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Do Not Hinder Them: A Biblical Examination of Childhood Conversion
FOREWORD by Dr. John MacArthur Jesus said, "Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them; for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Mark 10:14). Is this a verse in support of baptizing children who make a profession of faith in Christ as most evangelicals have supposed? If it is, why is it that so many of the children we baptize grow up to show little if any fruit of having been genuinely converted? Why do so many walk away from Christianity once they gain independence from the home? In Do Not Hinder Them, author and evangelist Justin Peters presents a compelling biblical case that both the nature of children and the nature of salvation warrant extreme caution before we baptize children who have made intellectual assent to the basics of the Gospel. Do Not Hinder Them encourages parents to teach their children the Gospel but also provides strong biblical and theological reasons to wait until they are older before following through with baptism.
114 pages, Paperback
Published December 26, 2016
About the author
Justin Peters
1 book27 followersJustin (M.Div. and Th.M.) is a member of Kootenai Community Church in Sandpoint, Idaho where he and his wife, Kathy, make their home.
Though his first love is expository preaching, the thing for which Justin Peters is most well-known is his Seminar entitled “Clouds Without Water” which he teaches all around the globe. “Clouds Without Water” is a biblical critique of a movement properly called the Word-Faith movement but more commonly known as the Health and Wealth, or, Prosperity gospel. Word-Faith theology holds that it is always God’s will for a Christian to be financially wealthy and physically healed. It holds that believers can be rich and never be sick as long as they have enough faith and “sow seeds” into a preacher’s ministry so that they can, in turn, “reap a harvest.” Word-Faith theology is led by people such as Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Jesse Duplantis, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Joseph Prince, and many others.
Though his first love is expository preaching, the thing for which Justin Peters is most well-known is his Seminar entitled “Clouds Without Water” which he teaches all around the globe. “Clouds Without Water” is a biblical critique of a movement properly called the Word-Faith movement but more commonly known as the Health and Wealth, or, Prosperity gospel. Word-Faith theology holds that it is always God’s will for a Christian to be financially wealthy and physically healed. It holds that believers can be rich and never be sick as long as they have enough faith and “sow seeds” into a preacher’s ministry so that they can, in turn, “reap a harvest.” Word-Faith theology is led by people such as Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Jesse Duplantis, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Joseph Prince, and many others.
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July 13, 2023
I am having a hard time even knowing where to begin with my review of this book because I so strongly disagreed with so much of it. I have a lot of respect for Justin Peters, but this book was incredibly disappointing. The title is ironic, because in reality, it’s a handbook on how to hinder young children in their faith.
The reason that this book is getting two stars instead of one is because I do agree with the concerns presented in the beginning of the book regarding how most of evangelicalism approaches conversion and the baptism of young children. I can wholeheartedly agree with the author that easy-believism and antinomianism are substantial problems within the modern church, and that often far too little care is taken when we approach baptizing new converts (especially young children). But that is where my agreement with him ends.
The entire premise of this book is that children should not be baptized. In fact, Peters states that he would rarely ever consider baptizing someone under the age of twenty if he was a pastor. He says that the baptism of children is “one of evangelicalism's most tragic departures from sound doctrine” (p. 27) and that it is “is one of the most serious and yet widely accepted and practiced errors in evangelicalism” (p. 30).
I went into this book knowing that I, as a paedobaptist, would disagree with him on who ought to be baptized, but I did not expect his view to be this extreme. I found much of this book shocking, to be honest. There are so many issues to unpack, but I will try to note my largest contentions.
Peters is extremely skeptical of childhood conversion. While he states that he believes it to be possible for God to save a child, he makes it clear that he does not think it is at all common. In fact, as far as I can tell after reading this, he thinks that it is rare for God to do so. In chapter 2 he discussed the nature of salvation and gives some Scriptural analogies for salvation, such as battle imagery, slavery to Christ, and being Christ’s bride. He says that these analogies simply do not seem to apply to children because we don’t send them to fight wars, they aren’t mature enough to enter into a relationship that requires being a slave of Christ, and they cannot understand how conversion is akin to commitment to a spouse in marriage (paraphrased, p. 48). He also delves into how Christians are called to take up their cross and be prepared to face persecution, and argues that children cannot do this. In fact he says that Christians must count the cost, but that “this is just not something of which young children are capable” (p. 54). So, he initially claims to believe that it is possible for children to be saved, but then contradicts himself when he states that children are not capable of doing something that is required of those who are saved. He states several times that a child expressing interest in the things of God should not be treated as evidence of the Holy Spirit working in them (p. 46, 55, 104-105).
Peters devotes an entire chapter (chapter 4) to examining fruit of conversion. He gives criteria such as obedience, Godly sorrow over sin, personal holiness, repentance, hunger for the Word, love for the brethren, and more. I would heartily agree that the things that he lists are evidence of salvation. He believes it to be extremely difficult or even impossible to observe fruit in children, but does not give much explanation as to why beyond the fact that their faith hasn’t truly been tested yet.
Additionally, Peters stresses the importance of baptism as obedience to God several times (p. 28, 111) and yet does not deal with the implications of this in light of his assertion that baptism ought to be denied until someone is at least twenty years old. He titled this book “Do Not Hinder Them”, but did he consider that by denying a believing child baptism, you are indeed hindering them from obedience to God’s Word? Even after emphasizing that baptism is required by Christ, he manages to cheapen that command by asking if baptism doesn’t save children, then “why exactly are we baptizing them?” (p. 54). He states:
“So, if a baptized nine year old girl who dies would have gone to Heaven anyway, then what exactly is it from which she is being saved? If she would not have endured God's wrath for eternity had her life ended, then how is it that she was just saved...from His wrath? There is undeniably a significant logical fallacy in baptizing children.” (p. 54)
Here he is essentially arguing that there’s no point in baptizing a child if they’re going to go to Heaven anyway if they were to die… baptism doesn’t save them from God’s wrath so why do it? I do not understand how he can argue this point while also stating, in the same book, that baptism is a necessary step of obedience for a believer. Additionally, baptism is a means of grace. While it does not justify the recipient, it does confer benefits to the believer. Peter’s is a Baptist, so I will quote Keach’s Catechism here on this topic:
“Baptism is an holy ordinance, wherein the washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, signifies our ingrafting into Christ and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord's.”
It is inconsistent with both Scripture and the Reformed Baptist tradition to speak as if baptism has no benefits, and yet this is essentially what he argues.
His assertion about baptism being pointless for children because they will go to Heaven anyway brings me to my next contention. He spends much of chapter 2 arguing in favor of an age of accountability. He argues that when a young child sins, they are not “knowingly and intentionally violating the moral Law of God” (p. 40) and that they “are simply not held accountable for their sinful nature or *even sinful acts*” (p. 42, emphasis added). Thus, there is an age/time where someone becomes accountable to God for their sin. He states that, while it can’t be applied uniformly to all children, age thirteen “would be the earliest time this spiritual transition would take place” (p. 41). This was quite shocking to read. The idea that any human being is not accountable to God for their sin is Biblically indefensible (Rom 3:23, 1 John 1:8, Rom 5:12, Ecc 7:20). Adam’s sin is imputed to all of humanity, and the only way we have peace with God is by Christ’s righteousness being imputed to us by faith. This does not mean that infants and young children who die don’t go to be with the Lord– I hope and believe that they do. But the reason for this is because God gives them the gift of faith and regeneration before their death, not because He somehow overlooks their sinful nature and/or sinful acts.
He devotes a section of chapter 5 to possible objections opponents may (rightly, in my humble opinion) make from Scripture. He simply fails to deal with the text honestly and instead twists their meaning to fit his view. For example, according to Peters, when Jesus references children in verses such as Mark 9:36-37,42 and Matthew 18:15, He is not speaking of actual children. In Luke 18:15-17, Jesus is simply displaying a “sentimental love” for young children. He can quickly push off any valid objection to his arguments here by saying that Jesus didn’t actually mean children when he spoke about children. He briefly deals with the conversion of John the Baptist in the womb but writes it off as “a unique case never to be repeated” (p. 91). He does not approach Psalm 22 at all, where we also see imagery of trusting God in the womb and as an infant.
He then deals with church history, but only ever references the book of Acts (conveniently leaving out that for the vast majority of church history, children have been baptized). Peters argues that there is no record of a child ever being baptized in the Bible. This may be technically true, but as he himself mentions earlier in the book, the lack of something explicitly being mentioned in Scripture does not mean there is not Scriptural precedent for it. There is also no record of a woman ever taking the Lord’s Supper. Would Peters use this as evidence to withhold communion from women? I’m guessing the answer to that would be no. So why does he apply this argumentation here? He addresses household baptisms, and takes it farther than most credobaptists who would simply argue that there is no evidence for infants being included. Peters argues that there were no children at all present in these households (p. 92). This is quite frankly nonsensical. The pattern that we see in these texts is families repenting and believing together, and to act like the average household didn’t include any children at all is to ignore historical facts in favor of his position.
He ends the book encouraging parents and pastors to withhold baptism from professing children until they are around the age of 20 at least, and to not assume that their profession is genuine until their faith has been tested. This is a very easy way to sow doubt in children who are earnestly seeking after the Lord. Again, I do agree with Peters that there are some significant issues in how the church at large approaches childhood conversion. Repeating a prayer at summer camp does not save a child. But children absolutely can and do genuinely repent of sin and trust in Christ, and I would argue that God normatively works through faithful families in accomplishing this.
On top of all of these issues, in Chapter 3, Peters also espouses EFS. This wasn’t central to the book, but it is worth noting as it is serious Trinitarian error.
In conclusion, this book was unfortunately a massive let-down. I knew that I would have some disagreements with the author, but I did not realize just how many. I thought he would still have some good insight to offer on the topic of childhood conversion, despite disagreements I may have with him on baptism. Instead, he argues that it is unlikely (or even impossible) for young children to be saved, which is entirely not in line with what the Bible teaches. Furthermore, I believe he overcomplicates the Gospel when he repeatedly claims that children do not have the maturity to truly understand it. As Charles Hodge put it, the Gospel is “so simple a child can grasp it, yet so profound and complex that it will take a lifetime—even an eternity—of study and discovery to fully understand it”.
The reason that this book is getting two stars instead of one is because I do agree with the concerns presented in the beginning of the book regarding how most of evangelicalism approaches conversion and the baptism of young children. I can wholeheartedly agree with the author that easy-believism and antinomianism are substantial problems within the modern church, and that often far too little care is taken when we approach baptizing new converts (especially young children). But that is where my agreement with him ends.
The entire premise of this book is that children should not be baptized. In fact, Peters states that he would rarely ever consider baptizing someone under the age of twenty if he was a pastor. He says that the baptism of children is “one of evangelicalism's most tragic departures from sound doctrine” (p. 27) and that it is “is one of the most serious and yet widely accepted and practiced errors in evangelicalism” (p. 30).
I went into this book knowing that I, as a paedobaptist, would disagree with him on who ought to be baptized, but I did not expect his view to be this extreme. I found much of this book shocking, to be honest. There are so many issues to unpack, but I will try to note my largest contentions.
Peters is extremely skeptical of childhood conversion. While he states that he believes it to be possible for God to save a child, he makes it clear that he does not think it is at all common. In fact, as far as I can tell after reading this, he thinks that it is rare for God to do so. In chapter 2 he discussed the nature of salvation and gives some Scriptural analogies for salvation, such as battle imagery, slavery to Christ, and being Christ’s bride. He says that these analogies simply do not seem to apply to children because we don’t send them to fight wars, they aren’t mature enough to enter into a relationship that requires being a slave of Christ, and they cannot understand how conversion is akin to commitment to a spouse in marriage (paraphrased, p. 48). He also delves into how Christians are called to take up their cross and be prepared to face persecution, and argues that children cannot do this. In fact he says that Christians must count the cost, but that “this is just not something of which young children are capable” (p. 54). So, he initially claims to believe that it is possible for children to be saved, but then contradicts himself when he states that children are not capable of doing something that is required of those who are saved. He states several times that a child expressing interest in the things of God should not be treated as evidence of the Holy Spirit working in them (p. 46, 55, 104-105).
Peters devotes an entire chapter (chapter 4) to examining fruit of conversion. He gives criteria such as obedience, Godly sorrow over sin, personal holiness, repentance, hunger for the Word, love for the brethren, and more. I would heartily agree that the things that he lists are evidence of salvation. He believes it to be extremely difficult or even impossible to observe fruit in children, but does not give much explanation as to why beyond the fact that their faith hasn’t truly been tested yet.
Additionally, Peters stresses the importance of baptism as obedience to God several times (p. 28, 111) and yet does not deal with the implications of this in light of his assertion that baptism ought to be denied until someone is at least twenty years old. He titled this book “Do Not Hinder Them”, but did he consider that by denying a believing child baptism, you are indeed hindering them from obedience to God’s Word? Even after emphasizing that baptism is required by Christ, he manages to cheapen that command by asking if baptism doesn’t save children, then “why exactly are we baptizing them?” (p. 54). He states:
“So, if a baptized nine year old girl who dies would have gone to Heaven anyway, then what exactly is it from which she is being saved? If she would not have endured God's wrath for eternity had her life ended, then how is it that she was just saved...from His wrath? There is undeniably a significant logical fallacy in baptizing children.” (p. 54)
Here he is essentially arguing that there’s no point in baptizing a child if they’re going to go to Heaven anyway if they were to die… baptism doesn’t save them from God’s wrath so why do it? I do not understand how he can argue this point while also stating, in the same book, that baptism is a necessary step of obedience for a believer. Additionally, baptism is a means of grace. While it does not justify the recipient, it does confer benefits to the believer. Peter’s is a Baptist, so I will quote Keach’s Catechism here on this topic:
“Baptism is an holy ordinance, wherein the washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, signifies our ingrafting into Christ and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord's.”
It is inconsistent with both Scripture and the Reformed Baptist tradition to speak as if baptism has no benefits, and yet this is essentially what he argues.
His assertion about baptism being pointless for children because they will go to Heaven anyway brings me to my next contention. He spends much of chapter 2 arguing in favor of an age of accountability. He argues that when a young child sins, they are not “knowingly and intentionally violating the moral Law of God” (p. 40) and that they “are simply not held accountable for their sinful nature or *even sinful acts*” (p. 42, emphasis added). Thus, there is an age/time where someone becomes accountable to God for their sin. He states that, while it can’t be applied uniformly to all children, age thirteen “would be the earliest time this spiritual transition would take place” (p. 41). This was quite shocking to read. The idea that any human being is not accountable to God for their sin is Biblically indefensible (Rom 3:23, 1 John 1:8, Rom 5:12, Ecc 7:20). Adam’s sin is imputed to all of humanity, and the only way we have peace with God is by Christ’s righteousness being imputed to us by faith. This does not mean that infants and young children who die don’t go to be with the Lord– I hope and believe that they do. But the reason for this is because God gives them the gift of faith and regeneration before their death, not because He somehow overlooks their sinful nature and/or sinful acts.
He devotes a section of chapter 5 to possible objections opponents may (rightly, in my humble opinion) make from Scripture. He simply fails to deal with the text honestly and instead twists their meaning to fit his view. For example, according to Peters, when Jesus references children in verses such as Mark 9:36-37,42 and Matthew 18:15, He is not speaking of actual children. In Luke 18:15-17, Jesus is simply displaying a “sentimental love” for young children. He can quickly push off any valid objection to his arguments here by saying that Jesus didn’t actually mean children when he spoke about children. He briefly deals with the conversion of John the Baptist in the womb but writes it off as “a unique case never to be repeated” (p. 91). He does not approach Psalm 22 at all, where we also see imagery of trusting God in the womb and as an infant.
He then deals with church history, but only ever references the book of Acts (conveniently leaving out that for the vast majority of church history, children have been baptized). Peters argues that there is no record of a child ever being baptized in the Bible. This may be technically true, but as he himself mentions earlier in the book, the lack of something explicitly being mentioned in Scripture does not mean there is not Scriptural precedent for it. There is also no record of a woman ever taking the Lord’s Supper. Would Peters use this as evidence to withhold communion from women? I’m guessing the answer to that would be no. So why does he apply this argumentation here? He addresses household baptisms, and takes it farther than most credobaptists who would simply argue that there is no evidence for infants being included. Peters argues that there were no children at all present in these households (p. 92). This is quite frankly nonsensical. The pattern that we see in these texts is families repenting and believing together, and to act like the average household didn’t include any children at all is to ignore historical facts in favor of his position.
He ends the book encouraging parents and pastors to withhold baptism from professing children until they are around the age of 20 at least, and to not assume that their profession is genuine until their faith has been tested. This is a very easy way to sow doubt in children who are earnestly seeking after the Lord. Again, I do agree with Peters that there are some significant issues in how the church at large approaches childhood conversion. Repeating a prayer at summer camp does not save a child. But children absolutely can and do genuinely repent of sin and trust in Christ, and I would argue that God normatively works through faithful families in accomplishing this.
On top of all of these issues, in Chapter 3, Peters also espouses EFS. This wasn’t central to the book, but it is worth noting as it is serious Trinitarian error.
In conclusion, this book was unfortunately a massive let-down. I knew that I would have some disagreements with the author, but I did not realize just how many. I thought he would still have some good insight to offer on the topic of childhood conversion, despite disagreements I may have with him on baptism. Instead, he argues that it is unlikely (or even impossible) for young children to be saved, which is entirely not in line with what the Bible teaches. Furthermore, I believe he overcomplicates the Gospel when he repeatedly claims that children do not have the maturity to truly understand it. As Charles Hodge put it, the Gospel is “so simple a child can grasp it, yet so profound and complex that it will take a lifetime—even an eternity—of study and discovery to fully understand it”.
August 24, 2019
I think the author made some really good points. Particularly when he discusses the difference between intellectual assent to gospel facts vs. repentance and God-given saving faith. His chapter on fruits of salvation was excellent. His primary assertion is that the church, particularly the American, Western church, is experiencing a crisis of childhood professions and baptisms with very few maintaining faith and fruit through adulthood, and that this ought not to be. This is a real problem. I think he raises some good, logical arguments for why many children may not have experienced saving faith or have been baptized prematurely. His line of reasoning is sound, however, I think the author does base the bulk of his argument on personal experience (his own and others). While he does provide contextually correct interpretation of several NT passages mentioning children, his Scriptural argument against baptism before adulthood is mainly from a point of silence in the NT on the subject. I think we should be careful in this, because there is a risk of the solution becoming both reactive and prescriptive, rather than solely what is directly taught in Scripture. I also think his stance on the age of accountability, while a very compassionate and perhaps largely true approach, goes a little further than what Scripture clearly states.
As Peters concludes, limiting baptisms to adults and older teenagers would not prevent all false conversions. However, I wonder if the solution to the epidemic might not lie more in the church leadership encouraging self-examination of baptized members and expecting continued fruit, accountability, and discipleship, and less in exactly how old a person is when he professes faith and is baptized. I also wonder to what extent a pastor should actually consider himself responsible for determining genuine salvation prior to baptism, since God alone sees the heart. Does not Christ address this very problem in the Kingdom Parable of the Wheat and the Tares?
If a young person is baptized and then assured and assumed by all to be saved regardless of future attitude and behavior, then that is a ripe environment for hypocrisy and future apostasy. But if the baptized young person is discipled by both his parents and others in the church, is expected to demonstrate fruits consistent with salvation, encouraged to examine himself rather than constantly assured of his status based on intellectual assent alone, and is confronted when there are patterns of open sin, then a false conversion might be more obvious and promptly addressed.
Giving children a false sense of security is a very serious matter, and I think that is what Peters is trying to address. I just question whether his line in the sand is an authoritative doctrine clearly taught in the NT, or is an inference that may be often correct and offer helpful guidance to parents and pastors, but should perhaps not be applied to every young new professing believer.
As Peters concludes, limiting baptisms to adults and older teenagers would not prevent all false conversions. However, I wonder if the solution to the epidemic might not lie more in the church leadership encouraging self-examination of baptized members and expecting continued fruit, accountability, and discipleship, and less in exactly how old a person is when he professes faith and is baptized. I also wonder to what extent a pastor should actually consider himself responsible for determining genuine salvation prior to baptism, since God alone sees the heart. Does not Christ address this very problem in the Kingdom Parable of the Wheat and the Tares?
If a young person is baptized and then assured and assumed by all to be saved regardless of future attitude and behavior, then that is a ripe environment for hypocrisy and future apostasy. But if the baptized young person is discipled by both his parents and others in the church, is expected to demonstrate fruits consistent with salvation, encouraged to examine himself rather than constantly assured of his status based on intellectual assent alone, and is confronted when there are patterns of open sin, then a false conversion might be more obvious and promptly addressed.
Giving children a false sense of security is a very serious matter, and I think that is what Peters is trying to address. I just question whether his line in the sand is an authoritative doctrine clearly taught in the NT, or is an inference that may be often correct and offer helpful guidance to parents and pastors, but should perhaps not be applied to every young new professing believer.
February 2, 2025
An incredibly helpful read as a parent and as a pastor. I agree with the pastor quoted in the introduction when asked “What is the most challenging thing you face as a pastor?” and he responded “knowing when to baptize children” (p. 15). We’ve already faced this challenge in our church on more than one occasion, and I think it’s safe to say we will again in the future. Peters recognizes rightly that it’s an emotional and sensitive topic.
My story is like so many others referenced in this book in that I was dunked in water (baptized) as a child before conversion and was then truly baptized later after conversion.
Full of biblical evidence and sound hermeneutics, Peters argues that we should wait until late teenage years when children have faced temptation and persecution because “nothing reveals the genuineness of one’s faith quite like these two factors” (p. 103). I think his scripture-backed arguments based on the nature of children, the nature of conversion, and the need of fruit of conversion all support his case well.
Toward the end of the book I also appreciated the way he graciously offered example responses for parents wanting to know how to respond to their kids or what parents should do if they have already baptized their children.
My story is like so many others referenced in this book in that I was dunked in water (baptized) as a child before conversion and was then truly baptized later after conversion.
Full of biblical evidence and sound hermeneutics, Peters argues that we should wait until late teenage years when children have faced temptation and persecution because “nothing reveals the genuineness of one’s faith quite like these two factors” (p. 103). I think his scripture-backed arguments based on the nature of children, the nature of conversion, and the need of fruit of conversion all support his case well.
Toward the end of the book I also appreciated the way he graciously offered example responses for parents wanting to know how to respond to their kids or what parents should do if they have already baptized their children.
April 21, 2026
Justin Peters recognizes a real problem, but slightly misses in his solution. He advocates for delaying baptism (basically until age 20) and thinks that you should tell your child that they should wait to be baptized "because it will be more meaningful to you later." I definitely see the problem that he is pointing out of kids making a profession but seemingly falling away later, but he missed that there is a process called church discipline to help restore brothers falling away.
March 5, 2024
I am sooooo glad I read this book. It took me months to make myself read it... To get past the introduction. But once I REALLY started reading, it only took me a couple of days to finish. And my mind was blown. The subject of this book is like my life story. And so many Biblical passages are explained in ways that make sense but I'd never realized. Highly recommend - especially to those who have grown up in the Church.
January 9, 2018
this was an excellent examination of childhood conversion and baptism. Justin graciously (as always) shows from Scripture why this common practice is not Biblical. I really appreciated his treatment of the nature of children & salvation....it made the case very plainly that childhood baptism is unwise. I also benefited from his exegesis of Proverbs 22:6. He succinctly demonstrates why childhood baptism should not be practiced and even gives solid advice as to how to deal with a child who would like to be baptized. All Christian parents and pastoral staff should read this book! Recommended!
April 21, 2023
This book was so incredibly helpful to me. As a parent, I have wrestled with the questions that Justin Peters answers in this book. He lays out a scriptural argument that has given me a ton of food for thought. I know I will return to this book for fresh encouragement and appropriate caution in the years to come.
October 17, 2023
This book is not addressing infant baptism, but how old a believer should be before being baptized. I had a few difficulties with this book. First of all he only really reasons from scripture in part of the book and mostly to make the argument that the Bible doesn't explicitly say children were baptized. The problem with this argument is the Bible doesn't explicitly say children weren't baptized. Without any indication of what was normal in the early church it doesn't make sense to use this as proof one way or the other. If the early church were not in folly there was no need to address it. My second major problem is he makes assertions and does not back them up with any information. He assumes that what he has witnessed in the modern American church is universal and he does not need to back up his claims. As a Canadian I have not seen "legions" of children be baptized, in fact I have seen less than 10 children under the age of 16 get baptized in 24 years. However most unbaptized young people still either have a period of rebellion or completely leave the church. He fails to look at any other things beyond baptism that might have an effect on people leaving the church. Thirdly while I am always a little on edge about the age of accountability doctrine, he sets his at 13 years old, that seems high especially considering there are convicted serial killers younger than that. Forth he it claims he'd rather not baptize people until after they are 20, and seems to assert that this will lessen the chance that they will leave the church. Again in my Canadian experience most of the people I've witnessed being baptized have been at least 18 years old often older, and enough of them leave the church that simply waiting until someone is "old enough" does not seem to make a difference. Fifth he asserts that parents are feeling pressured to go along with the cultural norm of having their child baptized as soon as possible. Again this is not the case in my experience, the peer pressure in my culture is to put it off until they are at least 15/16 years old but preferably later. Culturally here there is an extreme discomfort with the potential of wrongfully baptizing a child, but none of the same reservations apply to baptizing an adult. Here the child must prove their sincerity by rebellion but an adult is taken at their word.
I don't think that this book gives an argument that can be applied across all Christians in all cultures in all of history, but is rather reactionary pragmatism based on the author's assessment of the current American Church. I don't think this book makes much of a case from scripture or real data.
I don't think that this book gives an argument that can be applied across all Christians in all cultures in all of history, but is rather reactionary pragmatism based on the author's assessment of the current American Church. I don't think this book makes much of a case from scripture or real data.
October 3, 2021
I'm giving this book two stars because I agree with the author that there are many children who make "decisions" and then are baptized that shouldn't be. I disagree strongly, however, on his understanding of salvation. I see salvation as monergistic, with the person having no part in the regeneration that occurs. Peters however, sounds more synergistic in his understanding of salvation, particularly in regards to children. He asserts children cannot comprehend the depth of sacrifice involved in following Jesus, so they are unlikely to be saved. Should caution be used in evangelizing children? Absolutely. The goal is not to see decisions, but disciples. Those disciples, however, begin as infants, not as fully mature Christian believers. Peters advises that a child displaying evidence of regeneration be denied baptism until he reaches adulthood, because the display may or may not be genuine. That's just not in keeping with the Biblical presentation of salvation and baptism. Peters also quotes Spurgeon at least once, but Spurgeon has a far different view of childhood regeneration and baptism. I cannot recommend this book. Instead, I recommend C.H. Spurgeon's Come, Ye Children”: A Book for Parents and Teachers on the Christian Training of Children." Spurgeon gets it right.
May 20, 2018
Profession of faith and agreement with basic tenets of the gospel does not automatically equal possession of saving faith.
A 2014 study of declining baptism rates in the Southern Baptist denomination “found that the only group which saw an increase in the number of baptisms was children under five years old”.
In light of this fact, this book is an excellent and needed resource for anyone considering the question of when to baptize children (or when to baptize anyone for that matter).
Justin Peters does a good job of applying Biblical truth and a whole lot of sanctified common sense to this issue. Although I am not completely convinced of some of the assertions he made (especially some of the things about infant and child salvation), I believe this is a valuable read. It even sheds a lot of helpful light on two of the most woefully misunderstood doctrines in many churches: regeneration and conversion. For that reason alone check out this book!
A 2014 study of declining baptism rates in the Southern Baptist denomination “found that the only group which saw an increase in the number of baptisms was children under five years old”.
In light of this fact, this book is an excellent and needed resource for anyone considering the question of when to baptize children (or when to baptize anyone for that matter).
Justin Peters does a good job of applying Biblical truth and a whole lot of sanctified common sense to this issue. Although I am not completely convinced of some of the assertions he made (especially some of the things about infant and child salvation), I believe this is a valuable read. It even sheds a lot of helpful light on two of the most woefully misunderstood doctrines in many churches: regeneration and conversion. For that reason alone check out this book!
February 2, 2020
What an eye opener. This is a totally different view of childhood conversion and baptism. I now understand why children that grow up in church walk away as they get older. They never experienced real conversion. They heard about Jesus, prayed a prayer (which is not biblical), got baptized, and think that they are saved. However, there was never a true understanding of the severity of sin or any tests for them to prove they were truly saved. As they grow up, the world has a strong pull on them. They must make the choice to follow Jesus or the world. This book is a must read for all Christian parents.
July 15, 2023
Solid book. Got me to thinking about my own baptism. While I’m sure I’m good on that front, had I done it all over again I would have waited until I was in my late teens to have been baptized at least. Not at the age of 5. But, I have been faithful my whole life and I get what Justin is meaning. My daughter was baptized at 9 years old and we are glad she did it then, but even still waiting would not have been a bad idea. We shouldn’t rush some things just because we get excited about them! Good book, thorough study. I enjoyed it.
September 29, 2018
I appreciated his concerns about carelessness in regards to baptizing children, but I completely disagree with his conclusions and even some of his interpretations of scripture. While I may not agree with most of his assertions, the topic is definitely worthy of more discussion and prayer among churches. We need loving church discipline and intentional discipleship to lead people from infancy to maturity in their faith.
March 4, 2023
Absolutely loved this. Loved his approach, how he breaks everything down, the warnings he gives. He is easy to understand, thorough, and validated a lot of things I believed already. If you’re a parent raising up godly babes, I encourage you to read this! Thankful he took the time to write this. It’s not only easy to understand but easily a book you can finish in just a few hours (if you have the time!)
October 18, 2023
This book argues that childhood conversion is rare and that baptism should be reserved for adults. While I agree that walk an aisle pray this prayer is not a true metric of conversion, I do truly believe that a child is able to trust in Christ alone for salvation.
I think Peters is reacting to a real problem by swinging a little too hard in the opposite direction.
I think Peters is reacting to a real problem by swinging a little too hard in the opposite direction.
April 29, 2024
Very short (110 pages) book that makes a very practical case for delaying baptizing children (from a credobaptist perspective) until they are at the age of reason (which Peters suggests as around the age of 20 as guideline). While not a academic or scholarly book, it is extremely practical and written with ease of understanding. Highly recommend.
January 1, 2026
This book was ripe with logically fallacies, disregard for historical reading of scripture, and came to conclusions in the final Pages that were not supported anywhere else in the book. I was hoping for some sort of theological understanding of the credobaptist view of baptism, and unfortunately this did not give me that at all.
September 7, 2019
Revolutionary!! As American believers we are more influenced by Charles Finney and his mistaken views on conversion than we are by the Bible! I am thankful for Justin Peters and this very important book! Highest possible recommendation for all Christian families. Go read this now!!!
May 2, 2020
Justin helps parents identify attitudes in their children that they are saved. I really appreciated his point about the child grieved over their sins and bringing up to their parents before being corrected or before they were caught sinning
July 4, 2020
Such an informative read. Cannot recommend this book enough.
April 4, 2021
Solid explanation of baptism and the true gospel .
June 11, 2021
One issue I haven’t yet reconciled with Scripture, but not enough to bring down to 4 stars. Very important topic for parents to consider.
February 22, 2017
Let me preface this by saying that I have a great respect for Justin Peters and have enjoyed his ministry (including having him at our church) in the past. He is a faithful brother and I appreciate the work that he does for the sake of the Gospel.
The premise of this book is that credobaptist churches today have a major problem with baptizing young children based on a simple "profession of faith" with no real testing or fruit of their conversion. [This book is directed at credobaptist churches. There is obviously a disagreement with our paedobaptist brethren on this issue and this book does not directly address those differences]. I agree with the premise of this book. It is not uncommon in most churches to see children–who's heads barely come out of the water—be dunked because they "asked Jesus into their heart."
A great quote from the book is from a pastor friend of Mr. Peters who says, "We as Baptists don't believe in infant baptism, we just practice it." Well said, indeed. The main point of the book is summed up in Peter's conclusion:
My favorite chapter was probably chapter 4 discussing the marks of a true believer. There have been many books written on this particular topic, but Peters does a wonderful job at summing these up in a very readable and easy to comprehend manner.
Unfortunately, although I agree with the premise of the book, I think Peters makes several claims (and errors) that are unjustified by the scripture and by the topic. The second chapter of the book has an extended section on children dying in infancy. Granted this is a very difficult topic. The author states from the outset that much of our understanding of this topic is based on emotions instead of proper exegesis of scripture. However, as he begins to examine different passages, he seems to revert back to the emotionalism that he dislikes. I found his conclusions on this section to be, at best, faulty. At worst, they are downright dangerous. He makes a statement that children are sinners by birth but not culpable until they are around the ages of 12 or 13 (he gives no diffinitive age, but rather just an average age). There is much to be concerned about with a statement like that. He makes the assertion that a person is not capable of sinful acts until he is able to understand that he is sinning against a "thrice holy God".
Unfortunately, the scriptural evidence for this, in much of the chapter, I believe is ripped (kicking and screaming) out of context. I understand the desire to give comfort to those who have young children who have died. But our comfort is found in a loving God who has the best in mind for all those who are His. That is why I liked the 1689 confessions statement that "elect infants, dying in infancy" are saved. It leaves it up to God without making assertions that we have no business making.
My second major problem with this book is in chapter 3. I can agree with much of the chapter discussing the needs of parents to disciple their children. However, this statement "But, the churches are not the primary cause of this failure [baptizing young children who are not really saved]. The primary cause lies at our feet, men." He places the blame for baptizing young children at the feet of parents, but the last time I checked, baptism was a CHURCH ordinance. The primary people responsible for this attrocity is not parents but pastors. Pastors are the guardians of the membership of the church and it is our responsibility (I am a Pastor) to make sure those we baptize are regenerate (as much as is possible).
Although there was much good about the discipleship of our children, this chapter seemed very out of place for this particular book. Churches should spend more time teaching parents about proper discipleship of their children and should take seriously regenerate membership of the local body.
Over all, although there were some good sections, I wouldn't be able to recommend this book to our local church body without a heavy warning of the things mentioned above.
The premise of this book is that credobaptist churches today have a major problem with baptizing young children based on a simple "profession of faith" with no real testing or fruit of their conversion. [This book is directed at credobaptist churches. There is obviously a disagreement with our paedobaptist brethren on this issue and this book does not directly address those differences]. I agree with the premise of this book. It is not uncommon in most churches to see children–who's heads barely come out of the water—be dunked because they "asked Jesus into their heart."
A great quote from the book is from a pastor friend of Mr. Peters who says, "We as Baptists don't believe in infant baptism, we just practice it." Well said, indeed. The main point of the book is summed up in Peter's conclusion:
We should be very cautions when it comes to baptizing children... We do our children a disservice of incomprehensible proportions when we tell them they are saved simply because they have made intellectual assent to the basics of the Gospel. These children grow up to become adults who never examine themselves to see if they are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5) and never see a need to make their calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10).
My favorite chapter was probably chapter 4 discussing the marks of a true believer. There have been many books written on this particular topic, but Peters does a wonderful job at summing these up in a very readable and easy to comprehend manner.
Unfortunately, although I agree with the premise of the book, I think Peters makes several claims (and errors) that are unjustified by the scripture and by the topic. The second chapter of the book has an extended section on children dying in infancy. Granted this is a very difficult topic. The author states from the outset that much of our understanding of this topic is based on emotions instead of proper exegesis of scripture. However, as he begins to examine different passages, he seems to revert back to the emotionalism that he dislikes. I found his conclusions on this section to be, at best, faulty. At worst, they are downright dangerous. He makes a statement that children are sinners by birth but not culpable until they are around the ages of 12 or 13 (he gives no diffinitive age, but rather just an average age). There is much to be concerned about with a statement like that. He makes the assertion that a person is not capable of sinful acts until he is able to understand that he is sinning against a "thrice holy God".
Before this age is reached, however, little ones are simply not held accountable for their sinful nature or even sinful acts. Should they die, they go immediately to heaven.
Unfortunately, the scriptural evidence for this, in much of the chapter, I believe is ripped (kicking and screaming) out of context. I understand the desire to give comfort to those who have young children who have died. But our comfort is found in a loving God who has the best in mind for all those who are His. That is why I liked the 1689 confessions statement that "elect infants, dying in infancy" are saved. It leaves it up to God without making assertions that we have no business making.
My second major problem with this book is in chapter 3. I can agree with much of the chapter discussing the needs of parents to disciple their children. However, this statement "But, the churches are not the primary cause of this failure [baptizing young children who are not really saved]. The primary cause lies at our feet, men." He places the blame for baptizing young children at the feet of parents, but the last time I checked, baptism was a CHURCH ordinance. The primary people responsible for this attrocity is not parents but pastors. Pastors are the guardians of the membership of the church and it is our responsibility (I am a Pastor) to make sure those we baptize are regenerate (as much as is possible).
Although there was much good about the discipleship of our children, this chapter seemed very out of place for this particular book. Churches should spend more time teaching parents about proper discipleship of their children and should take seriously regenerate membership of the local body.
Over all, although there were some good sections, I wouldn't be able to recommend this book to our local church body without a heavy warning of the things mentioned above.
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