How do Methodists differ from Baptists?

[Maid Marie]

I think it is because Baptists typically baptize in pools whereas Methodist typically sprinkle, though I've seen about every variation possible in my own church.

Oohh, ok. Nazarenes do sprinkling, pouring or immersion so the joke was lost on me.

 

[GraceSeeker]

Oohh, ok. Nazarenes do sprinkling, pouring or immersion so the joke was lost on me.

And now that you get it, I'll bet it wasn't worth explaining.

 

[circuitrider]

I have a DS friend who says that Methodists are like tofu, we take on the flavor of the groups around us.

So up here in the great white north where we are surrounded by Roman Catholics and Lutherans you seldom hear of anyone being immersed. Sprinkling is the mode du jour.

 

[Maid Marie]

And now that you get it, I'll bet it wasn't worth explaining.

No, it was definitely worth explaining cuz I was thinking you were being a little on the nutty side.

 

[Maid Marie]

I have a DS friend who says that Methodists are like tofu, we take on the flavor of the groups around us.

So up here in the great white north where we are surrounded by Roman Catholics and Lutherans you seldom hear of anyone being immersed. Sprinkling is the mode du jour.

I can see that a bit although, the UMC where I used to live in central PA were surrounded by Roman Catholics and ELCA but their style of worship was not as formal as theirs. I never found out from them though how they baptized

 

[circuitrider]

I can see that a bit although, the UMC where I used to live in central PA were surrounded by Roman Catholics and ELCA but their style of worship was not as formal as theirs. I never found out from them though how they baptized

True. United Methodists are definitely more flexible on worship styles than some other mainline friends.

I do hear of Methodists doing a lot more immersion in the south of the US than I ever hear about here.

 

[godenver1]

How liturgical (as in high church) are Methodists? Does it differ from denom. To denom?

I'm wondering if there are any liturgical churches that don't hold to salvific baptism.

 

[BryanW92]

I do hear of Methodists doing a lot more immersion in the south of the US than I ever hear about here.

Methodists in the south do a lot more snake handling too.

...


But, we do that in the back yard when we kill a water mocassin or rattlesnake and pick it up to throw it away.

 

[circuitrider]

How liturgical (as in high church) are Methodists? Does it differ from denom. To denom?

I'm wondering if there are any liturgical churches that don't hold to salvific baptism.

Worship style varies greatly among Methodists. The United Methodist Church has official worship resources but pastors and local churches have a great deal of flexibility in using them.

I'm not sure what you mean by "salvific baptism" ?

 

[WiredSpirit]

We have a campground with a lake and it seems when we have a picnic there are always a dozen or so baptized by immersion in the lake, but we do plenty of sprinkling for infants and new members in the service too. I've heard of youth that only want to be baptized by immersion, perhaps because of some family traditions, and we oblige.

For some reason our church attracts people from other traditions from Pentecostal to Episcopalians and despite attending a UMC they identify with their old religions.

 

[godenver1]

Worship style varies greatly among Methodists. The United Methodist Church has official worship resources but pastors and local churches have a great deal of flexibility in using them.

I'm not sure what you mean by "salvific baptism" ?

I meant a church that teaches baptism leads to salvation- its my understanding Methodists don't?

Are Methodists Calvinists (I've heard they are similar to Presbyterians)? Or does it differ from person to person?

 

[BryanW92]

I meant a church that teaches baptism leads to salvation- its my understanding Methodists don't?

Are Methodists Calvinists (I've heard they are similar to Presbyterians)? Or does it differ from person to person?

We do not believe that baptism leads to salvation.

Methodists are Arminian, which is the opposite of Calvinists and Presbyterians.

 

[circuitrider]

We do not believe that baptism leads to salvation.

Methodists are Arminian, which is the opposite of Calvinists and Presbyterians.

I'd word it a little differently. We do not believe that baptism in and of itself saves you. But United Methodists do believe that baptism is an act of God's love in our lives and God's grace working in our lives which encourages us towards faith in Christ, that faith being necessary for salvation.

 

[BryanW92]

I'd word it a little differently. We do not believe that baptism in and of itself saves you. But United Methodists do believe that baptism is an act of God's love in our lives and God's grace working in our lives which encourages us towards faith in Christ, that faith being necessary for salvation.

If he had worded the question differently, I'd have answered with different words too. But since he used the term "salvific baptism", which down here in the bible belt means "regeneration through baptism" (i.e. you are "born again" when and only when you come up out of the water), I wanted to make sure that there was no question that we do not believe in regeneration through baptism. That can be a person's moment of justification, but it doesn't have to be nor is it required.

 

[circuitrider]

If he had worded the question differently, I'd have answered with different words too. But since he used the term "salvific baptism", which down here in the bible belt means "regeneration through baptism" (i.e. you are "born again" when and only when you come up out of the water), I wanted to make sure that there was no question that we do not believe in regeneration through baptism. That can be a person's moment of justification, but it doesn't have to be nor is it required.

I understand. I just try to watch putting Methodist baptismal theology in Baptist terms. Otherwise the next question is, "then why do you baptize infants at all?" If grace isn't involved in baptism then infant baptism doesn't make a lot of sense.

In a sense everything we do in a young person's life from baptism, to Sunday School, to Bible teaching, preaching, confirmation, etc. leads them to salvation because it gives them the grace and the information they need to accept Christ. No one accepts Christ in isolation. They received the gospel somewhere. "How shall they believe unless they hear...." Rom. 10

Baptists are really bad about acting as if God wasn't working in their life until the very moment they were justified. Where as we believe God has been working in our lives every moment from our birth.

Also Baptists tend to believe that God's work is done and even complete at their justification where we teach that God continues to work in our lives to sanctify us and make us holy. It is why I see United Methodist soteriology as much more complete than most Baptist soteriology that only focuses on the moment of justification.

Wesley saw justification (or getting saved) as only the front door of the house of the Christian life. Sanctification is the rest of the house.

 

[BryanW92]

Also Baptists tend to believe that God's work is done and even complete at their justification where we teach that God continues to work in our lives to sanctify us and make us holy. It is why I see United Methodist soteriology as much more complete than most Baptist soteriology that only focuses on the moment of justification.

Wesley saw justification (or getting saved) as only the front door of the house of the Christian life. Sanctification is the rest of the house.

I agree. The idea of being completely degenerate until baptism, and then living under "once saved, always saved" and "you are perfected only after death" has seemed very empty to me. I guess that's why I'm not a Baptist in a very Baptist town.

 

[circuitrider]

I agree. The idea of being completely degenerate until baptism, and then living under "once saved, always saved" and "you are perfected only after death" has seemed very empty to me. I guess that's why I'm not a Baptist in a very Baptist town.

Yes, exactly! And it is one of the reasons I'm no longer a Baptist though I spent a lot of my life in that denomination. It never seemed like a whole or complete way of looking at faith. I think the "once saved always saved" theology can slow or stunt spiritual growth because it can tempt you to act as if you can't grow and don't need to grow in faith.

 

[BryanW92]

Yes, exactly! And it is one of the reasons I'm no longer a Baptist though I spent a lot of my life in that denomination. It never seemed like a whole or complete way of looking at faith. I think the "once saved always saved" theology can slow or stunt spiritual growth because it can tempt you to act as if you can't grow and don't need to grow in faith.

A few posts ago, you pointed out that Wesley saw justification as the door to the house of Christian life. I know far too many Baptists who think of salvation as an airlock. They get in through baptism and saying a prayer, and that protects them from the harmful atmosphere outside. But, the airlock is a very tiny room and you stand in there until death, when the door on the other side opens to admit them to heaven. Unfortunately, I know far too many Methodists who think the same thing.

And of course, if you accidently use the word "work" or "effort" when talking about sanctification, they jump on that and shout "HA! I knew you guys believed in works-based salvation!"

 

[circuitrider]

A few posts ago, you pointed out that Wesley saw justification as the door to the house of Christian life. I know far too many Baptists who think of salvation as an airlock. They get in through baptism and saying a prayer, and that protects them from the harmful atmosphere outside. But, the airlock is a very tiny room and you stand in there until death, when the door on the other side opens to admit them to heaven. Unfortunately, I know far too many Methodists who think the same thing.

And of course, if you accidently use the word "work" or "effort" when talking about sanctification, they jump on that and shout "HA! I knew you guys believed in works-based salvation!"

We are very much on the same page here. And as you say, some Methodists think the same thing because they have, one way or another, been infected with Calvinist theology which seems very common on Christian radio, TV, etc.

 

[food4thought]

Hi guys, not to muddy the water, but...

I attend a UMC, and I wholeheartedly agree with the Weslyan view of prevenient grace, saving grace, and sanctifying grace. I do agree that the standard Baptist view of "once saved always saved" (WSAS) is lacking. But I do believe in eternal security, and I don't believe that baptism is a means of grace.

The reason I say this is to encourage the OP... you don't have to agree on every point of Methodist doctrine in order to be a Methodist. Open hearts, open minds, open doors.