[Campion]

baptism is not what effects salvation, and on that almost all Protestants agree

But Church of Christ members and some Anglicans emphatically do not. If it "works out nicely" to figure this stuff out from your Bible alone, why do some people keep getting it wrong?

1 Peter 3:21 and Gal 3:27 and Acts 2:38 seem pretty straightforward to me.

[FactQuest]

(me: baptism is not what effects salvation, and on that almost all Protestants agree)

But Church of Christ members and some Anglicans emphatically do not. If it "works out nicely" to figure this stuff out from your Bible alone, why do some people keep getting it wrong?

Good point. Of course, compared to most Protestants, Anglicans seem very close, theologically, to Roman Catholics.

As to the real point of you question, I can't think of a way to put it delicately. The scriptures, in places, are deep, complex, and confusing. Particularly to laymen. Many areas are open to interpretation, and people come to the scriptures with different interpretational philosophies. I contend that no denomination has it perfect in all their teachings. This makes me popular with no one, of course, but least of all, it would appear, Roman Catholics. I'm beginning to understand why.

I also believe in "priesthood of the believer," that the Holy Spirit has the power to reveal God properly through the reading of Scripture. I've seen, however, that people, with often impure motives, find that it supports what they want it to support. And I'm beginning to get wistful for a church hierarchy that has already hammered out a full, solid, scripturally supportable theology.

As for the baptism issue... I found the following website very informative, exploring the theological questions from many angles. http://www.carm.org/doctrine/1Pet_3_21.htm