Posted on 09/16/2007 5:54:12 PM PDT by Grig
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who has long identified himself as an Episcopalian, said this weekend that he is a Baptist and has been for years.
Campaigning in this conservative, predominantly Baptist state, McCain called himself a Baptist when speaking to reporters Sunday and noted that he and his family have been members of the North Phoenix Baptist Church in his home state of Arizona for more than 15 years.
"It's well known because I'm an active member of the church," the Arizona senator said.
While McCain has long talked about his family's and his own attendance at the Arizona church, he appears to have consistently referred to himself as Episcopalian in media reports.
In a June interview with McClatchy Newspapers, the senator said his wife and two of their children have been baptized in the Arizona Baptist church, but he had not. "I didn't find it necessary to do so for my spiritual needs," he said.
He told McClatchy he found the Baptist church more fulfilling than the Episcopalian church, but still referred to himself as an Episcopalian.
The Associated Press asked McCain on Saturday how his Episcopal faith plays a role in his campaign and life. McCain grew up Episcopalian and attended an Episcopal high school in Alexandria, Va.
"It plays a role in my life. By the way, I'm not Episcopalian. I'm Baptist," McCain said. "Do I advertise my faith? Do I talk about it all the time? No."
McCain does discuss faith on the campaign trail. He regularly tells crowds about a North Vietnamese POW guard who would loosen his bindings while he was a prisoner. One Christmas, the man surreptitiously signaled his Christian faith, McCain says, by making the sign of a cross with his toe in the dirt.
McCain said Sunday he doesn't know how his Baptist faith might affect his showing in South Carolina.
"I have no idea," McCain said, laughing. "I was a member of that church in 2000 and it didn't save me then." McCain lost to George W. Bush in the hotly contested South Carolina primary seven years ago.
McCain made the comments after speaking to about 200 people on this resort island during a stop on his "No Surrender" tour, to push for support of U.S. troops and the president's strategy in Iraq.
As an Episcopalian and member of All Saints in Fort Worth, Tx, I am not going to leave my church. We are going to leave the American church. Have been one to long to not fight.
You made an error but it worded out okay anyway. It should be “know McCain” but “No McCain” is better.
Yes, I noticed the mistake after I clicked the post button, and thought, what the heck, why correct it?
“No McCain” might make a good bumper sticker, but I don’t think it’s worth worrying too much about him.
Songbird was very active in singing Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran with they North Phoenix Baptist Church Choir.
It may one of few, but my Episcopal Church couldn’t be more true to Scripture, and served by a very orthodox priest from the “old school.”
Not all have followed the new liberal leadership.
In the place where he said, “By the way, I’m a Baptist, not Episcolpalian,” he may have been thinking more generally of Christian faith when he was asked and then answered the question, and then went back and straightened out the one asking the question.
I don’t like just trying to trap men or entangle them in words, even if it is someone I don’t support. It’s not just. Words can be questioned and clarified. Fine, but the art of entanglement is a sick lawyer’s technique. I think that’s what was employed here. And let me add, that if Senator McCain has been sometimes identifying himself as an Episcopalian, it could be by the fact that he was probably "baptized" (sprinkled) as an infant in that church, and has not been baptized (by immersion in water) in a Baptist church. Baptist churches require that a candidate for ROLL membership be (or to have been) baptized by immersion in water under the authority of a church of like faith and practice.) This does not suggest a denominational connection of the churches; they are each autonomous (or should be, if they identify as "Baptist." But Baptist churches often also accept the baptism of "Bible" Churches, "Community" Churches, and other independent congregations that believe and practice the same fundamentals as Baptists (hence the term, "Baptistic" is often used). From time-to-time there are, in Baptist churches, people who attend and participate in much of the work, who never apply for ROLL membership, and perhaps they never present themselves for water baptism. Baptists do NOT believe that water baptism is a part of salvation, only a picture testimony of the work of Christ (death, burial and resurrection). Baptists believe that undergoing that testimony is important, but not that it contributes to salvation. Baptists believe in BELIEVERS baptism, meaning that those baptized are already born-again, regenerated, saved people, making a statement -- a testimony, publicly, by presenting themselves to be immersed in water. Senator McCain, if I understand him, is attending and participating somewhat in a Baptist church, but has no ROLL membership, because he does not believe it essential to be baptized by immersion under the auspices of that Baptist church. It is NOT essential to salvation. It is probably essential to ROLL membership in that local assembly. Now, Senator McCain's mind may still refer back to his infant connection to the Episcopal Church when he is being questioned or drilled or entangled by reporters. Why entangle the man? If I were to ask him questions in this regard, I would ask him of his faith in Jesus Christ, and what he believes is the Hope of eternal life. Has he trusted the Blood Atonement of Christ for the payment and forgiveness of his sins? Blood is thicker than water.
I kept trying to break up the long paragraph in my last post into separate paragraphs, but when I posted it, it still threw it together in one. Why does it do this?
The liberal leadership of the ECUSA (or is it the TEC this week) isn't particularly new. They accepted Sprong's heresies decades ago. And how long has Vickie G. been a bishop.
If it sees ANY html code in the posting, everything has to be posted. Did you mix a couple of < p > with some ordinary returns? I think in certain situations, it will turn your non html returns into coded ones if you preview; if you then manually edit after that, it won't take the non-html formatting.
Ah, thanks! I’ll be more careful about how I edit after spell checking.
A little bit different twist on an ex-Episcopal.
The caller against Guiliani likes Hunter and Tancredo! Wonder if he’s a FReeper.
Oops! I thought I was still on the Terry Anderson show thread. Sorry. :)
They must really have gone left to get on the left hand side of McCain.
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too long
Try using “< p >” for paragraph breaks (without the spaces between the brackets and the “p”).
If another former Episcopalian (now an Anglican NOT affiliated with TEC) may put in his two cents on baptism, the Episcopal church does not sprinkle anybody. Water from the baptismal font is poured over the head of the infant three times; once in the name of the Father, once the Son, and once the Holy Spirit. Such a baptism should be, and usually is, accepted as valid by most churches, including Rome. I have known Episcopalians who had their parish priest perform their baptism as a full immersion at some other location, such as a river, with the full Prayer Book ceremony, and that is perfectly acceptable, as well.
As to the necessity of baptism to salvation, I will go with John 3:3-5 on that one.
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