here is my question. What are the bare essentials for some one being classified a baptist?

4 comments:

Jonathan Moorhead said...

That is a great question to ask in light of recent developments within the SBC.

P.S.- say hi to Jim Stitzinger for me.

Anonymous said...

How important is it to classify? So often, all these distinctions create is dividing lines instead of unifying the body of Christ. That is my opinion anyway. I am sorry I am not exactly answering your question.

Screaming Pirate said...

Well I would say this. You can say it does all day. But that don't get rid of the distinction. And part of my point in asking this question is that there are honestly 2 may be three issues that really make baptist distinct. So say I call my self a baptist, and Joe down the street calls him self a Baptist. We would more and likely disagree on a few things.(and very possibly allot of things)
I guess we could all go on this band wagon of well labels just divide. I think you far too quickly just throw out some thing that can be useful. Because labels can rightly divide things. But that is dependent on allot of things. Like is the label clearly defined(which is part of my point in asking the baptist question, its not), does the label, give the right idea.
Labels in the end are necessary.Why? Because they offer summaries of what things are and what people believe. In other words, its allot shorter to say that I am a baptist, as opposed to saying I believe that believers should be immersed in water to be baptized after their conversion to Christ. (and there is not a whole lot more to that label.)

Highland Host said...

The minimum requirement must be that a church practices the Baptism of believers only, on profession of faith.
What, then, of the place in Chatham that calls itself 'Unitarian Baptist'? What do they baptize on profession of faith IN?
We do not know.