on Spirit Baptism

I called Karen last night and confessed some frustration. Last night’s Bible Study on Romans 10 went pretty well, but a handful of people tried to advocate Spirit Baptism vs. Water Baptism. How can you logically reveal the flaw of an illogical position? How can you use logic to point someone towards the truth if they’re illogical in the first place? They advocated that Spirit Baptism and Water Baptism are two completely separate entities, quoting the gospels and the New Testament, applying every mention of baptism to that of Spirit Baptism. I couldn’t turn to scripture to defend the view of Water Baptism and “Spirit Baptism” being one in the same, because they simply interpreted it through a different lens! So I turned to the origin of the doctrine of Spirit Baptism & Water Baptism being separate; the Swiss Reformer Ulrich Zwingli came up this dichotomy, stating that one is saved by “Spirit Baptism” when he or she places his or her faith in Christ, and water baptism then becomes a symbolic representation of that Spirit Baptism. But they said that Zwingli rescued Spirit Baptism from the Catholic Church. So I turned to the teachings of some of the earliest Christian writers, who would no doubt be showing the same vein of thought found in the Christianity of the New Testament world (and they promote baptism as that of water; and water and Spirit baptism as united). 

Tertullian (A.D. 155-222): "Happy is our sacrament of water, in that, by washing away the sins of our early blindness, we are set free and admitted into eternal life. . . . [But] a viper of the [Gnostic] Cainite heresy, lately conversant in this quarter, has carried away a great number with her most venomous doctrine, making it her first aim to destroy baptism—which is quite in accordance with nature, for vipers and asps . . . themselves generally do live in arid and waterless places. But we, little fishes after the example of our [Great] Fish, Jesus Christ, are born in water, nor have we safety in any other way than by permanently abiding in water. So that most monstrous creature, who had no right to teach even sound doctrine, knew full well how to kill the little fishes—by taking them away from the water!" (Baptism 1 [A.D. 203]). "Without baptism, salvation is attainable by none" (ibid., 12). 

Hermas (ca A.D. 140): "‘I have heard, sir,’ said I [to the Shepherd], ‘from some teacher, that there is no other repentance except that which took place when we went down into the water and obtained the remission of our former sins.’ He said to me, ‘You have heard rightly, for so it is’" (The Shepherd 4:3:1–2 [A.D. 80]). 

Justin Martyr (A.D. 100-165): "As many as are persuaded and believe that what we [Christians] teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly . . . are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, ‘Except you be born again, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’ [John 3:3]" (First Apology 61 [A.D. 151]). 

Hippolytus (A.D. 170-236): "[P]erhaps someone will ask, ‘What does it conduce unto piety to be baptized?’ In the first place, that you may do what has seemed good to God; in the next place, being born again by water unto God so that you change your first birth, which was from concupiscence, and are able to attain salvation, which would otherwise be impossible. For thus the [prophet] has sworn to us: ‘Amen, I say to you, unless you are born again with living water, into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ Therefore, fly to the water, for this alone can extinguish the fire. He who will not come to the water still carries around with him the spirit of insanity for the sake of which he will not come to the living water for his own salvation" (Homilies 11:26 [A.D. 217]). 

Origen (A.D. 185-254): "It is not possible to receive forgiveness of sins without baptism" (Exhortation to the Martyrs 30 [A.D. 235]). 

Augustine (A.D. 354-430): "There are three ways in which sins are forgiven: in baptism, in prayer, and in the greater humility of penance; yet God does not forgive sins except to the baptized" (Sermons to Catechumens on the Creed 7:15 [A.D. 395]).

I know it’s been a couple centuries since I have written on this thing. Sitting in the office today, with nothing to do, I decided I wanted to begin blogging again. The most obvious beginning to this blogging endeavor is filling all you zero readers in on all that has been happening in my life.

I am only a year away from graduating with my Bachelor’s in Biblical Studies, with an emphasis in Pauline literature.

I am dating the most wonderful girl in the word, a German chick named Karen. We worked at the Hilltop Café for a year or two, building a friendship, and started dating in February of this year. We shared our first kiss on Valentine’s Day. I do love her, I won’t be shy about that. We are not engaged, but we have been seriously talking about marriage. Her mom really likes me, and she is constantly asking Karen what kind of wedding she wants, when she wants to get married, has she picked out the people who will be in the wedding, etc. I want to get married, but I want to get my finances in a somewhat stable position before doing so. She has already graduated college and is in the Master’s program for Psychological Counseling. So if we get married in, say, December, we’ll be working full-time, going to school full-time, being sucked in debt, and trying to have a good marriage. Her parents offered us to live in the apartment in their basement for really low rent. That’s a relief, at least! But, sadly, I don’t like the city, and I would rather get married and move out into the country… But that wouldn’t happen for at least two to three years, until she is done with her Master’s. Also, she has to do a practicum in a year, which means that she may be going anywhere in the nation to do it.

I have been in Minnesota for nearly three months now, serving as an Associate Pastor at a small church in the southern portion of the State. It has been a wonderful experience thus far, and even though it will be sad to leave this Sunday, to head back home, I’m still excited about seeing my family, friends, and girlfriend again.

honeymoon option #2

Rainy Lake, Minnesota

And we can rent a houseboat!

honeymoon option #1

Taylor Falls, Minnesota

Some friends and I went out to eat at a place called The Chisago House in a small town along the St. Croix. I called Karen and told her, “I found a good honeymoon location.” She knows as well as I do that I want to honeymoon in Minnesota. Here are some pictures of Taylor’s Falls; first, coming into the town, then some photos of the wildlife, and then a picture of a romantic get-away cabin. We have also been talking about going to Rainy Lake; I’ll write about that tomorrow and throw up some pictures.

a nice dream

I dreamed that we were married and living in a condominium complex in my hometown. I worked at Starbucks and she worked at a grocery store. We had every night together. And we had a grill and cooked grilled chicken and rice with steamed vegetables and water chestnuts. We had a dog, a pug, and he ran really low to the floor and scuffled around. And we would lie in each other’s arms at night and hear the rain tapping on the window and the gentle roll of thunder.

minnesota updates

I’m sitting in the church office, minding my own business, not doing a whole lot of anything. I really miss my little sister. At least I got to see my parents and Karen in June. I won’t get to see Amanda for another three weeks! She will be in Colorado and then North Dakota for a week. Lucky girl. I’ve always wanted to go to Colorado. She’ll be in Denver, within eyeshot of the Rockies. LUCKY. It is boiling up in this church. Hot as hell. Isn’t that an ironic description for the heat of a church building? I do believe so. Josh and Sam were here, but they had to run to Arts in the Park to pick up some stuff for Larry, so I’m just doing my own thing here. Minding my own business. Not doing a whole lot of anything. Learning Greek has been going pretty well. I’ve translated John 1.1-5, which is pretty cool. I’ve always been good at languages. I didn’t study once in my two Spanish classes in high school and scored at the top of the class both years. Actually, only one year. The second year I became extremely apathetic and didn’t do any homework. I knew it all, but I still got a pretty bad grade. I would have been at the top of the class if I had turned in my homework. Boy, I’m egotistical. Karen and I have been talking about marriage for a while. I called my ex-roommate John Thomason and we talked for a bit. He’s been married for about two years and has an eight-month baby girl named Kira. He is a stay-at-home dad and is loving every minute of it. I always knew he would be a good roommate. My roommate Sophomore year, Caleb, is in Basic Training right now. He joined the Army right after graduating college. It’s a dream of his, and I’m glad he’s pursuing it. Boy, it’s hot. I keep wiping sweat from my brow. I thought Minnesota would be cool all the time, since it’s far north. But we’ve been having scorching heat, exhausting humidity, tons of mosquitoes—“The national bird,” Nancy tells me—and storms nearly every day. Tornadoes have just missed Forest Lake three times this summer, and I drove through Hugo a few weeks ago and it still looks like a nightmare. The little girl who was hurt really bad is in horrible shape: she’s still in critical condition, and her brain function is just enough to keep her organs alive. The parents are okay, but they already lost their two-year-old boy due to drowning during the tornado, and now they have this to face. Sometimes life is cruel. I got a CD player for my car. That’s pretty exciting. I burned my sermons onto CD so I can listen to myself—not because I like my own voice (I don’t) but because it will help me critique myself. I only have one more sermon until I leave, and Larry wants me to come back full-time next summer. He has to run it by the elders. Okay. That’s enough rambling. Hope my loyal reader is doing well.

fund-raising

It has been a while since I’ve written anything on here. Things are going really well. I’ve preached five times this summer, and I am looking forward to my last sermon on the 3rd. Once the doors of the building open, Anthony is jumping in his car and beginning the long trek home: 15 hours of delightful driving. This internship has been one of my most exciting summers. I’ve loved working side-by-side with Larry, Josh, and Shelli. The people here are fantastic, and they do not want me to leave. Several have told me that I should transfer to Crossroads Bible College, and one man grabbed me by the shoulder last Sunday and told me, “I have a feeling that God is going to bring you back to Minnesota.” Yesterday, as we were driving through the Minnesota northern highlands, Larry told me, “I’m trying to get the elders to approve of hiring you for seven weeks next summer. I’ll be gone, training for the Army National Guard to become a chaplain, and they’ll need someone to fill in for me.” Seven weeks of full-time pay? Even more experience doing what I love? Sure! But the elders still have to approve it. Karen and I have been talking about coming up to Minnesota over our Christmas Break and going ice-fishing on the lake. Karen is in Mexico on a mission’s trip. Thus I haven’t been able to talk to her for about a week. I’ve had insomnia, and I think that it may have something to do with not being able to talk to Karen at night. I need to call a few people (Amanda, Sarah, Monica, etc.) so I might call them before I go to bed, haha. Maybe that will help. But Karen will be back in the States on the 19th, and I’ll get to see her! Sadly, she’s leaving for Gatlinburg the day when I get back into Springboro, so I won’t be able to see her until about a week later. And Amanda won’t be home either! I’ll get to see my friends, though, and parents, and we have a swimming pool now, so it’ll be nice to have a nice drink of… coffee… while lounging in the pool on floaties. 

Larry has been considering fund-raising projects. 

I told him, “We could sell indulgences. That’s worked before. It helped build the entire St. Peter’s Basillica.” 

Larry nodded. “I’ll run it by the elders.”

existentialist christianity

Karen and I were talking on the phone last night, as we always do, and I told her, “You know what I’ve been thinking about lately?” 

“Marriage?” 

“No. How existentialist thought has pervaded Christianity in America.” 

“Oh.” I continued, “Have you ever heard youth ministers or senior ministers say, ‘There’s a hole in your heart that Jesus can feel. He can make you feel whole when you let him into your life’? That has more to do with existentialism than biblical Christianity. It’s turning Christianity into a solution to emptiness in your heart, whereas biblical Christianity deals with your status before God—not how you feel.” 

And this is something I’ve been thinking about lately. Through Bible Studies and conversations with lots of Christians over this internship, I’ve come to realize that a lot of Christians equate salvation with feelings. First of all, feelings are not caused by something divine but by the chemicals in our brain fluctuating in various levels (high levels produce happiness and low levels produce sadness). And secondly, that concept is found nowhere in the scriptures. Yes, the scriptures talk about peace and joy, but they are always side-notes to the true meat of what salvation is all about: and that is our status before God. Prior to Christ, we are sinners, condemned, unholy. But in Christ, we are innocent, pure, righteous, blameless, approved and favored. Our status before God is changed. That’s the root of Christianity—not feelings.

from the church office

Forest Lake has the largest Independence Day parade in the State of Minnesota. Nearly 50,000 people show up to watch the parades: a parade down Broadway Avenue (right past the church) and another on the lake. At night, the boats are lit up and they do a parade around the shoreline. I hate crowds, and I didn’t have money I wanted to spend on all the attractions, so I stayed at my place on the 4th of July. Not that it was a bad decision: Paul grilled out some delicious steaks, and he fixed some margaritas that tasted absolutely fantastic. 

My sermon for tomorrow is good and ready. It’s entitled “The Quest for Happiness” and is about finding hope amidst suffering in our lives. The sermon is topical, but it is based off Romans 8.17-39. Bible Study this week is over Romans 8.17-39, so I’m hoping that the sermon will stir up some questions and conversations for Wednesday night. This upcoming week should be relatively easy. Larry is back in town, so that will be good. All I need to do is write two research papers for my internship: My Philosophy of Ministry and Renovation of Youth Ministry. The first will be easy, the second one not so much. But I have all week to do it. 

Dwellers of the Night is under some renovation. I’ve removed it from Amazon.com for the sole purpose of making the trilogy into a solid book. As it stands, I have 272 pages done thus far, and I am at a pivotal chapter—“The Legions of Dagon”—that introduces many more main characters who will be influential throughout the rest of the book. The post-apocalyptic novel becomes quite docile for a few chapters, focusing on the stories of the main characters before the incident that is the background for the novel. I am eager to do this, because I want the focus of the book to be on the characters rather than on the action.

on fishing (II)

Having my parents in town was nice. We ate at a lot of excellent restaurants, saw some movies, went to the Minnesota Zoo. They left Monday afternoon, so now I have to wait another month to see them again. Monday evening, Ron and I went out on Big Marine in his speedboat, and we fished among the bulrushes, catching several croppies, sunfish, and peanut-fish. The peanut-fish were beautiful: they are bluegills, and their skin looks like a twisted leopard hide with splotches of black on blue. My sermon on Sunday went well. I personally didn’t like it, I thought it sucked, but lots of people told me that it really touched them, so it’s all good. I’ve been working on my Bible Study for Romans 8, and last night we talked about Integrity at Youth Night in the Upper Room. 

I love teaching. If this internship has taught me anything, it’s that I have a gift for teaching. Getting up in front of people and just expounding upon the scriptures fills my veins with energy. When the topic is somewhat controversial, I have a tendency to be a jackass about it, but oh well, we all have our flaws. I enjoy dispelling traditional views that are unsupported by scripture—the anger of the people whose views are being challenged, the looks on their faces, just gets me more energized and exhilarated than anything. Yet my hope in teaching is not to get them to become carbon-copies of my own belief; I want them to think things through for themselves. If I present them an interpretation of scripture that they do not agree with—such as my interpretation of Romans 7—then my wish is not that they adopt my interpretation blindly but they study the scriptures for themselves and become confident and well-rounded in what they believe. I don’t want them to be like the fish at Big Marine, gulping down the lure without thinking, being foolish. A portrait of Minnesota: