Mennonite but not Anabaptist II
by Marty Wenger, International Falls, Minn.I am glad to see “conversation” on baptism being opened in The Mennonite. Noting the two articles (“Mennonite but Not Anabaptist” and “Musings on Baptism”) in the Jan. 8 issue, three things stand out to me. First, neither article offers any Scriptural support for the positions they claim or the reasoning they use. Second, I am horrified at the proclamation that Mennonites should be about the business of refusing baptism on the grounds that seekers of believer’s baptism are wanting to act as their own pope. Third, a less-than-evident problem in all of our church’s discussion and teaching on Christian baptism is the fact that we have relegated it to being solely symbolic and enshrined it as such in our Confession of Faith. Thus are we drawn into unending questions about the application and meaning of the symbol. Yet a simple and straightforward reading of New Testament Scriptures on baptism, while revealing its use within and parcel to Christian community, also clearly indicates a spiritual functionality to the act.
Associated Issue: Mennonite but not Anabaptist - Jan. 8, 2008
Associated Article: Mennonite but not Anabaptist
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