VOX Mini - Should Infants be Baptized?

Voxology

Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 10 September 2019

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Unpacking one of the most debated practices within Christianity, Mike, Bonnie, and Tim tackle the tension between infant baptism and believer baptism in this heartfelt installment of the Voxology Q & A Series. Rooted in the question, “Does baptism mark the beginning of our faith journey—or respond to it?”, the conversation explores the theological, historical, and pastoral dimensions of baptizing children, especially in situations involving cognitive impairments or uncertainty about later personal belief.

With humor, vulnerability, and depth, the team navigates the meaning of baptism, the radical inclusivity of Jesus' posture toward the marginalized and children, and the dangers of fear-based spirituality. As stories unfold—including a powerful moment from Bonnie's childhood—they reaffirm that salvation is never transactional or performance-based, but a generous invitation rooted in God's grace.

Key Takeaways:
• The Historical Debate – Overview of baptism’s origins in Jewish practice, John the Baptist’s ministry, and how baptism developed within the early church as a rite of repentance and identification with Christ.
• Infant vs. Believer Baptism – Understanding both views: infant baptism as covenant inclusion based on parental faith vs. believer baptism as a personal expression of faith.
• The Grace of God and Non-Cognitive Belief – Addressing what happens to children or individuals who may never cognitively be able to “choose” faith, and how Jesus’ treatment of children reflects God’s mercy and priority for the vulnerable.
• Baptism Without Fear – Why salvation isn’t tied to a correct ritual or church affiliation, and how shame-based theology distorts the good news. “If Paul were alive today,” Mike says, “he would write a book that would be much like Galatians against the people who insist you must be baptized their way to be saved.”
• Healing from Legalistic Teaching – Bonnie shares a formative story of being told as a child that baptism was one of “several requirements” to get into heaven, leading to years of anxiety—and how grace-based theology helped bring healing and freedom.

Notable Quotes:
• “The marriage is a condition of the heart—baptism is the same.”
• “Faith is always shown in action. But salvation starts with the generosity of God, not the effectiveness of our ritual.”
• “Jesus elevated children not just because they were cute, but because they exemplify the kind of dependency that brings about the kingdom of God.”

Resources Mentioned:
• Scripture References – Romans, Acts, Galatians, and the story of David and his son (2 Samuel 12)
• Seth Erie’s Prayers – A touching example of raw, beautiful faith from a young man with disabilities

Join the conversation as listeners navigate the deeper meaning of baptism, faith, and spiritual growth together. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and follow Voxology on social media to be part of the ongoing dialogue.

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV

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Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.

Our Merch Store! ETSY

Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	And now for another thrilling installment of Mike, Bonnie, and Tim try their best to answer questions.
0:10.5	Bonnie, what do you got for us?
0:12.0	Okay, dokey.
0:13.6	Each week, I eagerly await a new Vox podcast.
0:17.8	I really enjoy listening to both of your points of view. My question, both. There are three of us.
0:23.6	Both. There are two people. Let's see what the question is. Then we'll decide who the two is.
0:30.3	I think it's probably you and two. Even can I clarify, did they use eerily? Did they make a pun out of it with Mike's name? Because if not, that's a really missed opportunity. That is a very, though it's spelled very differently, but yes. It is, but man, you can
0:41.8	have fun with it. I know, right? Okay, my question is around... First grade. In first grade,
0:46.3	I was called Lake. Oh, get it? All right, this is, this is why these take longer than 20 minutes. Well, we've only done one in those 20 minutes. We'll see.
0:57.0	Okay.
0:58.0	My question is around infant baptism versus believer.
1:01.0	So obviously this is towards you too.
1:04.0	I'm just kidding.
1:06.0	I work in a ministry and have recently been researching both views. I work within a denomination that believes only in believer baptism.
1:14.6	My motivation truly is to go where the text leads,
1:17.6	and I would like to hear how the both of you feel on believers versus infant.
1:21.6	My hang-ups in favor of infant baptism are that children are either fully a part of the body of Christ or they are not.
1:28.4	Denial of baptism for them creates a two-tiered system which seems to contradict everything
1:33.0	Jesus had to say about children. We know that whole households were baptized and that would
1:37.5	generally include children. Also, what about the cognitively impaired who can never fully
1:42.1	make a choice? My children may never be able to
1:44.9	choose. We had them baptized under a different denomination because I choose for them until they can
	...

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