A theological Journey into Believer's Baptism
This booklet provides an outstanding apology for believers' baptism.
A String of Pearls Unstrung
By Fred Malone
©1998 by Founders Press
ISBN 978-0-9654955-2-3
54 pages (soft cover)
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Excerpt
The greatest struggle in my theology has not been, oddly enough, the
five points of Calvinism and the Reformed faith. I find these clear and
well-defined from Genesis to Revelation. Rather, the thorn in my
theological flesh has been baptism.
Although I was raised a Baptist, in seminary I came to the paedobaptist
position because of several points of theology. These included the
covenant with Abraham, the relationship between circumcision and
baptism, the supposed disjunction between John's and Jesus' baptisms
and Christian baptism, the argument of silence, the proof-texts
concerning children in the covenant, and the testimony of tradition. The
work which influenced me most was John Murray's Christian Baptism.
As I look back to those days as a sincere and searching seminary student
I often wonder if I was as honestly searching for the truth as I thought I
was. For in the hard crucible of sometimes bitter rejection by my Baptist
friends over the doctrines of sovereign grace, and in the warm
fellowship of my like-minded paedobaptist brethren, it is more than
possible that I allowed subjective feelings to influence my interpretation
of the objective truth about baptism. I do not believe that I am the only
Baptist who became a Presbyterian under these circumstances. In fact, I
believe many Baptists, frustrated with doctrinal shallowness, have left
Baptist churches to find a theologically comfortable home in sound
Presbyterian churches. However, the sacraments are never minor issues
of doctrine, and it is my hope that this pamphlet will persuade many to
stay in, help reform, and build more sound Baptist churches.
From the Author's Introduction
About the Author
Dr. Fred Malone is the Pastor of First Baptist Church, Clinton, Louisiana. He received the MDiv degree from Reformed Theological Seminary and the PhD from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Malone also serves as a trustee of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
