John the Baptist, who we are told was related by blood to Jesus, was preaching the impending judgement of God, urging repentance and moral reform, and baptizing in the Jordan River those who responded.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Baptists are very strong believers that the civil magistrate is ordained by God to punish those who do evil.
Missionaries labor diligently to teach and baptize those who accept the gospel. In the process, their own testimonies become deeply rooted.
My grandfather was one of the most amazing Baptist ministers in history, he was unbelievable. He was one of the most amazing men - the most amazing man that I ever met... He lived an amazing life.
It is my growing conviction that the Baptist churches in America are behind the age in missionary spirit. They now and then make a spasmodic effort to throw off a nightmare debt of some years' accumulation, and then sink back into unconscious repose.
The Southern Baptist Church is a specific culture in itself. So, I had to study, talk to people, watch tape and go to performances to see how Gospel artists move compared to secular artists.
John's time and effort were, in the main, spent on pretty honorable stuff. As for the other side, well, nobody's perfect, nobody's Jesus. And look what they did to him.
I was raised Baptist, and I like the fact that I got my conscience installed early.
I care to live only to entice people to look at Nature's loveliness. Heaven knows that John the Baptist was not more eager to get all his fellow sinners into the Jordan than I to baptize all of mine in the beauty of God's mountains.
You see, I was the son of a baptist minister.
John the Baptist was supposed to point the way to the Christ. He was just the voice, not the Messiah. So everybody's calling has dignity to it and God seems to know better than we do what is in us that needs to be called forth.