Put Down the Baby

Guest Hosts – Rev. Dr. Rodney Kennedy – Lead Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dayton, Ohio. Check out Rod’s website: www.answersingthegospels.org

Here it is, the second part of Jonathan’s conversation with Rod focusing on why Rod decided that he, a Baptist, thought it would be ok and appropriate to baptize an infant. You can read some of the responses to Rod’s actions. Jonathan even had his own riliage about this action in a previous episode.

But now we have a conversation with Rod and as was expected, it was a thoughtful and careful decision that Rod made.

A community is shaped and formed by the practices and customs that it has embraced. Yet a community that does not have any sense of flexibility can become rigid, alienating, and unwelcoming. Believer’s Baptism is one of those practices and customs that shape the Baptist community. Yet each particular Baptist community has to be clear about the particular ways in which it exists and that means there will be variation from the larger community and within the larger community. Even Catholic communities will have particular ways of saying and doing Mass that are particular to each local parish. This is what Rod was considering – who are the parents, where are they coming from, and what is their relationship with this church community. Give the conversation a listen and you may actually agree with Rod’s decision. Or, if you come from a community that practices infant baptism, you may be wondering what the big idea is after all.

 

Again, thanks for listening. Check out the website: www.twelveenough.com Send your comments and questions to twelveenough@gmail.com, and don’t forget to rate the show on iTunes.

Next episode: Music and the Divine with Delvyn Case