Differences in Judgment About Water-Baptism, No Bar to Communion: Or, to Communicate With Saints, as Saints, Proved Lawful

by John Bunyan

Excerpt from Differences in Judgment About Water-Baptism, No Bar to Communion: Or, to Communicate With Saints, as Saints, Proved Lawful

Again, you say, I had not meddled with the controversy; at all, had I found any of parts that would divert them selves to take notice of you, p. Q.

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76 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1673

About the author

John Bunyan, a Christian writer and preacher, was born at Harrowden (one mile south-east of Bedford), in the Parish of Elstow, England. He wrote The Pilgrim's Progress, arguably the most famous published Christian allegory. In the Church of England he is remembered with a Lesser Festival on 30 August.

Reviews

[Luke Schmeltzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read along with Bunyan's "A Confession of My Faith" for a paper on open membership and communion. The first half of his Confession was a straightforward defense of essential Christian doctrine that was warming to my soul, but after that he launched his defense of open membership and open communion that would be continued in "Differences in Judgment..." I love and respect Bunyan, but I believe he is very wrong here. I think that he undervalues baptism and the role it has in the life of the church, and it leads to inconsistencies in his own independent and baptistic convictions.

[Matthew Eyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE reading anything by John Bunyan. Reading this book helped me to understand John Bunyan's mind a bit more. I grew up with the assumption that Bunyan was a Baptist. This book proves otherwise. I suppose, if he were labeled as anything, it would be more non-denominational. He believed that we shouldn't refuse to fellowship with someone over Baptism, with which I agree. He further believed that it wasn't necessary to be baptised as an adult for membership, if one conscientiously believed their infant baptism was sufficient. I disagree with him on that note, but I understand that he was partly a product of his time. The Baptists of his day refused any sort of fellowship with paedobaptists, and Bunyan considered them needlessly divisive. He makes a lot of interesting arguments in this book. I like the spirit with which he writes, and his tremendous understanding and use of the Scriptures.

Update:
I've read the book again, as of 9/2014. Some books are worth a second read. I have to say that I've come to agree with Bunyan on Baptism not being a Scriptural bar to church communion and fellowship. His use of Scripture convinced me. Great book!

[Asher Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jumping right into a rebuttal of a rebuttal was perhaps not the greatest of ideas. Combined with this, it was a bit longer than I anticipated, so I admit to reading this in a rather more rushed manner than ideal. I did not give it the time it deserved, as I didn't want to be long sidetracked from David Copperfield, which I'm making good progress on.

With that said, I can't settle fully on an opinion. Bunyan makes some good points - I may even favor his side more than he does, as I tend to consider paedobaptism improper but nonetheless valid, whereas he simply speaks of it as being unbaptized. On the other hand, I disagree with his (nonetheless fairly argued) assertion that baptism is not a church ordinance (and find it odd that his opponents seem to concede this point?). I found his passion for Christian unity admirable.

Was also fun to read one of his works that wasn't The Pilgrim's Progress. Frankly, I find him a better writer of nonfiction.