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BTW, the Baptist pedigree is at least as good, and in many respects better, than the alleged Roman pedigree. I concede nothing in that matter.

If true, it should be elementary to historically trace a world wide association of Baptist assemblies in communion with each other from the time of the Apostles unto this day. Then you could explain why one would leave them to join a faith community traced to the Regormation.

Regformation

Catholicism presumes that the priest in the rcc can trace thier "authority" back to Peter. How does Paul play into this when he was called straight by Christ? He denies any authority received from Peter.

Is it not possible that Christ still calls men today to be ministers irrespective having to trace a link back to Peter?

An entertaining rejoinder. But you assume what I do not, that a pedigree of men trumps a pedigree of truth. Even Paul was disinterested in the Corinthian assembly's factional claims to pedigrees based on "I am of this person, I am of that person, etc." His interest was not in carnal measures of continuity, but a divine measure. His version of pedigree was simply this: What has God planted? If one is trapped in a carnal mindset, it would be perfectly natural to use carnal means to try and discern spiritual truth.

Beside that, God has already demonstrated He uses a pedigree of truth, not men, to sustain His people. Recall what happened in the second book of Kings, how Hilkiah the high priest rediscovered the book of the law after a prolonged period of forgetfulness in Israel. Again and again in Israel there were periods of relapse into paganism followed by periods of reformation. The appearance of Christ was the greatest reformation of all, and so it is as unsurprising as the rising and setting of the sun that the followers of Messiah should periodically go through times of reformation. It is the norm, not the exception.

As for your proposed historical criteria, I expect the opposite. I expect the historical tracing of the true body of Christ to be extremely difficult in carnal terms. I expect Satan to oppose the true body of Christ and attempt at every turn to wipe it out and eradicate the memory of it from the earth. I expect the words of Jesus to be absolutely, numerically true, when He says, many are called, but few are chosen, or that the road to life is narrow, with few upon it, and the road to destruction broad, with many traveling down it. I look at the billions lost in Islam, the billions lost in worldliness or atheism or paganism, and I see His words are factually, numerically true. Numbers mean nothing. Why anyone would use such a lame basis for divine pedigree I have no idea. Jesus has taken that off the table.

Why do you suppose He would have done that? Is it possible He does not want us to judge as men judge, according to the flesh? Remember David, when he set in his heart to measure his military forces in carnal terms? He wronged God. He put on public display his lack of faith. The punishment was swift and terrible.

So you see, while I might be tempted like any fallen sinner to resort to human methods for measuring the success of God's Gospel in the world, I have sound Biblical reasons to run away from such temptation. I am on much safer ground resorting to the pedigree of truth, God's own word, Scripture. By Scripture I know by faith that there have been and always will be those who are faithful to His word. Many of these I can find, and at all points of human history they shine like Gospel lanterns. But they are also the subject of Satan's hatred, so at times their light in history is obscured. Even now, Christians of all denominations are being systematically eradicated from the Middle East, while our Muslim Sympathizer President yawns and plays his fiddle. Do I lose faith in God, because I cannot follow all He is doing in the world? Of course not. Not even the angels are equipped to separate the wheats from the tares. Why would you ask me to do what cannot be done, even by the angels, until the end of the age?

Peace,

SR