Baptism, Assurance, and the Decline of Conservative Churches Editorial: Paul R. House

Paul R. House, editor of The South- Over twenty years ago Dean Kelly ex- left or ignored the mainline churches will ern Baptist Journal of Theology, is Pro- plained why conservative churches were once again participate in worship and ser- fessor of Old Testament Interpretation growing.1 He argued that congregations vice. Though I do not believe they have at The Southern Baptist Theological that held a high view of scripture, that were the proper answer for the mainline Seminary. He is the author, editor, or co- making a concerted effort to reach persons denominations, I do think they have, like editor of seven volumes, and has con- they considered lost, and that expressed Kelly, analyzed the problem accurately. tributed several articles to journals and high expectations for its members were Many conservative pastors and collections of essays. thriving. In contrast, more liberal churches denominational leaders have cited such were not growing because they did not em- studies to prove that conservatism has tri- phasize these ideals. Instead, the liberal umphed over its liberal competitors. They churches were stressing the “felt needs” of seem to think that simply claiming a high society, the desirability of the church be- view of scripture and preaching about evan- ing involved in social action, the necessity gelism will keep the conservative churches of having loose membership requirements from going the way of the liberal denomi- for church growth to occur, and a more nations. Though biblical authority and critical approach to the Bible. Ironically, in evangelism are central to the health and their desire to reach the masses by these usefulness of a congregation or denomina- means they failed to convince the very tion, conservatives had better learn from people they sought to influence of the im- the mainline experience, not sooth them- portance of the church and its mission. selves with the notion that they are insu- More and more people simply considered lated from what hampers others. An the churches to be weaker, less compelling examination of baptism and Christian as- versions of the churches their parents and surance, the two doctrines this issue ad- grandparents attended. dresses, proves the need to be concerned. More recently, Dean R Hoge, Benton Of course, a Baptist seminary commit- Johnson and Donald A. Luidens have con- ted to believers’ baptism publishes this firmed Kelly’s research.2 They agree that journal. Thus, when I cite concern for bap- many mainline churches have so relaxed tism practices I mostly mean in churches their definition of Christianity and church that define “the people of God” as “believ- membership that many congregations ers in Christ.” Still, most churches that ad- now consist of baptized pagans. The way minister infant baptism also baptize adult back to health in a relativistic age, the au- converts, so these observations are not to- thors write, is for the churches to recap- tally irrelevant to our pedobaptist friends. ture moral authority without returning to The problem with baptism today is not pre-critical notions of the Bible, the merely that it is administered improperly. church, or the church’s authority. Perhaps The problem is that many candidates for in this way the Baby Boomers who have baptism are not converted. Millions of 2 members of Southern Baptist churches are about salvation. One also has to wonder absent from services each Sunday, and are if persons who did not understand salva- equally absent from Christian living dur- tion the first time have necessarily under- ing the rest of the week. Average atten- stood it the second time. dance figures sag, while the divorce rate, Conservative churches must beware levels of dishonesty, and biblical illiteracy lest we forget what happened to liberal of Baptist church members keeps pace or churches. As liberals modified their teach- exceeds that of the society as a whole. ing on conversion and commitment they Many people who do attend are indiffer- took in new members for a time. In the ent to the truths of Christianity, and oth- heyday of Modernism crowds of people ers are divisive, even mean-spirited. rejoiced in the relaxing of doctrine and the Clearly, many persons have not been way in which these churches had entered taught that Christians are committed to the “real world.” In time, however, people Christ and his teachings. They may have of substance came to question the value mentally assented to certain gospel facts. of a church without biblical authority and They may have hoped being baptized biblical definitions of conversion and dis- would help solve life’s problems. They cipleship. They either stayed away from may have been told that repeating a church altogether or sought out churches prayer amounted to a saving experience. with solid convictions. The day may soon They may have walked forward at an be coming when persons seeking the chal- evangelistic meeting, but by any biblical lenge of New Testament Christianity will measurement they were never converted. flee conservative churches that baptize the There was no conviction of sin, no repen- lost and uncommitted in the name of tance, no commitment to Christ’s lord- evangelism, missions, and church growth. ship, no intent to love Christ by keeping One of the reasons it is hard to reclaim his commandments. unsaved, yet baptized, persons is that Gratefully, many people wake up to the Baptist churches generally teach the per- fact that they were never saved. For in- severance of believers. They claim that stance, statistics compiled by the North persons who are converted can have as- American Mission Board of the Southern surance of their salvation. Now there is Baptist Convention reveal that as many as no doubt that the Bible teaches that those half of all the adults baptized in Southern who are truly saved will never repudiate Baptist churches are rebaptisms of persons that salvation. God will keep them by his already baptized by Southern Baptist pastors! power (1 Pe 1:3-9). No one can pluck them Another forty percent of adults bap- from the father’s hand (Jn 10:32-33). Cer- tized are Christians from other denomi- tainly this doctrine needs to be empha- nations that have never been immersed. sized so that believers may have Only ten percent, then, of all adults bap- appropriate confidence in the Lord’s work tized by Southern Baptist churches are in their lives. making first-time professions of faith. But the danger of preaching assurance Despite our joy over those who come to of salvation to those who have not under- understand salvation, the very existence stood conversion properly is obvious. of these statistics ought to make us won- Those who are unsaved will become cer- der what Baptist churches are teaching tain that they cannot lose what they think 3 they possess. Having been taken into the churches that knew better did not act bet- church without a real experience with ter. If the awakening does come, it will Christ, they then become convinced that come slowly, painfully, and yet gloriously. they need never change their lives to be The gates of hell will not prevail against pleasing to God. In other words, they can the faithful church, a promise we have re- offer the most tepid “Christian commit- ceived from the highest possible authority. ment” and remain a member in good The question is if the churches and denomi- standing of their local church. They can nations we love will be part of that rem- act virtually however they wish and be nant, or if our grandchildren will be writing satisfied that their soul is set for eternity. books about how conservative churches Sixty years ago Dietrich Bonhoeffer stopped growing. called this sort of belief “cheap grace,” which he defined as “grace we bestow on ENDNOTES ourselves.” He argued that such “grace” 1Dean M. Kelly, Why Conservative Churches is not grace at all. It is simply unbelievers are Growing (New York: Harper and Row, letting themselves off the hook. His con- 1972). text was quite different than ours, but his 2Dean R. Hoge, Benton Johnson, and diagnosis is applicable to the conservative Donald A. Luidens, Vanishing Boundaries: church today. The Religion of Mainline Protestant Baby Liberal churches discovered that weak- Boomers (Louisville: Westminster/John ened views of conversion coupled with Knox, 1994). strong belief in the acceptability of non- biblical lifestyles did not strengthen their churches. In fact, this deadly combination emptied their pews and eviscerated their witness. They are trying to find ways now to overcome their dilemma, with little success so far. Conservative churches must understand that the liberal churches may have dropped traditional, biblical standards for different reasons, but in too many cases they have compromised the same standards. Today’s conservative churches will stop growing if they do not wake up. Mouth- ing traditional conservative platitudes will not suffice. A return to the Bible we rightly claim is infallible and inerrant is needed. Biblical definitions of conversion, baptism, assurance, and discipleship must be recov- ered. Courage to be God’s remnant must emerge. If the needed awakening does not come the Lord will retain a remnant, just as he always does. The tragedy will be that 4