Posted on 07/24/2003 11:31:43 AM PDT by nickcarraway
It may be a little late to start for most, but Robert Bork, the former Supreme Court nominee who has written books decrying the decline of Western culture, has just been baptized. Rev. C. John McCloskey, who represents the conservative and activist Opus Dei arm of the Roman Catholic Church and oversaw the baptism, said, "I can confirm that he was received in the Catholic Church." Bork, a scholar with the conservative American Enterprise Institute, was raised a Protestant and had called himself a "generic Protestant." He was known more for his conservative legal views, which some Democrats used to shoot down his court nomination during the Reagan administration.
In a brief interview, he said that years of "conversations and reading" led him to baptism at McCloskey's small Catholic Information Center chapel on K Street near the White House. "There's more to talk about than you can put in a brief story." He called himself a regular Catholic who attends Sunday mass, not an Opus Dei member.
He said talks with and recommendations from the priest, as well as attending church with his wife, Mary Ellen Bork, a former nun, helped pave the way to the ceremony.
Bork's sponsors were Kate O'Beirne, a conservative media star, and John O'Sullivan, head of UPI.
Lots of other prominent Catholics were there, such as columnist and speechwriter Peggy Noonan, herself a convert.
McCloskey has made several other high-level conversions of conservatives, bringing into the Catholic Church conservative columnist Robert Novak and Republican Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas.
The best part of getting baptized at 76, said Bork: "If you get baptized at my age, all of your sins are forgiven. And that's very helpful."
According to Archdiocese of Washington Communications Director Susan Gibbs, Msgr. William Awalt, the longtime pastor of the Borks, baptized the judge, confirmed him and gave him First Communion. Father McCloskey celebrated the Mass, along with Msgr. Peter Vaghi, pastor of St. Patrick's.
Dan, you are a class act. That's why when you even get into heated arguments opposed to the Catholic Church, I don't hold a grudge. You're sincere in your adherence to God, and I only wish more people could say the same.
No, it's about faith. Was Abraham obedient when he struck the rock? No. Did he lose his salvation? No. Was David obedient when he committed adultery and murder? No. Did he lose his salvation? No.
Faith in God leads to love for God. Love for God leads to obedience. In that order.
Grace through faith.
Well, I did, but not by very much. Jesus says in 3:3 that one must be "born again" or "born from above" (the Greek is ambiguous). Nicodemus, confused, asks whether one can enter a second time into his mothers' womb and be born. Jesus then says (3:5), "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God".
The idea that Jesus is giving a gynecology lesson here is preposterous, and is flatly contradicted just by the language of the verse. He doesn't say "a man must be born of his mother, and then born a second time of the Spirit". "Of water and the Spirit" is appositive to "born". Jesus is talking about one birth, which is "of water and the Spirit".
Given the context of baptism in John 1:24-34 and again in 3:22-23, to write baptism out of John 3:5 in favor of gynecology is absurd.
Agreed, that's exactly why it should be obvious that water baptism is not a critical part of the salvation process.
Everything God commands is absolutely critical.
Bad example. Marriage seals in a sacred covenant. When it comes to salvation, it's faith that claims God's promise that seals in a sacred covenant, not baptism.
You aren't responding to the analogy, Danny, just denying that it's applicable. I think it's absolutely applicable. If baptism is empty ritual, marriage is equally empty.
Are you insane or just inane???
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Moses struck the rock, not Abraham. And both Moses and David repented of their sins before they died, so I'm not sure what your point is.
Faith in God leads to love for God. Love for God leads to obedience. In that order.
So?
It's a reminder to us that the Blood of the Lamb WASHED us from our sins....we celebrate the shedding of the Blood of the Lamb...do you??
Which passage of Scripture do they use to test the accuracy of the dogma of sola scriptura?
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise
So, in the early church, what happened to someone "after listening to the message of truth," and after they had "also believed"?
Yep. They got wet.
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