Overlake Christian Church (http://www.occ.org/index.asp) has a great history of reaching out to the lost in the state of Washington. It started as a Restoration Movement church and was listed as one of the Brotherhood’s megachurches in a recent issue of the Christian Standard. It is interesting to read what Overlake says about salvation and baptism on their Vision and Beliefs page of their website. http://www.occ.org/about/believe.asp
“Salvation is a free gift, bestowed by God’s grace and received by faith Ephesians 2:8-9. Immersion in water of a professed believer is the Bible baptism Acts 8:36-39 and such baptism is symbolic of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection Romans 6:1-4. A believer’s salvation is secured by Christ alone John 10:27-28”
Is this the position of the RM on baptism? Or even more importantly is the Bible’s position?
While some in the Brotherhood might say that this statement is neither Biblical nor consistent with the RM. Others will say, “That is a fine statement. There is nothing wrong with it. Quit nitpicking. They say baptism is important.” When asked why the statement lacks any reference to baptism for the remission of sins one will be told that “Just because they don’t say it doesn’t mean they don’t believe it.” The who raises the question will be told that they are just on a witch hunt and that lots of church leave such things vague in their public statements but in reality teach baptism is for the remission of sin.
How do we know who is right? The one who questions the statement or the one who defends it?
Unlike most church that make similar vague statements Overlake has additional information about baptism on their website. On another page entitle “Baptism” http://www.occ.org/resources/christianfaith/baptism2.asp we find this:
“What Is Christian Baptism?
Christian baptism is immersion in water as a public statement of one’s new identity in Christ, having received Him by faith as Savior and Lord. Baptism does not save a person. Rather, baptism is the first act of obedience for one who has been saved. The model given to us in the Bible is that baptism immediately follows conversion.”
Regardless of what one wanted or hoped the words in the Belief statement to mean, the Baptism page makes it clear that in Overlake’s understanding baptism is not for the forgiveness of sins. As such it is not what a sinner does moving toward salvation but what a saved person does move forward after salvation. This is neither the Bible’s nor the Restoration Movement’s position on baptism. It is clear evidence of a shift on baptism.
However, once again we should see evidence of the shift not just in a former RM church changing its position on baptism but in the Brotherhoods’s response to a church that takes a non-Biblical and no-Restoration Movement position on baptism. The response? No response. The change is fine. The church is treated as if it holds the Biblical position on baptism. It continues to be listed as a Brotherhood church. What does that mean? It means it is okay to take a position on baptism that is contrary to Scriptures. That is a major shift on baptism.
In the 1920s the shift on baptism by some that was expressed in Open Membership and led to a parting of ways among the Disciples of Christ and the independent Christian churches. The leaders of that day would not stand for a shift on baptism. Today’s leaders are different. Rather than challenging the shift they give it the stamp of approval by continuing to list the churches that have shift as “one of ours.”
Most churches in the Brotherhood that have made a shift on baptism are not as open about it as Overlake. I appreciate Overlake’s honesty. If only more churches were as honest.
4 Comments
Hello, Skip. I am a member of the “A Cappella” churches of Christ and I have believed for some time that this shift in belief concerning baptism is occuring in our congregations, too.
In October, 2004 I attended a seminar called “Ministry Impact ‘04″–it was a unity gathering for churches of Christ and independant Christian churches. It was held at Crossroads Christian in Grand Prairie,TX. Crossroads is also listed in Christian Standard’s mega-church issue. The pastor there is Barry Cameron.
I think you might be interested in their teaching on baptism as it is presented on their website:
http://www.crossroadschristian.net
Click on the tab “New to Crossroads” then on “Going to Heaven”
(“What We Believe” is also interesting, but look at “Going to Heaven” first.)
Click to download the 8 page PDF document “How to Share the Gospel Diagram”
Be sure to read all the way to the last page where there is a box called “What Your Prayer Should Include”–it is pretty much the “sinner’s prayer.”
Your thoughts on this one?
Jan,
Thank you for commenting. I there are some good things in the “How to Share the Gospel Diagram” but there are some weaknesses as well. I might post a fuller critique but let me comment on “What Your Prayer Should Include” since that is what you asked about.
I think it is fine to have someone pray when they commit their life to Christ.
The problem I have with the “What Your Prayer Should Include” is that it too much like the Sinners Prayer. What is wrong with that? Plenty. It makes something that the Bible makes scant mention of, praying a prayer with specific elements, the focus of coming to Christ. What the Bible focuses on is what we should focus on in leading someone to Christ.
Furthermore, the prayer is problematic in what one is encouraged to say after the prayer. “Ask God to lead and bless them as they begin their new life in Christ.” This could be taken to mean that they have begun their new life after praying the pray. However, if someone prayed something like this it might be acceptable. “Thank God for the steps that have been taken and ask God to guide them to complete their obedience in baptism so that they can begin a new life.” The new life doesn’t begin with the prayer but baptism.
That is why I am troubled by the Scriptures that are shared after the prayer. These should be shared after baptism and not the prayer. Sharing them after the prayer implies that the prayer made them a new creation and because of the prayer they have eternal life. The Bible does not teach that.
Sometimes I have people that I am leading to Christ pray but I do it differently. I don’t pray a prayer for them to repeat but tell them that I am going pause and give them a moment to talk to God about their decision. I do think it is good for people to talk to Him about what they are doing. However, I do not make the prayer the big thing and do not give assurance of salvation because of the prayer or after the prayer. Assurance comes when the plan has been completed.
In actually practice, someone might be able to avoid the problems with the “What Your Prayer Should Include . . .” but as presented it is very close to being, if not actually being, unbiblical. There are some good things about the “How to Share the Gospel Diagram” but I have some other problems with it that I might post about later.
Thank for sharing your comment. Feel free to respond to what I have written.
A Christian church in our neighborhood is interviewing a candidate for a senior ministry position, so I looked at the website at the church where this candidate was coming from and found too, that it had this kind of doctrine, where you’re saved before you are baptized.
I recently was asking the senior minister at my church exactly who are the unsaved? Are Catholics saved? Are people from denominations saved if they believe in Jesus? Well, the answer i got from him was that if they had been immersed they were saved, pretty much, for whatever reason. Before studying in my Bible, I pray for finding the truth whatever it is and I kept going back to Matthew 7:21-23 where it tells of some very sincere religious people who were not going to heaven. Jesus said he never knew them. I mean it’s politically correct to assume all “Christians” are saved, but who are true Christians? In the same scripture it says in vs. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
A good website, that I actually found on one of the forums on the Christian Church Today website, is http://www.bebaptized.org I don’t like the name of the website, personally, because I think the name emphasizes baptism, but, in my opinion, the doctrine about salvation is sound, and well presented.