The Reason For Re-Baptism
Almost without exception, everyone who joins Elijah Chacko’s ministry is re-baptised. The rationale is simple.
(1) If you converted from Satanic religions such as Islam or Hinduism, would you not be baptised? (2) If you converted from Roman Catholicism, the religion of the Antichrist, would you not be re-baptised? Therefore… (3) If you convert from the realm of the False Prophet (into which category Elijah puts virtually every other Protestant denomination), should you not also be re-baptised?
Re-baptism into The Westminster Tradition is therefore a repudiation of the member’s former church. It is a declaration that they have departed from the realm of the False Prophet and joined the true Church of Christ. It is an act of identification with Elijah’s God, Elijah’s gospel, Elijah’s person, Elijah’s church. Candidates are brought to understand that re-baptism brings them under the ‘covenantal headship’ of Elijah Chacko. To join Elijah is to enter Noah’s ark. To depart from Elijah is to be destroyed in the flood of apostasy.
The Practise Of Re-Naming Candidates
Prior to baptism, candidates are asked if they would like a new name. I accede that God Himself changed Abram’s name to Abraham, Sarai’s name to Sarah and Jacob’s name to Israel. Jesus surnamed Simon as Peter, James and John as Boanerges and Judas as Iscariot. There is also evidence that the apostles occasionally surnamed brethren e.g. Joses as Barnabas (Acts 4:36). However, this was not a systematic practice, neither does it have any biblical precedent in the context of baptism. Narcissus, Phlegon, Hermas/Hermes, Nereus, Olympas and Jason all had mythological Greek names (Rom 16:11-15). Paul counted them among the saints. They were undoubtedly baptised. And yet he addressed them by their heathen birth-names. Apollos himself (variant on ‘Apollo’, a Greek God) was everywhere known by his native nomenclature. The only truly ‘biblical’ names before the canon of New Testament Scripture was closed were Old Testament names. There is no compelling evidence that Gentile converts were given such Hebrew names at baptism or at any other time. Both the rebaptism and renaming of those joining The Westminster Tradition are practices intended to encourage proselytes to completely cut off from their former lives. This does not conform to Paul’s principle, which was to ‘let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called (1 Cor 7:20).’ A great number who join the Westminster Tradition are not only encouraged to separate from their former churches, families, husbands and wives, but also from their former dwelling places, occupations, languages and names. Paul is clear that the change should not be in externals, but should be inward: in the keeping of the commandments of God. ‘Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Are thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant… Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God (1 Cor 7:20-22,24).’ ‘But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God (1 Cor 7:17-19).’ If the fifth commandment is to ‘honour thy father and thy mother’, how is it a keeping of the commandments of God to intentionally wound and alienate both father and mother by rejecting that name which they gave?
The Baptismal Interview
Everyone who is baptised into The Westminster Tradition also undergoes a baptismal interview. The elders who conducted these interviews used to assess two things: (1) the candidate’s understanding of the core doctrines, and (2) the candidate’s ability to experimentally trace the work of the Holy Spirit in their life. These have at least a historic precedent. But in latter years a third criterion has taken on increasing, often overriding importance. That is the candidate’s willingness to identify Elijah Chacko as the anointed servant of God. Below are a few examples of comments made at pre-baptismal interviews conducted in January 2017 at which this author was present as an elder and a scribe. Several of these candidates made clear efforts to glorify Christ. But they all (either spontaneously or pressured by Zephaniah’s leading questions) linked their baptism to their desire to come under Elijah Chacko’s ‘covenantal headship’.
“On the second year the missionary pastors came to our church and preached to us this Gospel… we longed to come under the direct preaching of our presiding pastor… in this spiritual famine, pastor is the anointed man of God who is able to give us the spiritual manna – the life from above… In the past I have been baptised before. I want to be baptised again because it was falsehood before. I want to totally cut clean and come under the ministry of presiding pastor and be identified with him – I want to totally cut clean from my former life.”
“When I was baptised previously I was in the false church.”
[Zephaniah: Do you want to adopt the gospel and the whole corpus of doctrines of the man of God and be partaker in the fellowship of his sufferings?]
“Yes, I’ll bear it by the grace of God. Even unto death, although I pray for God’s help.”
[Zephaniah: Now having come to the conference, what do you think of presiding pastor?]
“I definitely don’t have the same impression of pastor now that I’ve come here. Before, amongst the brethren in my church, the application of the law is so strong, but it’s even stronger here! I’m very scared of the teachers, but I’m even more scared of pastor!”
[Zephaniah: Do you think he is the man of God?]
“I never heard before that pastor was the man of God. But the more I hear, the more I’m convicted that he’s the man of God. Initially I thought the missionary pastors were the men of God, but then they told me they weren’t the true ones – there is another real man of God! I haven’t been baptised before. I want to be baptised because I really want to come under this covenantal head. He is really our Noah.”
“…concerning covenantal headship in the past. I didn’t have that concept. I’m thankful that when presiding pastor preached this to me, he is my covenantal headship. In these last two years under the application of the law, the Lord dealt with me. I pray that this righteousness of Christ might be imputed to me. I want to be included in the godly genealogies of our Lord Yeshua Christ. My first baptism was fake. I want an authentic baptism! I want to be under the blessing of my covenantal head, Elijah Thomas Chacko. I’m willing to bear the reproach unto the death, by the grace of God.”
“The false prophet said I couldn’t be re-baptised. When I heard about the baptism from pastor, I learned that this is the only acceptable way to do it. Presiding pastor is my covenantal head. He’s like our Noah. It’s only in his ark that I can be fed and nourished spiritually.”
“Why do I want to be baptised? There are two ordinances in the New Testament – there’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper. So it’s the teaching of Paul. My baptism is to identify with the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, so that I can have union with Christ. To be baptised is to be baptised into His death…”
[this excellent answer doesn’t satisfy Zephaniah who wants her to talk about the ‘covenantal aspect’]
“I also heard the preaching of presiding pastor was full of the Holy Spirit. So I applied to come to this conference.”
[Zephaniah: So how was the conference?]
“Especially I learned about the covenantal head and presiding pastor as our covenantal head. In the last few days he began with Noah as a covenantal head, and Jacob as the covenantal head in his times, and the blessings that came to those under them. I want to press into this covenantal headship. So that through this ordinance of baptism I can do that.”
[Zephaniah: So why do you want to be re-baptised?]
“To come under these covenantal blessings. Baptism is a token of this covenantal tie. Without preaching [i.e. Elijah’s preaching] I will certainly perish.”
Elijah’s Pre-Eminence In Baptism
Elijah says that Christ sent him not to baptize but to preach the gospel (quoting 1 Cor 1:17a). But though he quotes Paul, he is unlike Paul. For Paul could barely recall which of the Corinthians he had baptised, despite having personally planted this church. Whereas, it has pleased Elijah to baptise a great number of those who come into his ministry! Many would consider it to be second-best to be baptised by one of Elijah’s missionaries. They would be disappointed if any but Elijah should perform this ordinance. Therefore some travel across the world hoping against hope to be personally baptised by him. To be baptised by Elijah is to identify with Elijah. Therefore, baptism by any of his deputies is somehow second-rate. The affiliation is less cogent. How different from Paul, who rebuked the Corinthians for making any distinction between Christ’s ministers! When there were contentions among them as to who was the greatest – Paul, Apollos, Cephas or Christ, Paul asked them, “Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptised in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name (1 Cor 1:13-15).” Elijah would rather conduct marathon baptisms, continuing until every ounce of his strength is spent than to let another steal his glory. He would wish to be as Moses on top of the hill with Aaron and Hur staying up his hands. He would wish to be the epicentre of the spectacle. Except that Moses was type of Christ and Elijah is not. Even of Christ’s ministry on this earth, it is recorded that ‘Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,’ and that Jesus ‘left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee‘ when ‘the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (John 4:1-3).’ Jesus preferred to minister incognito to a Samaritan woman, for He was meek and lowly in heart. The same cannot be said of this man.
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