Whom Has Christ Authorized to Baptize? Can Parents Baptize a Child at Home?

I’m preaching in chapel at a local Bible Presbyterian seminary later this month. I’m very tempted to open with this joke: “I decided to speak to you today about something non-controversial … why the New Covenant is only for believers.”

It strikes me that as soon as you introduce the word “sacraments” to the equation, you’ve just decided your conclusion that we really ought to do that only within the walls of the church. I must confess that my position is decidedly more low church as I consider how the early church had to deal with her leaders constantly being used as human torches by Nero and Caligula. If they’d waited for the right leaders to be there, they’d never have done anything.

I did indeed open my chapel sermon at the Bible Presbyterian seminary this afternoon with this line: “I thought very hard about what I should say, today. I decided to go with something totally non-controversial … like why the New Covenant is only for believers!”

They thought it was hilarious. During the sermon, I tossed in a joking reference to verbal aspect theory and the NT teacher appreciated it!

That’s Western Reformed Seminary right? When they were in Tacoma I thought of taking some classes there. I called and asked if they tolerated Dispensationalists and the guy laughed and said yes. He was a controversial figure but John Robbins spoke there many times. His lectures on economics is still one of the best I’ve listened to. If I was Presbyterian I would be Bible Presbyterian, or OPC.

It’s Western Reformed. They’re wonderful folks.