[loftyheights]

James,
Obviously the criteria to be on this list is what it is. To be considered "influential" as a church and deny infant Baptism and the true presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar (all Sacraments for that matter) means this is a list I would not only not want to be on but would be embarrassed to be included. Again, I know the criteria did not even consider true doctrinal theology to be even as important as number of members. As for me, no thanks.

[txzman]

Er, deny Infant Baptism? I will. I was born and raised Catholic, learned the mass as an altar boy in Latin, stayed until I started reading the Bible on my own.

Granted these churches are independent and non-Catholic, but don't tout infant baptism as a crux of faith.

[wallcrawlr]

embarrassed? not want to be on??

I'm Lutheran and I know about #19. He is a leader of Christians and someone I would follow into heaven.

[Wallace T.]

Eleven of the churches listed are "mainline", which would indicate that they believe in infant baptism. Two of the churches are affiliated with the conservative Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) denomination, which prefers infant baptism, though the Westminster Confession of Faith recognizes only a symbolic presence of Christ in the Eucharist. There appeared to be two Episcopal churches in the list, whose Eucharistic doctrine is close to that of Lutheranism.

One would have to question the criteria that was used in determining what churches are influential. The churches pastored by John MacArthur, Tony Evans, Jack Graham, and Chuck Swindoll are not counted in the top 50 even though the pastors have extensive radio teaching ministries. All four are on the more conservative end of evangelicalism. Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, and Robert Schuller are not inerrantists and tend to "easy believism." It is hard to imagine any mainline churches, Crystal Cathedral excepted, being influential except within their own denomination. Evangelicalism and mainline Protestantism travel in separate worlds, with as wide a gulf as existed 50 years ago between Protestantism and Catholicism.

[Terriergal]

bingo!

[N3WBI3]

To be considered "influential" as a church and deny infant Baptism and the true presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar (all Sacraments for that matter) means this is a list I would not only not want to be on but would be embarrassed to be included

And where is infant baptism in the bible? The Bible does not record a single infant being baptized. In the Bible, only believers who had placed their faith in Christ were baptized--as a public testimony of their faith and identification with Him (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4).