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Notes on my Dear Pastor, Infant Baptism, and the Federal Vision
Posted by Eric F. Langborgh on August 31, 2004And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…
[Jesus Christ] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. ~Colossians 1:9-10,28-29
The end of September will mark ten years that Mark Dever has served faithfully as senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church. And we — the whole congregation in general and me and my family in particular — have been most blessed to have been under this great man’s care, as a flock is blessed by a good shepherd.
As such, I wish to make clear that it is from no ill will or discontent with the able leadership of Mark that I have, over the past year, embarked on an extended research and consideration of the issues surrounding infant baptism, including the possibility of me and my family leaving Capitol Hill Baptist Church once I finally conclude in favor of having Samuel and Maggie baptized.
If one thing is abundantly clear to me about Mark, over and above his incredible knowledge and ability as a preacher of God’s Word, it is his sincere and earnest care for the flock entrusted to him by the Lord. Mark is a most humble man, fully aware that as an elder and pastor in God’s church, he is charged to “[keep] watch over our souls, as [one] who will have to give an account.” This necessarily includes his care in interpreting and teaching Scripture, but it goes much further than that. Mark’s great compassion for his flock includes heartfelt and consistent prayer for each of those under his care, as well as watchfulness over the many issues and circumstances that confront the church, both from within and without.
Recently, I was reminded again of why it is that I so greatly revere and love my pastor of these past five and a half years.
As background, as part of my consideration of paedobaptism, I have become very interested in what has come to be known as The Federal Vision. It has also been called the “Auburn Avenue Theology” or the “Monroe Doctrine,” after a conference in 2003 at which the movement’s main proponents have challenged some areas of Reformed Theology and contemporary evangelicalism from within the Reformed tradition. More specifically, they have challenged the Reformed community to stop looking at the visible church primarily through the lens of election, but instead from the perspective they claim that the Bible stresses — that is, from the perspective of the covenant. Indeed, they argue that this view (which I won’t explain further here) is more in tune with the catholic emphases of the magisterial reformers and the catholic spirit that Christians are commanded to maintain, a la John 17, etc. In particular, I have become an avid reader of some of the Federal Vision’s main proponents, esp. Doug Wilson, Peter Leithart, and Mark Horne. (BTW, I have continued to read and greatly enjoy the contributions of many who have great concerns about the Federal Vision, including RC Sproul, Jr., a Presbyterian, and Al Mohler, a Baptist.)
Well, last week I received a short note and a book from Mark. What is most notable about this gift and gesture is what it isn’t. I imagine it would have been very easy for Mark, who has concerns about this teaching, to send a long admonition along with a book that is highly critical of the Federal Vision, perhaps filled with some of the hysteria I’ve been reading in certain sectors of the Reformed world. But instead, he demonstrated his brotherly and pastoral concern and compassion for me, in a way that was both highly respectful of me and confident in God’s sovereign goodness to His people. And the book he chose came out of a colloquium held between some of the movement’s proponents and opponents at Knox Theological Seminary, and features godly give and take between these men in their own words. The book is this: “The Auburn Avenue Theology, Pros & Cons: Debating the Federal Vision.”
Mark could not have picked a better gift. Rather than simply warning me against dabbling in controversial waters, he is encouraging even deeper study and reflection — of both sides’ views. What’s more, the participants on both sides of the debate in this book are all paedobaptists! Mark has great confidence in the strength of his convictions, informed as they are by the Bible, and in the great mercy of the Lord.
I know I cannot adequately convey here just how much this gesture of Mark’s means to me and how overjoyed I was when I opened the package from him that day after work. It has led me to much rejoicing to the Lord for my beloved pastor, of whom I am now and will forever be most grateful.
Regardless of what I ultimately decide on infant baptism, my church membership, and the Federal Vision, I know that I will be much better for having read this book, which even now I am devouring with great interest. Even more, I will be forever blessed to have sat at the feet of this great man — my dear pastor, Mark Dever.
I believe the great compassion of the Apostle Paul for God’s people, as represented in the Scripture quote at the beginning of this blog entry, is a perfect reflection of Mark’s love and care for the Capitol Hill Baptist Church. The church catholic — whether locally baptist or paedobaptist — needs more pastors like this. Thank you, Mark, for the way you serve the Lord our God and the flock He has put in your charge at CHBC.