Church and baptism

Elias_Amare

Elias_Amare

Puritan Board Freshman
There is a church planted in my country (Ethiopia). In the past year, the church adhered to 1689 federalism, and a few months ago, it started giving sacraments. Concerns also arose.

1) The church declared that everyone must be baptized, even long-time believers, because

A) The church confessed that true gospel wasn't preached and proclaimed in my country at all in any era, also declaring that true missionaries didn't even come to the country.

B) Whoever was baptized before must be re-baptized because, when he was baptized, he didn't hear the true gospel or become a believer (in their understanding).

C) Even if you were a true believer before coming to the church, you aren't a believer at all because if you were, you wouldn't approve Ethiopian churches as they are today, so because you are with them, you aren't a true believer.



2) If you don't get baptized now in that church, you can't take part in the Lord's Supper either ( I think it's common in the 1689 baptist tradition).



I'm very concerned about their historical interpretation of the country, but aside from that, does this have theological errors, especially in the 1689 Baptist view of baptism?

Grace to you
 
What about the Eunuch in Acts? I know oriental orthodox has its issues, but surely it preached a true gospel at some point!
Regardless, I’d echo what was said above, seems culty. Ecumenism can certainly be problematic at an extent, but a complete lack of ecumenism is a large red flag to me.
 
That sounds like the Landmark Baptists I have known, except for the claim of adherence to the 1689.
 
Charles Johnson said:
Ethiopian Tewahedo church
Click to expand...
To give some historical information.

Historical speak: Ethiopian tewahedo churches are not true oriental orthodoxy, especially after the reign of Emperor Zara Yaqob in the 15th century, when he reformated the religion to something we can call heretic. We can find something bizarre in his books, like Metsafe-Birhan, Metsafe-Me'lad, Metsafe-Sillasie, and Metsafe-te'aqebo Mister, and his big work Te'amre-Maryam, "mariology," which was translated from Arabic to Yikes. After you found the church downfall, they equated his work with Scripture, sometimes making it above the Scripture. In the 16th century, Emperor Fasiledes, after many civil wars, restored the Orthodox Church as the state religion, banishing any missionaries, especially Jesuits, and introducing the "close door" policy. Controversies in Christianity emerge. After On the Doctrine of Angels and many even justifications by work, engulf the church and become traditionalist.


But in the 18th and 19th centuries, many missionaries came to Ethiopia again: Reformed Baptists, Mennonites, and Lutherans.


Today's Ethiopian church's especially protestant problem started in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the pentecostalism movement. It started with very few people but dominated every church later. The faith movement cult also emerged once churches that were cessationists became liberal, and so on.



In all this, the church I mentioned in my original post became the judge of all churches and missionaries (in their view, the missionaries were also not true believers), which I found weak and poor in their historical interpretation.


But what I find more hard is when they are trying to prove their madness with theological interpretation.

Charles Johnson said:
I'm not sure why this got a laugh react. This is an established historical fact.
Click to expand...
Thank you for this resource. I'll look into it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top