 An Irish Gentleman Somewhere in my studies of Monty Python's Flying Circus I seem to remember a sketch about a bookshop in which an odd customer expends a great deal of energy inquiring about the availability of all sorts of weird and whimsical titles. While I have forgotten many of those titles there is one that sticks with me - 101 Ways to Start a Fight, by "an Irish gentleman whose name eludes me for the moment." One wonders if that fictitious Irish gentleman would have included a discussion of baptism in his book. If not he should have. History proves that baptism discussions are sure ways of starting fights. But the question is - why? I have personally come to believe that while genuine Christians may never find total agreement regarding the mode, meaning, and proper administration of baptism we can at least live at peace with one another. In fact I've often felt that the reason baptism can be such a flashpoint of controversy for many of us Christians is because of our own ignorance. In a word, we do not understand the baptismal practices of others nor do we want to understand them. And yet... shouldn't Christian charity and godly humility lead us to at least try and understand those Christian brothers and sisters with whom we disagree? I recall the Christian apologist John Lennox once telling us "You have to love your opponents enough to read what they're reading. If you don't love them enough to do this you'll never understand what they are thinking." If this is true for our "opponents" how much more should we exhibit this kind of love to our fellow siblings in God's household? By way of confession, there was a time when I was unwilling to try and understand other baptismal practices... I think I had come to believe that to do so might in some way force me to compromise my own beliefs and/or the distinctives of the churches I belonged to... But this was a silly thing to fear. Over the course of my life the Lord has providentially forced me to examine and re-examine the various baptismal practices of the churches and denominations that I've been part of. Far from undermining my convictions the process has actually helped crystalize my position on baptism. But more than this, it has helped me better understand and (by God's enabling grace) to better love all of Christ's people... even the ones with whom I disagree. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if the Body of Christ, despite its differences and without compromising its respective convictions on secondary matters, would love each other enough to try and understand each other? Rest assured if we accomplish this there will never be an Irishman anywhere writing about us in 101 Ways to Start a Fight. Let me encourage you to begin exploring differing baptismal practices. A good place to begin might be with R. Scott Clark's provocatively entitled article Is Infant Baptism a Roman Catholic Leftover?  Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, recently wrote a blog post entitled: "Ten Common Frustrations of Pastors." I repost it here because it is very insightful. "Ten Common Frustrations of Pastors" You won’t hear pastors express these frustrations often, but they are very real. Indeed, some of these issues hinder their ministries. Here are ten of the most common frustrations, followed by close approximations of quotes I’ve heard from pastors.
3. Concern over financial wellbeing of family. “A prominent member of the church told me they were keeping my pay low to keep me humble. I guarantee you he doesn’t practice the same humility.”
4. Expectations to understand the business and leadership side of church life. “I have no idea about some of the financial decisions I’m supposed to lead at the church. Seminary did not prepare me for this.” 5. Complaints to or about family members. “A church member complained to me because my wife isn’t in the choir. She’s never been in a choir and has no desire to be in a choir.” 6. Inadequate uninterrupted sermon prep time. “Unfortunately, some of the members think my sermon preparation time is free time for them to chat.” 7. Losing church members. “I wish I could handle losing church members, but I still take it personally.” 8. Concerns over church budget. “Giving has been down for two years straight. We may soon have to cut staff or pay.” 9. Declining or plateaued church. “I’ve done everything I know to lead our church to growth to no avail. It’s so frustrating.” 10. Designated giving toward personal preferences. “We no longer meet our budget because we have six or seven families designating their giving for their pet projects.” |
Rev. R Crabtree"...a son, a husband, a father of 6, a friend, a Presbyterian Archives
November 2022
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