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In a message dated 9/15/01 10:46:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time,
marbleface@... writes:


> I believe GWB is a member of the United Methodist Church. Evangelism is a
> part of the church doctrine. So this may all seem fine and dandy to him.
>

United Methodists are the only Methodists with which I'm familiar. I've been
to three different Methodist churches, all of that denomination. (Sang in an
Easter cantata...) The only differences I noted between them and the Southern
Baptists (without doing a lot of research--just looking through what was at
hand and from observation) was they have more of the traditional "church
calendar" (advent, Holy Week stuff that the Baptist didn't keep), and their
sermons are less fiery and brimstoney. They had the option of infant baptism
or of those who requested it after the age of reason (meaning kids who
figured out that they wanted to accept Baptism to mark their understanding of
Christianity, or adults who had. That, I think, is their "born again"
moment--wanting to acknowledge one's relationship with Christ in public, to
be baptized and join a church.

I was always taught (by Southern Baptists) that baptism was symbolic of the
death, burial and ressurection of the old self, and coming up out of the
water was a symbolic moment of the new birth of a Christian. But that was
symbol. The REAL new birth was that moment of realization and desire to live
for Jesus and to accept that without Jesus' sacrifice, eternal life would not
have been an option, and that only those who accept a personal relationship
with Jesus and God can be saved.

So for G.Bush Jr., living in Texas, it's pretty important that he identify
himself as "born again." For many Christians ONLY "born again" Christians
are "real Christians."

Sandra


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In a message dated 9/15/2001 2:58:10 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:


> So for G.Bush Jr., living in Texas, it's pretty important that he identify
> himself as "born again." For many Christians ONLY "born again" Christians
> are "real Christians."
>
> Sandra
>


So if he came to be a Methodist later in life he would be "born again" -- as
opposed to having been baptized as an infant?

I also think I read that he came to the church (or returned?) after he
married Laura and settled down.

Nance




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In a message dated 9/15/01 2:51:28 PM Mountain Daylight Time,
marbleface@... writes:


> So if he came to be a Methodist later in life he would be "born again" -- as
> opposed to having been baptized as an infant?
>

Infant baptism isn't "counted" by born-again folks, but someone who'd already
been baptized could still go through the moment of turning his life over to
Jesus. Whether he got baptized or not at that point might not matter as much
in some churches as others.




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