{"quotes":[{"text":"Under the leadership of religious professionals, modern worship has become passive—listening to a message and singing some songs. Seldom is there a call to service or an invitation to trust Christ. Baptisms take place inside the church where it is safe and comfortable rather than in public where there is opportunity to give witness to the saving grace of Christ. The great needs of society are left to para-church groups, government agencies, and other social service organizations. All the while the church is losing its muscle tone, its biceps are becoming loose and flabby and its belly is becoming round and soft. Not a pretty picture for one who once was toned and buff—a lean, mean fighting machine.","author":"Craig Olson","tags":["baptism","casual-christian","christ","christianity","worship"],"id":6302,"author_id":"Craig+Olson"},{"text":"One Lord, one faith and one baptism.","author":"Lailah Gifty Akita","tags":["baptism","christian","faith","god","jesus-christ","religion","saved-souls","spiritual"],"id":11941,"author_id":"Lailah+Gifty+Akita"},{"text":"When the convert emerges from the water, the world seems changed. The world has not changed, it is always wonderful and horrible, iniquitous and filled with beauty. But now, after baptism, the eyes that see the world have changed.","author":"Liturgy Training Publications","tags":["baptism","discipleship","perspective","regeneration"],"id":15009,"author_id":"Liturgy+Training+Publications"},{"text":"Accept the past as the past and realize that each new day you are a new person who doesn’t need to carry old baggage into the new day with you. It’s amazing how many people ruin the beauty of today with the sorrows of yesterday. Yesterday doesn’t exist anymore! For example, if ever I feel foolish or guilty about something I’ve done, I learn from it and attempt to do better the next time. Shame or guilt serves no one. Such feelings actually keep us down, often lowering the vibrations of those around us, as well. Living in the present moment is the recurring baptism of the soul, forever purifying every new day with a new you.","author":"Alaric Hutchinson","tags":["baptism","consciousness","growth","inner-peace","inspirational","new-age","new-day","new-thought","past","present-moment","psychology","sorrow","spiritual","wisdom","zen"],"id":37609,"author_id":"Alaric+Hutchinson"},{"text":"Baptism is one of those more effective rites that come in with the new covenant. The fact that baptism takes the place of the multiple, complicated cleansing rites of stoicheic order is itself a sign that salvation has come to the world. And the fact that baptism does the miraculous work of binding diverse flesh into one body means that baptism is one of the rites that effects the social salvation of humanity.","author":"Peter Leithart","tags":["baptism","church"],"id":71959,"author_id":"Peter+Leithart"},{"text":"Dost thou renounce Satan, and all his Angels, and all his works, and all his services, and all his pride?' ...The first act of the Christian life is a renunciation, a challenge. No one can be Christ's until he has, first, faced evil, and then become ready to fight it. How far is this spirit from the way in which we often proclaim, or to use a more modern term, 'sell' Christianity today! ... How could we then speak of 'fight' when the very set-up of our churches must, by definition, convey the idea of softness, comfort, peace? ... One does not see very well where and how 'fight' would fit into the weekly bulletin of a suburban parish, among all kings of counseling sessions, bake sales, and 'young adult' get-togethers. ...'Dost thou unite thyself unto Christ?","author":"Alexander Schmemann","tags":["baptism","church","conversion"],"id":85858,"author_id":"Alexander+Schmemann"},{"text":"Bishop Hostettler explained that baptism was not the means by which one is saved, but simply an outward sign of salvation. Just as an Amishman’s beard is an indication of his marriage and commitment to his wife, so baptism symbolizes our covenant with Christ.","author":"J.E.B. Spredemann","tags":["baptism","marriage","salvation"],"id":107123,"author_id":"J.E.B.+Spredemann"},{"text":"Baptism in the Holy Spirit belongs to them that believe and are not of this world.","author":"Sunday Adelaja","tags":["baptism","believe","holy-spirit"],"id":135075,"author_id":"Sunday+Adelaja"},{"text":"Thus the vocation of the baptized person is a simple thing: it is to live from day to day, whatever the day brings, in this extraordinary unity, in this reconciliation with all people and all things, in this knowledge that death has no more power, in this truth of the resurrection. It does not really matter exactly what a Christian does from day to day. What matters is that whatever one does is done in honor of one’s own life, given to one by God and restored to one in Christ, and in honor of the life into which all humans and all things are called.The only thing that really matters to live in Christ instead of death.","author":"William Stringfellow","tags":["baptism","christian-living","christianity","death","resurrection"],"id":138688,"author_id":"William+Stringfellow"},{"text":"Living in the present moment is the recurring baptism of the soul, forever purifying every new day with a new you.","author":"Alaric Hutchinson","tags":["aura","baptism","breathe","consciousness","cosmic","cosmos","daily-life","duality","existentialism","galactic","growth","healing","inner-peace","inspirational","joy","love","meditation","mind-body-spirit","mindful","mindfulness","new-age","new-earth","optimism","peace","present-moment","psychology","purity","purity-of-heart","self-love","soul-searching","spiritual","transformation","vibration","wisdom","zen"],"id":140489,"author_id":"Alaric+Hutchinson"}],"pagination":{"page":1,"page_size":10,"total":38,"pages":4,"next":"?page=2\u0026page_size=10"}}