![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/09\/SMITHJ2.jpg\")
<\/a>In passing a Methodist camp meeting one day in September he stopped to watch a young Methodist preacher baptize a howling, rebellious infant by sprinkling water on the squirming body. When the service was concluded, he stepped to the front of the crowd and, identifying himself, took the preacher firmly by the arm and attempted to lead him toward the creek a few yards away.<\/p>\n\u201cWhat are you trying to do, Brother Smith?\u201d the young preacher protested. \u201cAre you out of your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat am I trying to do?\u201d John affected deep surprise. \u201cWhy, sir, I am going to baptize you by immersion into the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to his commandment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I have no desire for such baptism. I know of you; you are called `The Dipper.\u2019 But you are not going to dip me. I\u2019m a Methodist; let me go!\u201d<\/p>\n
John tightened his hold on the man\u2019s arm while the crowd watched, some in apprehension, others in amusement. \u201cThat is a scoffer\u2019s blasphemy of a holy ordinance,\u201d John said sternly. \u201cAre you a believer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I\u2019m a believer,\u201d the preacher said indignantly. \u201cBut I\u2019<\/sup>m not willing to be immersed. It would do no good for you to baptize me against my will. It would be wrong!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t understand,\u201d John said. \u201cOnly a few minutes ago you baptized a helpless baby against its will, although it screamed and kicked. Did you get its consent first? Come along, sir, we will have no more of this foolishness.\u201d<\/p>\n The crowd broke into open laughter, and John gave the young preacher a quick pull toward the creek, and then as suddenly released him.<\/p>\n\t John Smith lived in and around Wayne Country, Kentucky and left denominationalism to follow the New Testament only. He was a rugged and very strong farmer who was responsible for numerous conversions and established many local churches in the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Louis Cochran In passing a Methodist camp meeting one day in September he stopped to watch a young Methodist preacher baptize a howling, rebellious infant by sprinkling water on the squirming body. When the service was concluded, he stepped to the front of the crowd and, identifying himself, took the preacher firmly by the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[726,706,282],"class_list":["post-9371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-church-history","tag-humor","tag-infant-baptism"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31297,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-successionist-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":9371,"position":0},"title":"What is successionist baptism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello brother, I had a question about John Smith. Can you please explain to me what successionist baptism is? I saw it in your \"Where Do They All Come From\" sermon, and I just didn't understand very well what this baptism is about. Answer: Successionism is the belief that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15798,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/infant-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":9371,"position":1},"title":"Infant Baptism (Shouse)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 19, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Roger Shouse published in\u00a0Biblical Insight, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2005. Advocates of infant baptism wrongly assume that the term \"household\" includes infants. Baptizing a baby is often viewed as a very special event in the lives of young parents. Grandparents come to witness the special occasion. A white\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/InfantBaptism.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":33108,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-i-left-the-methodist-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":9371,"position":2},"title":"Why I Left the Methodist Church (Howard)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond A. Howard Like many, or I might say most, I played church for a number of years. I only went because my friends did or it was the right thing to do. After I married, my wife is probably the reason I went, to begin with (I realized\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46950,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/infant-baptism-4\/","url_meta":{"origin":9371,"position":3},"title":"Infant Baptism","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"by Gus Nichols The Scriptures nowhere even so much as mention infant baptism. Let those who may think I am in error tell us whoever baptized an infant in the days of the inspired apostles? Whose baby was it? When was it done? How was it done? The New Testament\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/infantBaptism2-300x269.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52729,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-a-confession-need-to-be-taken-before-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":9371,"position":4},"title":"Does a confession need to be taken before baptism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 27, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We are having a problem with words in our congregation. When you baptize someone should you say the words \"I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for the remission of your sins?\" Or should you just immerse them and say nothing?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9322,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-baptize-infants\/","url_meta":{"origin":9371,"position":5},"title":"Why Baptize Infants?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Whit Sasser \u201cBaptizing\u201d infants is practiced in the Roman Catholic church and some of the Protestant denominations as well. But why would one need to subject a baby to such? They are not sinners. Sin cannot be inherited (Ezekiel 18:20). Sin is not passively received but a violation of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/infant-baptism-300x169.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9371\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Note by Dudley Ross Spears:<\/h3>\n