Discussion Board Forum 4

Discussion Board Forum 4

Introduction

The paper is aimed to define the key issues dividing several church tradition and denominations which are connected to the sacraments or ordinances. I am assigned a task to explore this question and research about the best from the work of Millard J. Erickson in “Christian Theology”.

Discussion analysis

The division regarding church tradition is related to the several theological views of baptism. Erickson depicts three significant divergent theological views on baptism which has had great disputes on it. They belong to the salvation that comes from baptism which is a source of saving grace; a symbol of covenant God made with Abraham, and an indication of salvation. In the initial point of view, Catholics and Lutherans disagree on baptism in those sacramentalists Catholic that remission of sins and saving grace comes through church sanctioned baptism instead of faith, while Lutherans believe that baptism is incompetent at a distance from faith. It is believed by them that faith should introduce baptism. On the other hand, Sacramentalists think that baptism does not only unite people with the death of Christ and resurrection but mainly to the Christ. It is believed by Lutherans that both children and adults are the receivers of baptism. At contrast, the theology of Roman Catholic mentions that those infants who are not church's baptized cannot get into heaven, whereas Lutherans are indifferent because they are uncertain about the position of unbaptized infants. Though the scripture does not clear about the doctrine of infant baptism and this practice could be retraced from the 2nd century church. The author proposed that “since we do not know the details of God's dealing with unbaptized children and infants; it is advisable for Christians to baptize their offspring” (p. 1101).

There is a second view which defines Presbyterian and ...