Evangelizing Babies
The age of salvation has been an interesting issue for me throughout my life. I have been to many youth camps and other meetings where it was told that if I did not remember my date of accepting Christ then perhaps I am not saved. This bothers me.
I was baptized when I was in third grade. We were in the middle of the "Here's Hope Jesus Cares for You" campaign at church, yet it was not because of the revival that I came to faith. I suppose some of my friends might call me a covenant child in that I grew up in the church and out of that my expression of faith emerged. However, that is not to say I did not have a moment when I called out to God for his mercy. I was eight. It was at Joe Glass' house. My mother was there with me.
Why do I tell you all of this? The reason is that today I learned that had I waited only a few more months the likelihood of my salvation would have slipped dramatically. Research has now "proven" that if we do not effectively evangelize our children by age X, then the chances of them coming to faith is very, very slim. I have heard the argument from Youth people and they use age 18. I have heard some children's ministers’ use 12 or 13. Now I have heard by age 7 or 8.
Where is the faith in salvation? Have we become so pragmatic, logical and statistical that we have forgotten that the Gospel is foolish to the wise (1 Cor. 1)? Does this research imply that Christian converts are only for the ignorant?
My friends it is time we quit trying to make Christianity fit our molds. Those molds will pass away (1 John 2:15-17). It is time we remembered that belief in Christ is not a cognitive experiment; otherwise we are no different than any other religion who has "determined" they are correct.
I was baptized when I was in third grade. We were in the middle of the "Here's Hope Jesus Cares for You" campaign at church, yet it was not because of the revival that I came to faith. I suppose some of my friends might call me a covenant child in that I grew up in the church and out of that my expression of faith emerged. However, that is not to say I did not have a moment when I called out to God for his mercy. I was eight. It was at Joe Glass' house. My mother was there with me.
Why do I tell you all of this? The reason is that today I learned that had I waited only a few more months the likelihood of my salvation would have slipped dramatically. Research has now "proven" that if we do not effectively evangelize our children by age X, then the chances of them coming to faith is very, very slim. I have heard the argument from Youth people and they use age 18. I have heard some children's ministers’ use 12 or 13. Now I have heard by age 7 or 8.
Where is the faith in salvation? Have we become so pragmatic, logical and statistical that we have forgotten that the Gospel is foolish to the wise (1 Cor. 1)? Does this research imply that Christian converts are only for the ignorant?
My friends it is time we quit trying to make Christianity fit our molds. Those molds will pass away (1 John 2:15-17). It is time we remembered that belief in Christ is not a cognitive experiment; otherwise we are no different than any other religion who has "determined" they are correct.
posted by Madison | 11:31 AM
3 Comments:
Molds...like Calvinism...Arminianism...denominationalism...hmmmm
Molds like pragmatism, purpose-driven, seeker-driven, emergent. All of these think that if we do church in a certain way we will get results. It is not post-modern. It is extreme-modern or hightened modern. It is still the scientific method proving something.
Madison, I think you are great... but I hope you already knew that. Happy birthday, friend! I hope your day has been wonderful :) Miss you!
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