Dear Dr. Solomon
My family is in chaos! We just had our firstborn and I can’t decide whether or not to have him baptized. This is possibly related to my practice of attending a Presbyterian church one Sunday and a Baptist church the next. I just can’t decide where to land because both of their theologies make sense to me. Meanwhile, my wife is crying. The baby is crying. Even I am crying! What should I do?
Everyone’s Crying
Dear Everyone’s Crying,
I commend you for your serious consideration of theological matters. However, as the head of your family, you must commit to one direction or the other, not just endlessly ponder the options. This is your responsibility and the sanity of your family depends upon it. As for the two positions on baptism—infant baptism versus believers baptism—I suggest that you study the New Testament texts that deal directly with the subject. All theologies make sense, as you say, because they are logical systems built upon certain premises. But drawing a logical conclusion from a faulty premise only compounds an error, much like adding salt to the stew after putting in too much to begin with. This is why premises must be carefully examined in light of clear and understandable passages of Scripture. My own opinion is that infant baptism rests upon a stack of faulty theological premises, rather than upon a foundation of unambiguous texts, as believer’s baptism does. However, you must work through this yourself. Play the man! Wipe the tears away and open your Bible.