The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-13

answer but they did not The editor un-
oer.ooS TO answer but MS answer was n ,hs
question again and again. The editor. with
many others. was displeased with me for
1. Does Professor Garvin believe that
baptism immersion in water is divine re-
quirement now in force?
2. III so. does he believe that all who fail
TO render obedience to this command in the
manner in which ii was originally obeyed,
although they have rendered obedience &C
meaning, are under the condemnation of
God, and TO be denied the character OF
Christians?
/ answered: The New Testament does not
teach that immersion in water is necessary
10 salvation. My reason for answering thus,
! think. will be made apparent by what is
to many that 1 should ask how the Dis
ciples regard baptism. Does not every one
know how the Disciples regard baptism?
Perhaps not. Some hold immersion in water
to be necessary TO salvation. few others
hold that IL is not necessary 10 salvation,
and are, therefore, willing 10 receive unim-
mersed persons into fellowship. In saying
that it is not necessary. they do not mean
that il may not be helpful, nor do they
wish to disturb anyone in the practice OF It.
One would think there could be no middle
ground between these two opposing views
on which a church could stand; and yet
this imaginary middle ground seems 10 be
the real position OF the church. No doubt
many have the indistict idea that while
immersion in water is not exactly absolutely
necessary to salvation, yet 1t is very. near
heaven, heads erect, but the unirnmersed
will get in, If at all, with great difficulty
and only by a special exercise of Gods
grace The following letter, written to me
by one of the better educated and highly
esteemed preachers in our church, gives
clear statement of the attitude of many
preachers with reference 20 my question::
Dear Professor Gervin-I did not and do
not think your question wise one
But as you are In the war you must fight
<l,~z,. u Enl~ I. A.I
not represented Campbells mature views. /,
OF course, could not be sure Of this. Your
letters otherwise seem to me to be in good
spirit, but Brother Garrison seems a little
peevish this week. Your question is not
hard to answer, yet l see reasons for not
wanting to do So Virtually, we do answer
two speeches-one for the North and one
for the South. We have one for union
meetings and state occasions. and one for
protracted meetings. Now. You want a
third one for the catechism, That is the
hard one to give; You will get no answer
that is not evasive. 1t would require
| it. There are thoughts which Ii is as well
to keep to ourselves. l should not like 70
s an dsst Oh tn nd a t KING wnar
/ doubt If / could get them to see Ii as l
| do. fear some would put OFF their prepara-
| tons until the next word. For the same
| good many things. If 1 had been editor,
| however, / think should have tried TO
/ answer your question.
This letter tells the whole story as plain
| ly as it can be told. The Disciples have two
| answers with regard TO baptism. This ar
rangement is well adapted to PROSECUTING.
| especially from churches practicing sprink-
| ling, and PROSECUTING is the chief work Of
| the disciples. Such practice ought to be
/ condemned by every honest man. i asked
| my question in order to get the Disciples
/ to define their position positions with
/ regard to baptism. l want the preacher
| who holds that immersion in water is
Il tn n a
the unimmersed that they are without God
| and without hope in the world. OF course,
| We should expect such man TO proselyte,
| to be as diligent in saving Presbyterians
| as in saving the heather. But If man be-
lieves that the uniminersed are accepted Of
| God just as the immersed are, he should
| not, for party reasons, try to disturb the
| minds of his religious neighbors. / greatly
| desire the union of Christians, but think
| IL wrong for any church TO prey upon an
other. Let each man remain in his church,
| If he can, and labor to bring 1t up to the
| divine conception. AS we all approach the
| divine conception we shall come nearer to
| each other. There must be room for growth
and development both in the individual and
in the denomination. The church must
| and the teaching of this ministry in each
age must be the creed of the church. What,
Has the Holy Spirit f .sIs the church:
speaking to-day as he was with the godly
men who spake a century ago? Why
II a preacher cannot or viii not study his
Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
but prefers to get his ideas ready,made
why would it not be meritorious for him &c
adopt the religious views Of his wife az
those of his grandmother?
AS asked my question with the purpose
of determining the present position OF the
with the same purpose. Ny answer was
not at all agreeable to my brethren. Here
municated because / hold that the New
Testament does not teach that immersion
in water is necessary to salvation, yet Mr.
| Testament teaches that immersion in water
is necessary to salvation. i think Mr.
Sweeney will not affirm 1t either: Why
| either side of the question would injurt
PROSECUTING. If one can play fast and loose
with this aue s iS one c can at times. Do ?.
opportunity presents itself. the minds o.
the unimmersed can be disturbed and the
Disciples. Along with this goes the Oft Oft,
repeated statement that the Disciples hav,
no creed. but take the Bible alone. Othe'
1t is a grand thing to put the Bible into
the hands of men and to urge them to de
velop their lives according to it's teaching
TO lead men to recognize no authority ex
must teach, but dare not judge. Alongsid,
of the boast that the Disciples have NJ
| creed, but take the Bible alone, let u.
place one of the latest utterances of tn,
| Christian evangelist: THE consensus O
| judgment OF the religious body urging any
reformation is the test to which preacher.
identified with such movement are sub
| jected." Outside of the sign: No creed
take the Bible alone; right of individual in
depreciation. Inside you are told you mus
submit to the consensus of judgment o
| the body. This, too, Notwithstanding thu
fact that the majority of the preachers O
the Disciples are and have been illiterat
| men,
1t will now be clear to every one that Mr.
Sweeneys questions have nothing to d.
| xxifb mt tor in ~ nd h<a fc NV
ious to take part In this discussion, let hin
begin at the proper place and state plainly
as I have done, whether he regards i'm
mersion in water as necessary to salvation
or not. Then let him show why MAJ
| thinks that salvation does not depend upol
immersion in water cannot be tolerated II
| a church that has no creed have not re
| fused to be immersed to immerse an,
one. 1t was not my intention to distu-
any one in his religious practices. wisl
the church to be honest in its answer
with regard to baptism and to creed as ii
everything else. This, SO far as / know, 1
my offense. II. c. GARVIN
Irvingtou Ind. April IL