A: Protestants believe that Jesus had "half-brothers" and "half-sisters." Since Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born, his father was God. His siblings had Joseph as a father.
There are a few references to Jesus' siblings in the New Testament. on one occasion Jesus' mother and brothers came to see Jesus to try and persuade him to come home (Matthew 12.46-50; Mark 3.31-34; Luke 8.19-21). In another place, Matthew 13.55, Jesus brothers are named.
We really do not know how many brothers and sisters there might have been, but we can be sure that there were at least four brothers.
Q: Do Christians have to go to church?
A: No, but Christians get to go to church. There are many advantages to church attendance. Christians who attend worship get to learn about God, faith, the church and more. They get the support they need to make godly decisions on a regular basis. And Christians who attend church get to enjoy the relationships that are built among believers in the worship setting.
Additionally, Hebrews 10.25 is very clear about the importance of worship attendance. It is in worship that we encourage one another. The Bible summarizes it clearly: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."
Q: In the book of Exodus where it refers to Moses' father-in-law, what were the two names of the father-in-law?
A: I got this one wrong. This one really did stump the pastor. But I have the right answer now.
I began by explaining that Moses' father-in-law was named Jethro. He appears prominently in Exodus 18, where he advises Moses on more effective leadership techniques, including delegating some of his responsibilities to others.
In Exodus 2.18, however, this same person is called Reuel. We know this is the same person because he is called Jethro again in Exodus 3.1. Good job, Carol Fitts.
Q: Why do we sprinkle for baptism?
Actually, United Methodists accept several modes for baptism. We believe that God is the one doing the work in baptism. Therefore the amount of water is immaterial. God can work his grace with a drop of water or an ocean.
United Methodists generally baptize by sprinkling- where a small amount of water is put on the head or forehead of a person, pouring- where a larger amount of water is poured over the head of the candidate, or immersion- where the candidate is "dunked" into a large pool or water.
Sprinkling is often selected because...
- Our churches generally are not equipped with tanks for immersing persons.
- Weather prevents outdoor baptisms in many parts of the world for most of the year.
- Children and babies are more easily baptized with a smaller amount of water.
- Including the whole congregation in the baptism is very important.
Q: Can you explain the United Methodist Doctrine of infant baptism?
A: To begin with, know that United Methodists are not the only ones who practice infant baptism. Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, among others all practice infant baptism. This practice comes to us with a long history. For most of the history of the church infant baptism was an almost exclusive practice. Parents had their children baptized.
This is based, at least in part, on the passage in Acts 10.48 where Peter baptized all the members of Cornelius' household. The implication is that this included children and babies.
Traditionally we couple baptism with the practice of confirmation. Our children are baptized as babies to signify our desire that they follow the Lord. When the reach the "age of accountability," usually about 12 years old, we enroll them in confirmation classes. At this time young people learn about the Christian faith, baptism and the UM Church. The requirement is then put to the child. They are given the option to receive for themselves the baptism. They "confirm" the faith that their parents desire for them.
Baptism is a way in which parents can indicate to their children, and to the world, that their desire is for their child to follow God.
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