July 8 Today in OPC History

Does the constitution of the OPC permit church sessions to receive into communicant membership those who refuse to present their children for baptism on account of scruples concerning infant baptism? That was the question posed in the form of an overture from the Presbytery of the West Coast to the 32nd General Assembly, meeting in Portland Oregon. On July 8, 1965, the GA elected a special committee of three to consider that question.

The Rev. Messrs. John Murray (chairman), Charles Ellis, and Laurence Vail reported to the 33rd GA in the following year. Their report began by affirming that infant baptism was a divine institution and “it is the obligation of believing parents to present their children for baptism.” Accordingly, the report laid out the offense of refusing this ordinance: “the person who resolutely refuses to present his or her children for baptism is rejecting the covenant promise and grace which God has certified to his people from Abraham day’s till now.” Directing readers to the membership vows in the Directory for Worship, it argued that “it is scarcely compatible with honesty” for parents “to agree to submit in the Lord to the government of this church” while withholding baptism from their children.

At the same time, the committee report included some “qualifying considerations” from one member of the committee, which argued that “one can conceive of circumstances in which it would amount to undue severity and harshness not to welcome a brother Christian desirous of becoming a communicant member, though unable from the viewpoint of his own convictions, poorly grounded though they be, to present his infant child for Christian baptism.”

The 33rd General Assembly determined to send the study report, including the qualifying considerations, to sessions of the OPC for their study. It also passed a motion declaring that this question was a matter for judgment by sessions.

Picture: John Murray