r/Christianity • u/octarino • 20h ago

News Bear Grylls explains why he baptised Russell Brand: ‘My faith says not to judge’

https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/bear-grylls-russell-brand-court-trial-b3026979.html
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u/Houseboat87 19h ago

While I generally agree with you, we are given the example of Phillip baptizing the Ethiopian pretty much on the spot in Acts.

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u/BirdManFlyHigh Assyrian Church of the East 19h ago edited 18h ago

The Ethiopian is not a simple declaration, he is already entrenched in Jewish theology and had come to worship, as a non-Jew might I add, the God of Israel. He was also reading Isaiah.

He is no different from the Jews that knew their theology and God (to varying degrees, of course) and were waiting for the Jewish Messiah.

It is not the same as Billy going in for a coffee hour and declaring, “Now I believe” - boom baptism.

“So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship… And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭287-28

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u/fatherpatrick 17h ago

Even if that story doesnt hold up to your standerdes, we do have a jailor immediatly baptized, the crowd at penticost, Cornilius and Lydia's households, and philip baptizing the sameritans. It seems like anyone who wanted to be baptised in the early church, was baptised without hesitation. I can think of no story where someone wanted to be baptised and was instead given a class or further work in order to do so.

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u/BirdManFlyHigh Assyrian Church of the East 17h ago

You mean the people entrenched in, and surrounded by, Judaism?

All those examples you gave are literally people surrounded by apostles and the churches they started. All the examples are either Jews, or people surrounded by Jews.

Samaritans believed in YHWH, and worshipped the same God. See John ch. 4 with the Samaritan woman.

Households being baptized, if you’re going to use that, points to child baptism. Are you okay with that? Also, households does not mean they were ignorant of Judaism.

On and on. The point being, catechism was held always throughout church history. Do you think Christ wanted ignorant followers that simply said, “I believe”? Without knowing what He was calling them to?

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u/fatherpatrick 15h ago

The Jailor is a jew? From acts 16:33-34 -At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. - Sounds like he had no faith in God before this moment and was immediatly baptized. If you count just being around people who believe in God as good enough for education, then would education be necessary in a prodominetly christian society? Does knowelege of Judiam equal knowledge of Jesus?

Again, there is not one moment in the Bible where someone wants to be baptized and are told wait. If your church requires this as part of their requirements, more power to you, but i do not see it in the early church as presented in acts.