Poll: Would You Accept A Church of Christ Immersion as a Valid NT Baptism?

[John of Japan]

I suspect that most of those who voted yes have never had contact with Church of Christ folk and/or don't know what they believe. There is no central Church of Christ theological authority, but most of them believe in baptismal regneration. There used to be a Church of Christ in Lebanon TN (may still be) with half of a baptistry--that's right, a cutaway baptistry on the front of their building.

I always wondered, since they believe you have to baptized to get saved, why they didn't equip a pickup with a baptistry and go out on soul-winning with it! :thumbs:

 

[donnA]

I don't know about anywhere else, but the CofC here batism is salvation, the water washes away sin. So I wonder do those who voted yes beleive the baptismal waters wash away sin, or does the blood of Jesus?

 

[donnA]

My question is, would your church consider vaild such baptism?

Not my present church nor my previous church.

In another thread, one poster said the majority of the SBC churches he is familiar with would accept into membership one who had been baptized in the Church of Christ.

I know of no SBC churches that accept a foreign baptism that does not require salvation before baptism, see my post in the other thread like this one.

 

[Reformer]

I had to vote no...... I did that for the thief on the cross next to our Crucified Lord

I always wondered, since they believe you have to baptized to get saved, why they didn't equip a pickup with a baptistry and go out on soul-winning with it!

good one :thumbs:

Reformer

 

[Havensdad]

So, for those of you knocking CoC so hard, do you come down equally hard on Prebyterians, and Methodists, who also have equally different beliefs regarding Baptism (actually, much more so)?

Also, I think some of you are confusing UCC (United Church of Christ) and DoC (Disciples of Christ), and ICoC (International Church of Christ) with the CoC (Churches of Christ). These are completely different organizations/denominations.

 

[Squire Robertsson]

So, for those of you knocking CoC so hard, do you come down equally hard on Presbyterians, and Methodists, who also have equally different beliefs regarding Baptism (actually, much more so)?

SNIP

Yes. None of what these denoms term baptism is acceptable. If for no other reason than they all accept modes other than immersion as valid.

 

[donnA]

So, for those of you knocking CoC so hard, do you come down equally hard on Prebyterians, and Methodists, who also have equally different beliefs regarding Baptism (actually, much more so)?

yes
............

 

[Havensdad]

I suspect that most of those who voted yes have never had contact with Church of Christ folk and/or don't know what they believe. There is no central Church of Christ theological authority, but most of them believe in baptismal regneration. There used to be a Church of Christ in Lebanon TN (may still be) with half of a baptistry--that's right, a cutaway baptistry on the front of their building.

I always wondered, since they believe you have to baptized to get saved, why they didn't equip a pickup with a baptistry and go out on soul-winning with it! :thumbs:

John, I don't know about all CoC, but the official Churches of Christ stance, is NOT Baptismal regeneration.

From the website I was directed to, from the CoC...

"The work of the cross is God’s offer of life…

Baptism is our acceptance"

and another says...

"their is no power in the water itself"

and...

"The water itself had no saving power in the flood, nor does it have any saving power today. The saving power for Noah was his obedience to God's Word. Today people
in water baptism, and God likewise saves them through water.

They believe baptism is the "Official acceptance" of God's offer of eternal life. You have confused "CoC" with the "International Church of Christ", which DOES teach Baptismal regeneration.

 

[lbaker]

I don't know about anywhere else, but the CofC here batism is salvation, the water washes away sin. So I wonder do those who voted yes beleive the baptismal waters wash away sin, or does the blood of Jesus?

That is just ridiculous. I have had a LOT of experience with the coC and I don't know of anyone who literally believes the water washes away sin, anymore than we would say the literal words of a sinner's prayer are what saves.

When the coC sing "What can wash away my sin?" the next line is NOT "nothing but the water of baptism" but "nothing but the blood of Jesus".

Didn't Jesus say something about not judging the other man's servant?

 

[Havensdad]

That is just ridiculous. I have had a LOT of experience with the coC and I don't know of anyone who literally believes the water washes away sin, anymore than we would say the literal words of a sinner's prayer are what saves.

When the coC sing "What can wash away my sin?" the next line is NOT "nothing but the water of baptism" but "nothing but the blood of Jesus".

Didn't Jesus say something about not judging the other man's servant?

Amen.

Like I said though, I think they are confusing Churches of Christ with ICOC and the UCC (which I was directed to on the other thread).

 

[Brandon C. Jones]

I voted yes and am aware of what the COC teaches. When someone is baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for forgiveness of sins (IOW believer baptism), then that person's baptism is their confession of Christ and joins them to the body of Christ. I don't believe this is the only way that one can confess Christ and be joined to his body, but I believe Scripture teaches that it is the normative way. (Many of our Baptist forefathers were comfortable with terminology of baptism for the forgiveness of sins and thought the NT taught that baptism was part of the process of salvation--especially linking it with confession. They of course denied outright baptismal regeneration, but in my opinion the COC denies that as well).

When a Baptist church requires that this be somehow done again I contend that the second "baptism" is just someone getting wet.

Of course, this is subject to a case-by-case scrutiny making sure that a person was baptized as a believer. The sticking point for me is believer baptism, though, not whether a COC baptism is valid, hence my yes vote.

BJ

 

[Jim1999]

In all the churches I pastored, a candidate for either baptism or membership was thoroughly interviewed before any action. This included a letter of recommendation from another Baptist church.

They were not required to be a theologian, but they must understand conversion, the only prerequisite for baptism.

Some churches have a person "saved" one Sunday and immersed the following Sunday. I wonder how many unsaved people have been immersed over the years in Baptist churches and are yet to experience conversion!

Hence, regardless of former church membership, or actions, if they can't answer the question of conversion experience, they can hardly qualify for church membership.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[Squire Robertsson]

A Clarification

When using the term Church of Christ, I am referring to the Campbellite strain. And yes, I have come into personal contact with folks of this variety.

 

[lbaker]

Re #2 This is quite a stretch to equate baptism with the "Sinner's Prayer." Baptism in no way is analagous to crying out to God for mercy.

It is absolutely a crying out for mercy.

Also, I know of one coC in our area with an elder who was/is Baptist. He was never rebaptized or required to repent of being Baptist. He was just accepted "as is" and eventually was selected to serve as one of that congregation's shepherds.

I am just amazed at some of the opinions here. I had no idea...

 

[lbaker]

Something I bet a lot of folks don't know:

The Campbell family (thus the name Campbellites) were immersed by a BAPTIST preacher in the early 1800s AND as late as the 1860s there was talk of unification between the churches of Christ and the Baptists, but the hotheads and extremists on BOTH sides fouled it up.

 

[DrRandyGrace]

To answer the OP simply: No.

 

[Servent]

Nooooooooo,

 

[preachinjesus]

My wife was baptized Church of Christ...she was 8...she didn't have other options. She doesn't believe that baptism is salvific. Why should she be required to get wet again? seriously?

I know plenty of people who are Church of Christ, they are good people who happen to have some difficult areas of their theology. But I know a whole lot more people who have equally as difficult areas of theology.

This idea of rebaptism to be a member of a Baptist church is a form of sacramentalist overtones in Baptist theology. It also further expands the idea that Baptist theology is one of imperialism, similiar to the Roman Church.

So long as a person is baptized with the Trinitarian format by immersion after salvation their baptism is valid for me. I suspect that if we are really honest we would look at our baptism roles in our Baptist churches and find an awful lot of a) people who have never done anything for Christ since, b) people who have some confused views of baptism.

 

[Squire Robertsson]

Which is why, I am speaking about what I would do. A given local church is soveriegn in such matters. What one accepts is not binding on another.

 

[KenH]

When I left the Church of Christ denomination and joined the Southern Baptist denomination I was re-baptized in 1999. I didn't debate it, I just had it done. I wanted to make a clean break with my Church of Christ past.