Judge Bork, baptized at 76

U.S. News & World Report ^ | 7/22/03 | Paul Bedard With David LaGesse

[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.

[BibChr]

Your personal attack about personal attacks is noted, weighed, filed appropriately.

Dan

[BibChr]

So, you don't mind if you're the last to know? I can't think the last time I saw such a... I mean, I can't believe you don't see it.

Try again. Take time to think this time; maybe a night's sleep helped. It's really quite astonishing.

Dan

[BibChr]

Oh (and I say this with a friendly smile), you don't think I do it because it's so FUN to be personally vilified and slandered for trying to hold up Christ's name and God's Word?

Thanks. (c8

Dan

[BibChr]

Hi Ann. I don't know if you read the posting where I talked about baptism per se, but absolutely, since I am a Bible-believing Christian I certainly do believe in baptism as a testimony that one has been born again, has repented and has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ alone as Savior and Lord.

But the Paul who said "I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius" (1 Corinthians 1:14), even though he did believe in an practise baptism as I esplained above, then went on to say "Therefore, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord'" (1 Corinthians 1:31).

When I read Judge Bork boasting, not in Jesus Christ, but in a powerless ceremony which never yet accomplished the forgiveness of one sin, it doesn't comfort me about his soul, but heightens my concern.

See what I'm trying to say?

Thanks,
Dan

[wideawake]

I thought you were Church of the Nazarene.

[B Knotts]

It is only through grace that you have faith.

[BibChr]

... and of course, when I say "believe in an practise baptism as I esplained," what I REALLY MEAN is "believe in AND practise baptism as I EXplained."

Sheesh: too early, too little coffee, too hurried. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Dan
(c;

[Mr. Lucky]

I Thessalonians 5:21 comes to mind.

[Aquinasfan]

So, I suspect that this was probably a conditional baptism

That's what I was wondering. As usual, the magazine writer doesn't have a clue.

[Aquinasfan]

Some people really believe that the act of Baptism is the saving of a soul.

The baptism of infants perfectly conforms to the gratuitousness of sanctifying grace. Once past the age of reason, which the Church regards as at around the age of seven, the assent of faith is required of those requesting Church membership.

When scripture speaks of households being baptized (Acts 16:15), Tradition tells us that these baptisms included those under the age of reason.

[Aquinasfan]

Oh yeah, congratulations Judge Bork!

[mdmathis6]

The thief on the cross was not baptized! But he did believe! And Christ saved him!

As for "asking Jesus to come into your heart", you split hairs, . The act of faith first begins with God's empowerment to do so and that by "the hearing of the word". One confesses with ones' mouth that Jesus is Saviour, asking God for the forgiveness of sins. This is the seminal act of faith from which God's empowering spirit flows into a person's life. Christ and Father and Spirit are one! It is not blasphemous for a child or one with simple child like faith to personally ask "Jesus into his heart". The disciples could not keep the children away from Christ...do you really think that God would deny himself from a child that asks in such a way? The Publican simply said..."Lord be merciful to me a sinner"...are you prepared to say that he was not saved? Believe and be Baptized indeed.

No one is arguing that Baptism isn't a part of what the new convert does as a new Christian. The problem arises when a person neglects the "believe and confess" part and just gets baptized, thinking the ritual itself is the saving act. The word of God has not penetrated that person's heart...so many say "I'm saved I'm part of the Church..I was baptized as a child". This is not merely a Catholic problem but a Protestant problem as well. BELIEVE AND BE BAPTIZED.....INDEED!

Paul said that new babes in Christ need milk...they can only understand the simpler concepts in simpler terms...later on as they mature they'll take the meat of the gospel and understand in a fuller way what was done for them on the cross.

As for a Baptism in the "Spirit"...well it really refers to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit empowering men to "become the sons of God. The term arose in trying to simply define the phenomena of God's spirit falling upon men on and in the days after the first Pentecost...after they Believed...sometimes a little before water baptism and sometimes after.

Even today God's spirit still falls on some in such a way...either causing some to speak in tongues, to prophesy, to preach with convincing power and prescience! Most experience a quiet confidence and display steady maturity and growth away from the wicked things of this world. "A man is born of water and of Spirit, said our Lord to Nicodemus. It is quite accurate to refer to Savation as being an act of spiritual baptism" as well as the concomittant act of water baptism. We are certainly Baptized in the NAME of the FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT!


Finally oh great Berean( named for those who truly studied the scriptures)...you say there are no scriptures regarding baptism of the Spirit. Look at what Luke 3:16 has to say...."John answered them all, 'I indeed baptize with water; but One mightier that I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. HE WILL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH FIRE' " eh...Berean...no Spirit baptism hunh? It is the change on the inside that needs to happen first, or the Spirit Baptism...or the internal regeneration of our inner man, or the denying of self, or the dying to self ; all of these describe the same thing....Water Baptism is our next step in obedience in Christ. Christ's blood was poured out for our sins, this blood is was his gift to make us acceptable to God.

BELIEVE AND BE BAPTIZED ......INDEED!

[mdmathis6]

"The baptism of infants perfectly conforms to the gratuitousness of sanctifying grace. Once past the age of reason, which the Church regards as at around the age of seven, the assent of faith is required of those requesting Church membership".

Granted...but the statement You quoted of me was refering to those who never really assented to faith in their heart of hearts, who never let Christ baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire(Luke 3:16) The ritual becomes the saving instrument to these people, not the confession and consenting to the personal indwelling of Christ's spirit.

[BlackElk]

Peggy Noonan was born to an Irish Catholic family in New York and presumably baptized as an infant. She may well have fallen away from the Church in that she married a divorced man while working as a speechwriter for Ronaldus Maximus. That was a short-lived and only marriage for her. You can read further details in her first book: What I Saw at the Revolution.

Since the birth of her son she has certainly been a very devout Catholic and often writes the details in her Wall Street Journal column and elsewhere. Since she never practiced another religion and was a cradle Catholic, she is not a convert. We Catholics are delighted to share this Church with her in any event.

[BlackElk]

BC: If you have an ignore list, please pput me on it too. Any other Catholics out there thorougly fed up with Luther come latelies butting in on every Catholic thread as a venue for rank opportunism in "instructing" those who belong to the Church established by Jesus Christ Himself and guaranteed by Him as to what wwe should believe that He did not teach? Just because there are a few thousand varieties of of differing YOPIOS sects out there arising siunce 1517, does not mean that anyone invited there adherents to "instruct" us as to what they imagine the Bible might mean according to their own personal tastes.

I do not look for opportunities to "instruct" Reformed Christians nor do most Catholics do so. As to the Roman Catholic Church, you do not have to belong, but, if you do not, please have the manners to mind your own business.

If you really think that Judge Bork's decision to be baptized into the Roman Catholic Church after many years of agnosticism, soul-searching, and accomplishment for our political causes (yours and mine) is any of your business, don your most effective asbestos underwear and write him at American Enterprise Institute to tell him so. Don't opportunistically attempt to use his act of Faith as yet another chance to evangelize on the cheap.

Whatever you want to preach, preach it to your own choir. I cannot imagine being interested by anyone rude enough to relentlessly pester me and other CAtholics with YOPIOS at every opportunity. We can agree on abortion, on the evils of lavender lotharios and child molesters, etc. but your personal take on Scripture does not and never will interesdt me in the slightest nor will it interest any Catholic who has anything vaguely resembling adequate Catholic catechization. We are Jesus Christ's own Church not the trend of the week club that waited nearly 1500 years after His crucifixion and resurrection to arise.

If you respond, I won't be back until tonight and I have pinged a few others to carry on in my absence and I urge them to ping their lists as well.

[BibChr]

BC: If you have an ignore list, please pput me on it too.

Done, and I read no further.

Dan

[TomB]

I do not look for opportunities to "instruct" Reformed Christians nor do most Catholics do so. As to the Roman Catholic Church, you do not have to belong, but, if you do not, please have the manners to mind your own business.

That's a good point. I rarely see a Catholic going into a thread telling protestants they're wrong. There may be threads like that, but I've never seen them.

On the other hand, I can't think of any threads involving Catholics where a few people have to crash it and turn it into a flame war. There was NO REASON for the anti-Catholics to come in and piss on this thread, but they did it anyway. Likewise, on the threads dealing with Mel Gibson's "The Passion", there are always a few making snide comments like, "gee, why did he end the movie at the crucifixion, all REAL Christians know you MUST include the Resurrection."

[DannyTN]

"The profession of faith and baptism go hand in hand, but one can be saved without baptism(such as one who dies after a profession of faith but didn't get a chance to be baptized) but baptism itself doesn't save. "

We are in agreement.

[RnMomof7]

No I left to go to a Bible Presbyterian church near my home.

[PaulZe]

Here we go again with the silly anti-catholic nonsense of BibChr, who believes the earth is flat.