Prufrock
Arbitrary Moderation
Bill Brown --
I appreciated your first response post on the "Credobapist and Repeat Baptism" Thread. It's certainly good to know that our the "stereotypes" we have of credos aren't true.
But, the question does hit on a question I've had for quite a while (if it's been discussed here before, I apologize; I must not be typing in the correct keywords in the search engine). How does "rebaptism" relate to church discipline?
In other words: a man professes and is baptized. Two years later he is caught in the midst of a few month affair with another women. He is brought up on discipline and excommunicated. Several months later, he is readmitted to fellowship. Now -- how is it determined whether he is a.) in fact a true believer who has merely "slipped," and thus is only subject to church discipline, subsequent to which he will be restored, or b.) his baptism was invalid because he apparently was not a true believer, and is therefore to be "rebaptized" (sorry, I can't think of what else to call it) when he returns to the church?
I realize this is probably way over simplistic; but I'm honestly inquiring into how you as an elder with credo-baptist beliefs make that distinction. Thanks for your help.
I appreciated your first response post on the "Credobapist and Repeat Baptism" Thread. It's certainly good to know that our the "stereotypes" we have of credos aren't true.
But, the question does hit on a question I've had for quite a while (if it's been discussed here before, I apologize; I must not be typing in the correct keywords in the search engine). How does "rebaptism" relate to church discipline?
In other words: a man professes and is baptized. Two years later he is caught in the midst of a few month affair with another women. He is brought up on discipline and excommunicated. Several months later, he is readmitted to fellowship. Now -- how is it determined whether he is a.) in fact a true believer who has merely "slipped," and thus is only subject to church discipline, subsequent to which he will be restored, or b.) his baptism was invalid because he apparently was not a true believer, and is therefore to be "rebaptized" (sorry, I can't think of what else to call it) when he returns to the church?
I realize this is probably way over simplistic; but I'm honestly inquiring into how you as an elder with credo-baptist beliefs make that distinction. Thanks for your help.