Latu 1

Moi Latu
Professor Cosmin Ritivoiu
English 102
11 February 2015
Baptismal Vows: Old vs. New
Emanating from the ever rising divorce rate in America, some have resorted to altering
their vows of matrimony. Whether by reason of concern for the future of their relationship or
simply due to a lack of commitment, many couples are seeking alternatives for some of the basic
and fundamental understandings of marriage. Phrases such as to honor and obey and til death
do us part are restituted by the expressions for as long as our love shall last or until our time
together is over. This shift in thinking has caused much controversy over the appropriateness of
the ever changing pledges of marriage. Some say that people simply understand a situation may
not work out. Others, mainly those within the Church, argue that couples who change their vows
are setting themselves up for failure. But in reality, the Church is participating in the same
practice as the world in changing the vows of baptism. The ceremony of baptism is a
representation of a marriage between someone and Christ and altering those vows is equivalent
to changing wedding vows. Is this altering an appropriate update considering the current times or
should the baptismal vows be kept as they were before? The baptismal vows of the Seventh Day
Adventist Church should be changed in order to reflect the teachings of the Church more fully
and strictly, as they did in the past.
Baptismal Vows
Before the issues surrounding the baptismal vows of the Church can be addressed, the
definition and purpose of the vows must first be understood. The Baptismal vows of the Seventh
Day Adventist Church are a list of thirteen standards set forth from the Bible by which a
baptismal candidate chooses live by. When affirming their acceptance of the vows in public, the
candidates are pledging their resolve to accept and uphold the core teachings of the Church.
These ideals include a belief in the Trinity, remembrance of the Seventh Day Sabbath, abstinence

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from alcohol and other narcotics, and many other fundamental beliefs held by the Seventh Day
Adventist Church. The purpose of these vows is to guide the new convert in how they ought to
live the Christian life. However, over time this code of conduct has grown and changed with
specifics being added and some elements removed to accommodate the changes in society and
culture.
Some argue that the acclimation of the baptismal vows to the changes in the world
encourages the prevailing worldliness in the Church today. Certain installments of the vows that
pertain to abstention from the customs and practices of the world have been amended or
completely removed. Though the revisions to the baptismal vows of the Church in general have
not all been negative, there are still those who believe the vows should be reverted to those of
prior years. They indicate that Pauls admonition, to be not conformed to this world (Romans
2:12), has been greatly ignored by the vast majority of members in the Church today, and that
there is a need for members to be aware from the very onset, that being the baptism of a new
convert into the Church, of the calling of those within the Church to be a peculiar treasure unto
Me above all people (Exodus 19:5). God has called the people of His Church to be set apart
from those of the world in practice and appearance, some believe that by reverting to the former
baptismal vows of the Church, this instruction will be made clearer.
Old Vows
Those who advocate the old vows of the Church generally base their decision upon what
they consider more advantageous characteristics of those vows. One of the strongest advantages
of the old vows was its constant reference to the Bible throughout the document. A verse or
passage followed each vow which supported and gave reasoning for the placement of the vow
within the document. An example of this can be seen in the first vow, Do you accept all the
Bible as the inspired word of God, and do you take it as your only rule of faith? 2 Tim. 3:16,
17Acts 20:32 (Keel 1). Another lesser advantage of the older vows was its vocal stance on

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issues such as worldliness, dress and attire, and attendance and participation. These constituents
of the vows dealt with principles of purity from the world, modesty and even attendance and
participation in the services of the Church (Keel 1). One example could be that of shunning the
sinful practices of the world. The old vows listed practices such as dancing, theatre-going, and
novel reading as sinful and required that as an Adventist one would refrain from participating in
them. Lastly, an additional strong point of the old vows, though not as cogent as those prior, was
its direct and blunt approach. There was no sugar-coating the truths of the Church in the old
baptismal vows. One such example would be concerning the Spirit of Prophecy. The former
vows specified the writings of Ellen White as the gift of prophecy given to the Church. There
was no hiding of the contentious belief held by the Church that Ellen White was Gods
prophetess and her writings are given for the Church to follow. These are just some examples of
the advantages of the old vows compared to the new vows being used today.
Notwithstanding the strengths of the old vows, issues and imperfections were still present
that have been revised in the new list of vows. The issue with the old vows was the exclusion of
some basic fundamentals of the Church, those being the doctrine of the Trinity, submission to
Church discipline, and the belief in the world-wide movement and acceptance of all people into
the Church. Some principles, such as the view of the Trinity, may have been withheld due to the
opposing views of many of the Church founders concerning the topic, while other topics may
have been simply overlooked. This weakness shows that there are advantages and disadvantages
to the old vows, but one must weigh the pros and cons to determine whether the old vows are
still relevant compared to the new vows.
New Vows
The supporters of the new baptismal vows argue that the changes made to the baptismal
vows are a relevant and needed update to the outdated views of the old vows. They believe that
the benefits of revising the old baptismal vows far outweigh the cons. One of the greatest

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benefits of the new vows is its inclusion of some teachings of the Church, neglected in the prior
document such as the belief in one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three
coeternal Persons, submission to the decisions of the body of the church, and an
understanding [of] the fundamental Bible principles as taught by the Seventh-day Adventist
Church (Keel 1). The inclusion of these vows is vital because they consider some of the core
beliefs held by the Church. Another auxiliary advantage of the new vows is that they go into
greater depth concerning some of the key beliefs discussed in the document. An example of that
can be found in the section concerning the Three Angels Messages. In the old vows, only some
of the key truths regarding the Three Angels Messages and the Second Coming, such as the state
of the dead and the destruction of the wicked, are mentioned. In the new vows, subjects such as
the investigative judgment, Christs high priestly ministry, and the heavenly sanctuary, are dealt
with. The last advantage of the new vows is its adaptation to the changes in society and the world
around the Church. One example would be the addition of the vow respecting the Seventh Day
Adventist Church as the remnant Church of Bible Prophecy and that people of every nation,
race, and language are invited and accepted into its fellowship (Keel 1). Such changes show a
sense of progress in the Church and dismiss notions that the Church is not willing to adapt to the
changing world around it. These changes in the new vows are considered by some to be
necessary and appropriate if the Church is to be viewed as relevant to those in the world and
those considering joining it.
However, not every amendment made in the new vows is for the good. There are many
weaknesses in the new vows such as the removal of key teachings of the Church concerning
dress, the laws of health, and the influence of the world upon the Church. Perhaps the greatest
weakness of the new vows is its neglect to mention the issue of dress and fashion. Ellen White
makes this statement in Testimonies Vol. 4, Obedience to fashion is pervading our Seventh-day

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Adventist churches and is doing more than any other power to separate our people from God
(Testimonies Vol. 4 467). Her statement that obedience to fashion is what is separating the
Church from God, amplifies the possible negative effects of omitting the topic of dress from the
baptismal vows of the Church. A lesser flaw in the new vows is that of editing and removing
parts of the laws of health vow. The old vows required abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, unclean
foods, narcotics, tea, coffee, and other harmful substances. The new vows only discuss alcohol,
tobacco, unclean foods, and narcotics. The removal of tea, coffee, and other harmful substances
go directly against the counsel of Ellen White against the consumption of tea and coffee. She
says this concerning the subject, The habit of drinking tea and coffee is a greater evil than is
often suspected (Christian Temperance 35). Lastly, the removal of the vow regarding the effect
of the world upon the Church and the members abstention from the practices of the world such
as dancing, card playing, theatre-going, novel reading, all questionable worldly amusements
(Keel 1), is viewed by many as another mistake in the new vows. We are counseled by the
apostle John to love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15). God desires the members of His
Church to be separate from the world in word, deed, and character. By removing the vow to
abstain from the sinful practices of the world, the Church is, in a sense, choosing the world
instead of the Father. These weaknesses of the new vows are why many argue that either change
to the vows or a return to the old vows is necessary.
Conclusion
Before a consensus can be reached, the arguments of both sides must be thoroughly
examined. There are advantages and disadvantages to both the old and new baptismal vows of
the Church. The benefits of the old vows include its foundation on the bedrock of Scripture and
its reference to the Bible throughout the document, a vocal stance on issues such as worldliness,

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dress and attire, and attendance and participation, and its truthful and direct approach. Likewise,
the new vows had advantages such as its inclusion of doctrines like the trinity, Church discipline,
etc., and its adaptation to the changes and progress in the world. However, neither documents is
perfect and each had its own flaws. The old vows neglected some of the basic fundamentals of
the Christian faith concerning the Trinity, and can be viewed as outdated and irrelevant. The new
vows seem to excuse and maybe even promote worldliness in dress, health and amusements and
sugar-coat the truth in an attempt not to offend anyone. Though both views, whether to continue
using the new vows or to change them to better reflect the old vows, have strong cases as to what
course is best, according to the counsel given in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, one
approach is better. The baptismal vows should be modified closer to the old vows to better reflect
the fundamentals and beliefs of the Church more fully and strictly.

Works Cited
Keel, Tyrone. 7TH DAY ADVENTIST BAPTISMAL VOWS COMPARED FOR THE YEARS - 1874 1932 - 2000. N.p.: Issues of Life, 13 Apr. 2004. PDF.
Holy Bible King James Version. London: King James Pub., 1619. Print.
White, Ellen Gould Harmon, and James White. Christian Temperance. Battle Creek, MI: Good Health
Pub., 1890. Print.
White, Ellen Gould Harmon. Testimonies for the Church. Vol. 4. Mountain View, CA: Pacific Pub.
Association, 1948. Print.