Creedal Baptism & Social Contract Theory

“The central assumption of social contract theory is that ever individual human being is sovereign and independent of both God and the reality that God has created…. Consequently, for the likes of Rosseau, there exists no natural authority in society. Everyone is equal. Parents have no authority over their children. God has no authority over humanity either. Because there is no created structure to society, human society is brought about by this implicit agreement between sovereign individuals rather than by the will of God. Every man, woman, and child are their own God.”

Dr. Jan Addrian Schlebusch 
Assailing the Gates of Hell; Christianity at War with the West — p. 14-15

If a child before being born does not choose his own mother, nor the family he is born into, nor the name he will be assigned, nor the nation he will be born into then why do Baptists insist that the child gets a choice as to whether or not he will be in the family of God and named by God in Baptism?

Isn’t the Baptist denial of infant Baptism just another expression of Locke’s social contract theory where each individual is sovereign unto themselves and as sovereign must create reality by their fiat word? Reality, being created by each individual, and not a givenness authored by God the Baptist insists that since a baby cannot yet choose the reality they are going to inhabit therefore they are not to be “forced” into any given reality as coming from the hand of God. Given realities like being born into a Christian family, a Christian church, and at least once upon a time, a Christian nation are to wait upon the decision of the sovereign individual. Therefore Baptism for the Baptist cannot be applied to a child since the child has not yet spoken that reality into existence for themselves by their decision. It is all very much social contract theory Christianity.

The Baptist religion is the religion of the Enlightenment.

Author: jetbrane

I am a Pastor of a small Church in Mid-Michigan who delights in my family, my congregation and my calling. I am postmillennial in my eschatology. Paedo-Calvinist Covenantal in my Christianity Reformed in my Soteriology Presuppositional in my apologetics Familialist in my family theology Agrarian in my regional community social order belief Christianity creates culture and so Christendom in my national social order belief Mythic-Poetic / Grammatical Historical in my Hermeneutic Pre-modern, Medieval, & Feudal before Enlightenment, modernity, & postmodern Reconstructionist / Theonomic in my Worldview One part paleo-conservative / one part micro Libertarian in my politics Systematic and Biblical theology need one another but Systematics has pride of place Some of my favorite authors, Augustine, Turretin, Calvin, Tolkien, Chesterton, Nock, Tozer, Dabney, Bavinck, Wodehouse, Rushdoony, Bahnsen, Schaeffer, C. Van Til, H. Van Til, G. H. Clark, C. Dawson, H. Berman, R. Nash, C. G. Singer, R. Kipling, G. North, J. Edwards, S. Foote, F. Hayek, O. Guiness, J. Witte, M. Rothbard, Clyde Wilson, Mencken, Lasch, Postman, Gatto, T. Boston, Thomas Brooks, Terry Brooks, C. Hodge, J. Calhoun, Llyod-Jones, T. Sowell, A. McClaren, M. Muggeridge, C. F. H. Henry, F. Swarz, M. Henry, G. Marten, P. Schaff, T. S. Elliott, K. Van Hoozer, K. Gentry, etc. My passion is to write in such a way that the Lord Christ might be pleased. It is my hope that people will be challenged to reconsider what are considered the givens of the current culture. Your biggest help to me dear reader will be to often remind me that God is Sovereign and that all that is, is because it pleases him.

One thought on “Creedal Baptism & Social Contract Theory”

  1. maybe you should give BIBLE verse instead of “they are not to be “forced” into any given reality as coming from the hand of God” that is just them trying to guilt you out of infant baptism. We are not forcing them to do anything. They can choose if they want to stay in the church or not when they get older we are forcing anything on them. GIVE BIBLE VERSES!!!!

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