The Body of Christ

In my last post I wrote up a reflection I had on the Nicene Creed and I've been continuing to have a think about what it is I believe and attempting to put this in writing. I've since gone away and had a go at writing up my views on the church as it stands. …

Reflection on the Nicene Creed

Over the last while I've been feeling challenged to try and articulate what it is I believe in writing. This isn't because it's necessarily changed but because I'm trying to figure out how to articulate it in a robust way and the act of writing can help make my thinking clearer. What I've found tricky …

Confirmation: One Lord, One Faith… One Baptism?

In the early centuries of the church, there were several debates surrounding the baptism of heretics and its efficacy. A church council under Cyprian of Carthage on this topic stated in the 3rd century: Primus of Misgirpa said: I decide, that every man who comes to us from heresy must be baptized. For in vain …

John Wycliffe on Confirmation

Alithia: Pray inform me in the next place about the third sacrament, which is generally named ConfirmationJohn Wcliffe. Trialogus. Book 4: Chapter 12. On Confirmation The Proto-Reformer John Wycliffe wrote about his beliefs in a number of different places but most comprehensive was in his work 'Trialogus'. In the 4th book he writes 30 chapters …

Christian baptism: where do we go from here? by David F. Wright

David F. Wright, "Christian Baptism: where do we go from here?" The Evangelical Quarterly 78.2 (Apr.-June 2006): 163-169 Abstract Today paedobaptists increasingly recognize faith-baptism as the norm of Christian baptism, both in theology and in practice. Equally Baptists must recognize how minimal and rare were challenges to infant baptism prior to the Reformation. What is …

Summary of my views on Baptism alongside scripture and quotations from the earliest centuries of the Church

Those who have followed this blog for any period of time will know I've spent a lot of time reviewing and figuring out where I stand on Baptism. This was all provoked by the birth of my son coming up to two years ago now. What I've wanted to do for awhile, however, is jot …

Is paedobaptism a prerequisite for Christendom?

Having a minority view on Baptism (That of a mixed approach accepting both paedo and credo approaches, albeit assuming a credo mode as normative) within my tradition means I spend a long time having to justify my position repeatedly to critics. What follows is a reflection on a recent criticism on paedobaptism being a prerequisite …

Ten reasons as to why I waited to baptise my Son

I recently saw an entry by the minister David Robertson on his reasons for the baptism of his infant Granddaughter. This wasn’t with the aim of reheating overdone debates, despite the piece being aimed particularly at Baptists. Yet it prompted me to go back to the reasons why my wife and I are waiting to …

What I have changed, what I retain, what I wish for more in practice

I don’t know how appropriate this is but with my recent reflections I’ve been wrestling with some of the cognitive dissonances I’ve been feeling about my place in the Church. Becoming a Father has raised a lot for me and prompted me to examine what I believe on a range of issues. I've also been …

On Baptism and its timing. Addendum: Newman’s Development of Doctrine and Protestant Paedobaptism

Sometime after writing my entries (Part 1, 2, 3, 4 here) on my searching with regard to baptism, I discovered that this was a topic that the Anglican gone Roman John Henry Newman wrote of regarding his defence on the doctrine of the latter tradition. I found it surprising because whilst I disagree with his …