"What Should I Teach My Child About Baptism" is a brand new tract from House to House, Heart to Heart written by none other than Allen Webster, the author of all of H2H's tracts. It is yet another great resource for Christians and non-Christians alike in that it is aimed toward Christians but subtly teaches the truth about baptism to those that are not members of the New Testament church without wavering.
The Author of the Tract
Allen Webster is near and dear to my heart. He was "my first preacher" when I was baptized in 2009 at the Jacksonville Church of Christ in Jacksonville, AL. Allen is, as was mentioned, the author of all the tracts published by Jacksonville's evangelistic work called House to House, Heart to Heart. He has been preaching the Gospel since 1984 and has been with the Jacksonville congregation since 1995. Allen has authored a number of wonderful books (including, All the Devils Apples Have Worms, Seven Things A Loving God Hates and Why Not Be A Prodigal?) along with the tract series which is numbering in the hundreds at this point. He is the co-founder of Polishing the Pulpit, a gathering of thousands of Christians each year in Sevierville, TN and is the editor of the House to House, Heart to Heart magazine which has a readership larger than many well known newspapers and publications in America, reaching into sixteen million homes each year. Needless to say, Allen is a valiant soldier for Christ!
The Attributes of the Tract
There is a reason why this tract stuck out in my mind when I opened the box yesterday from House to House containing the new tracts and the extra copies of the magazine that we send out as a congregation. I am in the works to become an adoptive parent! That being said, there are more reasons why I would recommend this tract to any person, regardless of whether or not they are parents.
The Points - In the marching points titled "Baptism is when God puts us in His bathtub," "Baptism is when you get out of trouble with God," Baptism is when someone gets married to Jesus" and "Baptism is when God adopts you into His family" Allen does a good job of explaining ways in which a parent can convey the message of baptism to their young child all while letting the child know that they are innocent, provided they have not reached the point of accountability when they are responsible for their sins. He used illustrations like bathing in a bathtub cleansing the outside but at some point in the future the child will get dirty inside and will need to be cleaned, which God does through baptism. | "So, parents please assure your young children that god loves them and that they are in no danger of being lost. Be careful that you do not rob them of their childhood by forcing them to grow up too fast." |
"Teach children well. One day they will teach your grandchildren what you have passed along to them (2 Timothy 2:2)." | All in all, I can without any hesitation commend this tract and the work of Allen in writing it. It can be purchased or read by visiting the House to House website in a number of different quantities. Buy one for yourself and one for every set of parents you know, we all need it! |