St. Patrick the Baptist? (from the Baptist Bulletin)

The March/April issue of the Baptist Bulletin has been released and it features an article by Stephen R. Button entitled Saint Patrick the 'Baptist'?

Button writes,

"The man we know today as St. Patrick was kidnapped twice: first by Irish pirates, then after his death, by the Roman Catholic Church.  The first was the impetus for Patrick's entrance into ministry.  The second exaggerates Patrick's relationship to the church in Rome and its influence in the missionary efforts of the fifth and sixth centuries.  Patrick's own writing and the historical record show that Patrick often sounded more like an evangelical (or even a Baptist?) than a Roman Catholic."

In other words, while Catholics may lay claim to him, a careful examination of his writings will show that his beliefs and practices align more closely with Baptist doctrine. In his article, Button points out the absence of references to Rome in Patrick's writings.  He also notes that many early Roman Catholic historians completely ignored Patrick.

When you think of St. Patrick and the annual tradition of wearing green, think of a great missionary to Ireland.  Think of a man with a burden for lost souls. Think of a man who would want us to be burdened more for the lost than for the color of our clothing.

What will you be burdened for this St. Patrick's day?

Related Posts:

• Happy St. Patrick's Day (by Lou Gentry)

Happy St. Patrick's Day (by Lou Gentry)

Did you know...

St. Patrick, "the patron saint of Ireland," was born in Scotland? As a young lad, Patrick was kidnapped by a band of pirates. They took him to Ireland where he was sold into slavery. Patrick said of his experience, "It was while I ate the bitter bread of that hateful servitude in a foreign land, that the light divine broke upon my benighted soul and I called to remembrance the holy things which I had been taught in my dear old home..." Patrick's heart was transformed from bitterness, and he because a new creature in Jesus Christ. By faith in the Redeemer, by trusting in the blood shed for his sins, this young man in the depths and darkness of the forests of Ireland found the Savior of the world.

After six years of slavery, Patrick escaped, but he had revenge in his heart. However, it was a most unusual revenge! It was the noble revenge of sharing the gospel with the very people who had held him captive! For Patrick believed that God had called him to return to the land where he had been enslaved to witness to others. It is said that he baptized over one hundred thousand persons in his service to Christ. Paraphrasing the apostle Paul, Patrick is alleged to have said, "For me, life is Christ."

As St. Patrick's Day rolls around each year, rather than just wearing green to celebrate the day, perhaps knowing the background on the man will move us to ask ourselves, "How can I live for Christ this day?"

(taken, in part, from New Every Morning: A Daily Devotional, by Dr. D. James Kennedy)