Bobby Jamieson

I was thrilled when I saw Bobby Jamieson’s Going Public on our reading list because there are not too many things to bring greater joy to this preacher than baptizing a new brother or sister in Christ, but also because it was incredibly timely for me as we prepared to launch a new initiative at the church I pastor for “Covenant Membership.” The primary pushback I received was in the line, “having been baptized by immersion as a public testimony of my faith,” right at the beginning of the covenant. While I already felt pretty firmly in my Biblical conviction and basis for such a line, I was ready to dig into Going Public to bring some “big guns” into my arsenal to graciously respond to those not able to see its importance, and Jamieson delivered! This paper is merely a reflection on what I learned from reading Going Public and I hope it is an encouragement to the reader to take some of the things I learned from the book and consider putting them into practice in his own church.

An Obvious Point
Before I read the first word of Going Public, I scribbled, “We go public with everything else, why not baptism?” above the first paragraphs. I was hoping Jamieson would offer some ways for me to encourage the flock God has entrusted me to help them see the importance of a public faith. I mean, every news station carried the story about Bruce Jenner “going public” with his desire to become a woman and my feed on Facebook is an endless cycle of folks making their relationships “Facebook official,” or announcements about job changes, births, deaths, or what folks had for dinner! Why hesitate to take your faith public? I just did not get it, but Jamieson offered a robust definition of Biblical membership, baptism, Lord’s Supper, and the practical implications therein.

Things I Disliked
While I went into the book knowing I needed to find a few things to disagree with, that ended up being a tall task, but it ultimately came down when to baptize a new Believer. While he did well to defend his case, I believe it was a pendulum swung too far to the other extreme in a response to very young baptisms. Nevertheless, the status quo has got to go and the Church suffers when churches choose not to carry the same importance of Biblical baptism with their memberships. While Jamieson seemed somewhat heavy-handed (and I believe that was needed), I think he was just as gracious as he was unflinching in calling all Christians to restore or reform to a more Biblical understanding of Baptism.

Things I Liked
One of my favorite quotes from Going Public was, “We can’t remove baptism from membership because without baptism membership doesn’t exist. Removing baptism from membership is like removing vows from marriage. . . . As a marriage does not exist without a vow, so membership does not exist without baptism” (154). I felt this was a great correlation! Especially since I often encourage our flock of the necessity of quality time spent with the Father by comparing it to our marriages or friendships. We spend time with those we love because we value time with them! Comparing baptism to the covenant of marriage was a powerful reminder of the high value of Biblical membership, and as Jamieson often put it, it is the “door” by which we enter our church family. In fact, he says, “Baptism is both the passport of the kingdom and a kingdom citizen’s swearing-in ceremony. It’s how a church publicly identifies someone as a Christian and unites that person to itself. Therefore, it’s essential to—and normally confers—church membership” (20). I felt comparing these things to tangible things anyone could understand actually make a more accessible book for the typical layman than simply pastors or theologians alone.

Things I’ll Do Because of Going Public
I mentioned the timeliness of this book in regards to the push I am making for “Covenant Membership,” and Jamieson boils it down simply, “Jesus has appointed baptism to be a person’s initial entry into the church. Baptism is the front door of the church; there’s no other way in” (154). That is frowned upon by many, but as he said on early on in his book, “Closed membership carries an up-front social cost, but open membership comes with a price tag of its own, of the ‘bill me later’ variety” (10). In other words, it is worth the cost because it was worth it to God to put it in His Word! If it mattered to Him, it matters to us, and as we considered in class, “What does the Text say?” Jamieson defended his positions with Scripture after Scripture. and I would do well to put them into practice as we embark on the journey of “Covenant Membership.”

Conclusion
Baptism is where our faith goes public and that bears itself out in Scripture, but also across the ages of Christendom. We would do well to highlight its importance in our individual churches and in our own denominations across the world. But it is often said, “It starts with me.” I must take what I have learned from Scripture and from the pages of Jamieson’s book and put these precepts into practice in my own church and encourage pastors in my own realm of influence to do the same. I firmly believe Going Public will have a lasting impact on my own personal faith, the faithfulness of my own church, and, if heeded, the longevity of the Southern Baptist Convention. We cannot afford to bow to the whims of society, but to the Word of God.… (altro)

I love the 9Marks series of books on building healthy churches. I had previously read and been stirred by their books on elders and church discipline, so I was extremely excited when I received this book at the Together For the Gospel Conference.

Bobby Jamieson did not disappoint. He continued in the vein of the other 9Marks offerings, authoring a short book loaded with great biblical insight. These books are helpful to pass on to lay leaders and staff members. They deal with critical issues for healthy churches. They can be digested in one sitting (though you may get more out of it if you stretch it out a bit). When you couple succinct with scriptural, you have a recipe for a good tool in today's ultra-busy world.

Jamieson's writing style was personal, but not overly anecdotal. It was clear what his purpose was (sound doctrine is essential for godly living and building healthy churches). He did a wonderful job of explaining what sound doctrine is, how it should apply to the church, and its benefits for those who apply it. Essentially, he defines sound doctrine and then renders a chapter each on how sound doctrine is for reading and teaching the bible, holiness, love, unity, worship, witness, and joy.

I am training pastors in the Philippines later this year. I will probably add this to my list of supplies to get in their hands. I will definitely get this book into the hands of my own deacons and elders.

Thanks to the good folks at 9Marks for putting out yet another great resource for the church!

Key Quotes
"There are two main ideas that run through this book. The first is that sound doctrine is for life. . . . The second main idea of this book is that sound doctrine is for the life of the church" (13).

"Doctrine isn't just for a statement of faith that's hidden away on a back page of a church website; it's for sermons, small groups, personal conversations, prayers, songs, and more. Sound doctrine should course through our churches' veins and nourish every aspect of our lives together" (14).

"Doctrine is sound whenever our own words summarize the content of the Bible rightly or faithfully, like getting an A+ on a vocabulary quiz" (17).

"Sound doctrine is a summary of the Bible's teaching that is both faithful to the Bible and useful for life" (17).

"Ultimately, the goal of reading and teaching Scripture is to love God and our neighbor better. And the way to love God more is to know God more" (30).

"The best antidote to an appetite for false teaching is a steady diet of sound doctrine. The best way to prevent doctrinal disease is a regular regimen of the preventive medicine of scriptural theology" (42).

"Sound doctrine is a central means by which Christians grow in holiness, and holiness is the goal of sound doctrine" (52).

"The doctrinally driven unity of the church defies human explanations" (82).

"You don't lose yourself in worship by trying to lose yourself in worship. Instead, aim to glorify God as he deserves and desires" (92).

"If we do away with doctrine, we do away with the gospel and evangelism" (96).… (altro)