Baptists and Baptism Lite

“Baptism has been secularized; God, for all intents and purposes, is shuffled to the sidelines. The entire focus is on what those being baptized are doing. They are taking a step of obedience to God, and they are publicly professing their faith. But what, if anything, was God, who we know best in Jesus Christ, doing? Was God involved at all? Was God even present? If so, how, and what was he doing? Did baptism do anything? Or is baptism a matter that is entirely human, without any significant divine involvement?” Mark G. McKim, The Secularization of Baptism: How Baptists Took God out of Baptism, and How to Fix the Problem, Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2025

“The ordinances are a crucial part of what makes a church a church. When rightly understood, they present to the eye and the mouth a sensible gospel—a gospel that can be felt, seen, and tasted.” Josh Manley in “Who Should Administer the Ordinances?”

How singularly strange that many of the churches identified as “Baptist” possess an anemic and ambiguous view (and practice) of their most defining characteristic, baptism of believers by immersion!

It is theologically important. The Bible is our rule of faith and practice, and therefore the source of instruction on the meaning and practice of baptism. Baptism should follow the Bible, not modern secular philosophy. Baptism of the believer is important, but the God of the baptism of believers is the most important focus of biblical truth. Cf. Romans 11:36; 1 Peter 5:11; Revelation 4:11.

It is practically important. If the God of all the universe, who commanded baptism, is not involved in each baptism, then we become weak and sickly in the importance we place on it. Many modern Baptists try to “de-stress” baptism as much as possible – it doesn’t matter, it is not that important, it is okay for a believer to go through life unbaptized, and such like. This is ridiculous! Many professing Baptists live by a secular and deistic pattern, as if God has little involvement in the day-to-day matters of their lives. Acts 8:37-39; 1 Peter 3:21; Hebrews 8:5.

It is relationally important. The right heart, the right response, the right sincerity that moves the believers to identify initially, objectively, and publicly with their redeeming Lord. The heart of the matter should dwell in unity, with the Lord of the baptism and in the mode of baptism. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Cf. John 4:24; Ephesians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3.

In The Secularization of Baptism, McKim theorizes and demonstrates that “four factors led to the symbolic-only position becoming dominant. These were suspicion, in reaction to Roman Catholicism, of the idea of God revealing himself through the physical; the influence of the Enlightenment (and ‘embarrassment’ with claims that God could be acting in the world today); reaction against the Oxford Movement; and reaction against the understanding of baptism advocated by the Disciples of Christ (‘Campbellites’).”

Let me be clear. We Baptists believe that baptism is symbolic rather than salvific. I believe there is a bad tendency among some to go into a kind of sacramentalism on this issue. However, the it-is-only-a-symbol-and-does-not-matter-much is not the true Baptist position. Consider historically that the early American Baptist language on baptism was so strong that many of them initially mistook Alexander Campbell to be saying the same things they were. (Boy, were we fooled!) I fear that often modern Baptists just find it easier to adopt the it-is-only-a-symbol-and-does-not-matter-much attitude rather than do the hard work of carving out the middle position where the Bible stands. It is easy, and it fits the spirit of the age. And it is or can be hard work to explain it correctly. If you veer too far one way, it sounds like salvific sacramentalism. If you veer too far the other way, it sounds like anything, everything, and (mostly) nothing! It leads to many of the errors of modern day Baptists, from careless (e.g., not carefully requiring a sound profession of faith) to indiscreet (e.g., fire engine baptisteries and water slide baptisms). May God help us seek the old paths and walk therein.

Romans 6:3-6 ;Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

The chiasm of human life

The chiasm of human life: 

“We are first children to our parents, then parents to our children, then parents to our parents, and finally children to our children.” -- Unknown

Hymn of Joy

1. Joyful, joyful, we adore thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before thee,
Praising thee their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

2. All thy works with joy surround thee,
Earth and heav’n reflect thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around thee,
Centre of unbroken praise:
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Blooming meadow, flashing sea,
 Chanting bird and flowing fountain,
Call us to rejoice in thee.

3. Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living,
Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our brother,—
All who live in love are thine:
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.

4. Mortals join the mighty chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father-love is reigning o’er us,
Brother-love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife;
Joyful music lifts us sunward
In the triumph song of life.

This hymn was first published in 1911 in The Poems of Henry Van Dyke (Henry Van Dyke, New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1911, pp. 332-333). It is titled “Hymn of Joy,” with the note “To the Music of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.” It is situated in the section “Songs of Hearth and Altar.” Later that year (1911) it was published in The (Presbyterian) Hymnal (No. 115).[i] There it is titled His Fatherhood and Love. The arrangement of the music by Beethoven is by the English organist and composer Edward Hodges (1796-1867).

There is a slight discrepancy as to when the hymn was written. In The Poems of Henry Van Dyke it is dated 1908, while The Hymnal dates it to 1907.

Henry Jackson Van Dyke, Jr. was born November 10, 1852 in Pennsylvania, the son of Henry Jackson Van Dyke, Sr. and Henrietta Ashmead. His father was a notable Presbyterian minister, and Henry Jr. also became a Presbyterian minister. He graduated from Princeton University and Princeton Seminary, and taught at Princeton University. He married Ellen Reid in 1881. In 1879 he was ordained, and pastored at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City from 1883-1900. Prior to World War I, he served as an ambassador to Holland and Luxembourg, appointed by President Woodrow Wilson.

Henry Van Dyke died April 10, 1933 at age 80. He and his wife are buried at the Princeton Cemetery in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey.

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[i] The Hymnal, Published in 1895 and Revised in 1911 by Authority of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, Philadelphia, PA: The Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work, 1911.

In other words, a to voluble

• acrimony, noun. Sharpness, harshness, or bitterness of nature, speech, of disposition.
• ataractic, adjective. Able to calm or tranquillize.
• avarice, noun. Insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth.
• bier, noun. A stand on which a corpse or the coffin is placed before burial; such a stand together with the corpse or coffin.
• blather, noun. Foolish, voluble talk.
• blatherskite, noun. A person given to blather; a person full of incessant, empty talk.
• boscage (also, boskage), noun. A mass of trees or shrubs; wood, grove, or thicket.
• curio, noun. Any unusual article, object of art, etc., valued as a curiosity.
• ephemera, noun. Items designed to be useful or important for only a short time, especially pamphlets, notices, tickets, etc.
• fissiparous, adjective. Tending to break or split up into parts; divisive.
• fulgurate, verb. To emit flashes of lightning; to flash or dart like lightning.
• matrimony, noun. The state of being married; marriage; the rites or ceremony of marriage.
• mondegreen, noun. A form of error arising from mishearing a spoken or sung phrase.
• moue, noun. A pouting grimace.
• nothingburger, noun. (Slang) A thing that is less consequential or important than originally suspected; a person or thing of little or no importance; a dud.
• numismatics, noun. The study or collection of coins, paper currency, and medals.
• Palladian, adjective. Of or relating to the goddess Athena (Pallas); pertaining to wisdom, knowledge, or study.
• postprandial, adjective. After a meal, especially after dinner (e.g. postprandial nap; postprandial lounging).
• scofflaw, noun. A contemptuous law violator; a person who flouts the law.
• skiddoo, verb. (Informal) To go away; get out (probably a variant of skedaddle).
• titian, noun. A bright auburn color, tinted with gold.
• tristful, adjective. Sad, sorrowful, gloomy, melancholy.
• voluble, adjective. Characterized by a ready and continuous flow of words; talkative.

He Is Mine And I Am His

I love the song He Is Mine And I Am His by G. T. Speer. Maybe it is just me, but I have always felt it was a good combination of “old school” and “new school” styles.

A recent mention of this song by a friend brought to mind an incident that happened in the 1980s. This was at what we Texans call a “little book” singing (“new book” for some others). We had a Saturday night singing that rotated between several churches. One night we were at an old church called ____ ____. Most of the singing was class/congregational, though “specials” were allowed. A large group from “off summers” were present. (Not far off, but only peripherally connected to the churches that hosted the singing rotation; somebody was kin to somebody at ____ ____.) At some point fairly early in the singing, a person from that group was called by the chair to lead a song. Afterward, that person (not the chair) called another of their people to come up and sing, and then they did this again, and again, and again… This went on probably 15 or 20 minutes, or perhaps the discomfort of the situation made it seem longer than it was. THE singing had become THEIR singing. The chair did not want to be the “bad guy” and put a stop to this, but finally he sensed (and felt) enough discontent in the class that he finally told them, “One more, and that’s all.” They got mad and went outside. They stayed around outside for a good while, vocally complaining about how they had been “mistreated” (even though they were the ones who had infiltrated and changed the format of the singing). I had the grand good fortune of being the next leader called to follow all this disorder!! I led He Is Mine And I Am His.

1. God’s amazing grace, sent down from heaven,
Rescued me from death and from shame;
Opened up my eyes and brought salvation,
Now I’m his, praise his holy name!

2. ’Tis so sweet to know I have Jesus with me,
He will keep me from sin and from strife;
He delivered me from condemnation,
Now I have eternal life!

Chorus:
Now I know (I know) that he is mine (he’s mine)
And I’m his (I’m his forever),
He is leading (leading) me along life’s way (along life’s way);
He’ll be holding (holding) to my hand (my hand)
When I cross death’s river (crossing death’s river),
He will take (he’ll take) the sting of death away (death’s sting away).

Acts 27:33-38

Thankfulness, sustenance, and good cheer, 33-38

Verse 33: As daytime approached, Paul encouraged everyone to eat something. They had been fasting fourteen days. This likely was to a great extent of necessity, that is, in the struggle with the storm having neither luxury to prepare or consume. However, it is likely that at least some had a modicum of religion and fasted also in humility and despair before their gods, in hopes of deliverance. For fasting in time of trouble and sorrow, see II Samuel 1:12; 12:16; II Chronicles 20:3; Nehemiah 1:4; 9:1; Esther 4:16; Joel 1:13-15; Jonah 3:5.

Verses 34-35: Paul asked them to eat, considering (1) this is for your health, and (3) in gratitude “for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.” The very hairs of our heads are numbered and known by God (Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7). God promised the shipmen and passengers they would not lose one of them (Cf. Luke 21:18). They would be delivered. Paul took some bread “and gave thanks to God” over it, for all to see and hear. He began to eat of it.

To the church in Thessalonica, Paul wrote, “In every thing give thanks…” (I Thessalonians 5:18). Acts 27 records a case of Paul’s thankfulness “in every thing,” a time of great danger in a storm at sea. In this case, the thankfulness was based in God’s future promise over their present circumstances. In every thing giving thanks includes looking backward in the past, looking around in the present, and looking forward to the future.

Verses 36-37: Some men are leaders in times of peace; some men are leaders in times of war. Here, Paul rises to leadership in time of crisis. The actions and advice of Paul lifted their spirits and dispelled the gloom. Then they “were they all of good cheer,” and they also began to eat. The total number of persons on the ship “two hundred threescore and sixteen souls,” that is, 276 people.

Verse 38: The 276 people on board eat what they consider to be enough, then lighten the ship one final time as they are about to make their run for safety. They cast the wheat they had kept into the sea.

What is a Ruckmanite?

Anyone who engages in the Bible Versions debates will become familiar with the name of Peter S. Ruckman. Some elevate him as a demigod and others despise him as the devil. My opinion about him can be found here: The King James Bible and Peter Ruckman.

Because Ruckman is such a lightning rod, it has become a popular tactic to identify a King James Bible supporter as a “Ruckmanite.”[i]

What is a Ruckmanite?

Is there a standard definition that is useful and consistent when using the term “Ruckmanite”? Here are three explanations I found online, with one being very broad, and the other two relatively close.

• A Ruckmanite is one who follows the teachings (or most of the teachings) of Peter Ruckman and defend his divorces and cursing and such.
• A Ruckmanite is anyone who is King James Version Only.
• A Ruckmanite position is one that is hyper-dispensationalism (e.g., OT saints saved by works, etc.) and hyper-KJVOism (advanced revelation, KJV corrects the Greek and Hebrew, foreign language Bible should be translated from the KJV, etc.).[ii]

Valid or not, like the wording or not, these represent explanations that I found online. I think the term “Ruckmanite” gets used in all three of those ways. Based on the comments I have read in Facebook discussion groups and elsewhere, the terminology “Ruckmanite” is undefined (i.e., it has no standard and easily recognized meaning). It means anything and everything – whatever the person using it wants it to mean. It is not worth much other than as a pejorative. (It really fits the modern secular divide-and-conquer methodology.) Calling a KJV supporter a “Ruckmanite” is the equivalent of calling a person a racist, Nazi, and such like .The term is not very useful beyond that, and should be avoided.

Is there a proper, standard, and consistent way to define a “Ruckmanite”? What are your thoughts?

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[i] -ite is a suffix of nouns denoting especially persons associated with a place, tribe, leader, doctrine, system, etc. (for example, Campbellite; Canaanite; Hittite; Israelite).
[ii] When Peter Ruckman speaks against hyper-dispensationalism, I think he means the view that starts the church mid-Acts or later. On the other hand, those using it in reference to Peter Ruckman are pointing out his teaching of different ways of salvation in different dispensations.

The Authority of Scripture

“There can be no doubt whatsoever that all the troubles in the church today, and most of the troubles in the world, are due to a departure from the authority of the Bible. And, alas, it was the church herself that led in the so-called Higher Criticism that came from Germany just over a hundred years ago. Human philosophy took the place of revelation, man’s opinions were exalted and church leaders talked about ‘the advance of knowledge and science’, and ‘the assured results’ of such knowledge. The Bible then became a book just like any other book, out-of-date in certain respects, wrong in other respects, and so on. It was no longer a book on which you could rely implicitly.”

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Authority of Scripture