"Teaching God's Word to God's World"
2766 Airport Road, Peru, Indiana 46970, (765) 472-4111
The following letter was received on April 30, 1981 after the second mailing of the Christian Quest. The article in question was entitled "Should your baby be baptized?" Here is Pastor Wetzel's letter:
"I believed, therefore I have spoken"-II Corinthians 4:13
AN EDITORIAL: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MINISTER OF J.A.M. FROM AN EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN PASTOR:
Recently, via the mailbox at the Woodburn P.O., families were blanketed by a certain church in our town with a document opposing infant baptism and baptism by sprinkling or pouring. It purported to prove that anyone baptized in the manner described above was not truly baptized, and even intimated that that person might not be received by God in heaven. What a shock that the mails are being used in such a way as to promote "denominational theology" and foist such drivel upon fine community Christians!
The mode of baptism in Holy Scripture has never been specified, nor the amount of water which is to be applied. I challenge this certain brother (he is not by his own definition to be called 'pastor') to prove from the original Greek language that our Lord Jesus Christ went "under" the water at the Jordan River when baptized by John. Also, dear brother and friend of mine, I challenge you from the koine to prove that John's proselyte baptism was continued after Jesus was baptized. Jesus was baptized to fulfill the Law and to come under the Law, or to be subject to it, NOT FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, because Jesus did not need to be forgiven, or be baptized as all we mortals, filled with sin, do! John the Baptist was by this heralded the last of the prophets of old.
Secondly, you intimate that you have the perfect Scriptural position which is "non-doctrinal" or "non-creedal", but only Biblical! Good brother, I challenge you to prove any other meaning from Scripture than that baptism offers, gives, and seals to us forgiveness of sins through the washing and via the Holy Spirit of God (cf. Eph. 5:2526 and I Peter 3:21). Also, if you say little children cannot believe or have faith in their hearts, or be accountable for their sins, let me offer you one Scriptural rebuttal you cannot deny: Matthew 28:18-20, in which we find the words "all nations", which words require all hearts to believe. And "all nations" means EVERYBODY, not j just those who by human reasoning now know they need to follow Jesus Christ's command to be baptized in this "Great Commission" text. Ponder this: faith and reason are not one in the same thing.
Brother in Christ, you have done this community a gross disservice by your blanketing our city with pernicious material that denies basic doctrines of the Bible. Please, do not ever do this again in the Name of Jesus.
The Constitution of our United States demands freedom of religion as an inalienable right for us all. In this freedom, you must not foist such inconsiderate doctrinal inaccuracies upon our people. We are made free to follow the dictates of Holy Scripture as we interpret them under the freedom in the Constitution. Do not, please, violate my right to believe in this manner!
Thirdly and finally, we again have received a document sent unsolicited from you to us in the mails, entitled: The Christian Guest. A fine title, indeed! I must commend you and the anonymous publisher. However, brother, I do see names of some of our young people just inside the front cover of your magazine. They are perceivably a part of your J.A.M. (Jesus and Me) Wednesday night worship. Now really, do you want my youth following after what our church teaches to be the truth, or are you going to tell them they might be going to hell, because they were baptized as babies? I would like to hear your answer. And forgive us our improprieties, as we forgive you your improprieties!
My ministry to Woodburn is to a people who are Bible-believing, fundamental yet, not ignorant of what the Scriptures really say. Good brother, Moses once said it for me: "Let my people go!" Humbly . . .
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Ralph M. Wetzel
P.S. Thanks for listening!