When I was a freshman and sophmore in college, I was really into the puritans. Growing up in a home that was closer to Catholic than anything and being involved in a non-denominational, dispensational church in highschool, I was never really exposed to the puritans … to say the least.
In college, as I became more and more Calvinistic, I also started reading the puritans (or about the puritans). One of the websites I would often visit was A Puritan’s Mind. I remember reading about Matthew McMahon’s (the website creator) wrestling with infant baptism. One particular story he told was going to a reformed seminary and waiting patiently for the discussion on infant baptism (led by a presbyterian), and being disappointed at what he heard as the rational defense of infant baptism. Thus, he was stuck in his position as a Reformed Baptist.
Then, low and behold, Barb Harvey links to guy because some other guy is calling him so name for some reason (who can really follow all these things?), and I figured I would check it out again. Now, it appears, he’s become a paedobaptist, and has written a point-by-point refutation of his previous ideas (scroll down to Articles on Baptism).
It seems like an interesting road that many have taken. Being a Reformed Baptist, I’ve found, is a difficult and lonely position to be in (well, it was when I was going through it). A Baptist struggling with Calvinism (disgression: which is worse to a Catholic family?) or a Calvinist struggling with Baptism. It seems that it, for a lot of people, has worked out like this.
I’m rambling …
I think I know what you’re talking about. Right now, I’m definitely a Calvinist struggling with Baptism, and how all that covenantal stuff works out. I should probably check out that guy’s website when I have more time to sit down and read closely and think about it.