{"id":96253,"date":"2026-01-22T13:27:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/?p=96253"},"modified":"2026-01-22T13:27:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:27:43","slug":"early-church-baptismal-regeneration-vs-mike-gendron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2026\/01\/early-church-baptismal-regeneration-vs-mike-gendron.html","title":{"rendered":"Early Church Baptismal Regeneration (vs. Mike Gendron)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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Photo credit<\/strong>: copyright 2025 by Catholic Bible Highlights<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

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This is the transcript for the video, Ex-Catholic Claims Baptism Doesn\u2019t Save \u2013 Here\u2019s What Scripture Actually Says<\/a> (11-14-25). It featured well-known anti-Catholic Mike Gendron talking with Allie Beth Stuckey and claiming that sacramental baptism isn\u2019t biblical and isn\u2019t found in early Christianity. We respond with direct quotes from Church fathers, Protestant historians J.N.D. Kelly and Philip Schaff, and crystal-clear Bible verses (Mark <\/span>16:16<\/span>, Acts\u00a0<\/span>2:38<\/span>, 1 Peter\u00a0<\/span>3:21<\/span>, Acts\u00a0<\/span>22:16<\/span>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Allie Beth Stuckey is a Reformed Baptist mostly known as a conservative political commentator. Her YouTube channel has 685,000 subscribers. We\u2019re replying to her video entitled, \u201cEx-Catholic on Mary, the Saints, & the Gospel\u201d (8-21-24) with guest Mike Gendron, who is a well-known anti-Catholic apologist. It has 171,379 views. Gendron, an ex-Catholic, is well-known and has been spreading falsehood about the Catholic Church for fifty years. The question then arises as to whether one is deliberately lying or simply relentlessly ignorant. I choose to believe the latter, in charity.<\/p>\n

But whatever is true, we should pray for him, and he should tremble, because the Bible says, \u201cLet not many of you become teachers, . . . \u00a0for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness\u201d (Jas 3:1, RSV). Gendron will one day have to stand before God and give an account for what he has done. The more he truly knows about Catholicism, the more responsible he will be for the sin of bearing false witness. If he\u2019s merely ignorant, God will have much more mercy on him, as he did regarding St. Paul\u2019s earlier life. Jesus said, \u201cEvery one to\u00a0<\/strong>whom much is given, of him will much be required\u201d (Lk 12:48). Here is his comment we\u2019re responding to and Allie Beth\u2019s response:<\/p>\n

18:09\u00a0 I\u2019m reminded of Jude. The reason he wrote his epistle was to \u201ccontend earnestly for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints\u201d . . . The body of truth that we are to contend for today was delivered to the saints in the first century, so anything that comes against that we are to reject. Many of the Roman Catholic traditions today, you won\u2019t find in the first century church. For example . . . you don\u2019t find\u00a0 sacraments as a means of salvation . . .<\/span><\/p>\n

19:11 We hear a lot I hear a lot from Catholics, \u201cwell, this is the church that Jesus Christ established\u201d . . . and that what was passed down to the apostles by Jesus has continued to be passed down to the priest, so they would say that it is the apostolic tradition. I\u2019ve had Trent Horn on this podcast, who was a very kind person and a good apologist for Catholicism, but he said \u201cI just want to practice Christianity the way the earliest Christians did\u201d \u2014 but of course that would be my contention, too, like which<\/em> early Christians, because I don\u2019t see that in Scripture. I\u2019m not even sure that I see that, as you said, in the history of the early church.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We reply by citing respected Protestant Church historian J. N. D. Kelly (an Anglican). Here\u2019s what he thinks about baptism:<\/p>\n

From the beginning baptism was the universally accepted rite of admission to the Church . . . It was always held to convey the remission of sins . . . (Early Christian Doctrines<\/em>, San Francisco: Harper Collins, revised edition, 1978, 193-194)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Likewise, Protestant historian Philip Schaff, who edited the famous 38-volume set of the Church fathers, fully agrees:<\/p>\n

This ordinance was regarded in the ancient church as the sacrament of the new birth or regeneration, and as the solemn rite of initiation into the Christian Church, admitting to all her benefits . . . (History of the Christian Church<\/em>, Vol. 2, section 71: \u201cThe Doctrine of Baptism\u201d)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Epistle of Barnabas, thought by many scholars to be dated as early as 70 AD, put it this way:<\/p>\n

Blessed are they who, placing their trust in the cross, have gone down into the water . . . Further, what says He? \u201cAnd there was a river flowing on the right, and from it arose beautiful trees; and whosoever shall eat of them shall live forever\u201d [Ezekiel 47:12]. This means, that we indeed descend into the water full of sins and defilement, but come up, bearing fruit in our heart, having the fear [of God] and trust in Jesus in our spirit. (ch. 11)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Shepherd of Hermas, dated by scholars as early as 90 AD, concurs:<\/p>\n

And I said, I heard, sir, some teachers maintain that there is no other repentance than that which takes place, when we descended into the water and received remission of our former sins. He said to me, That was sound doctrine which you heard; for that is really the case. (Book II, Commandment 4, ch. 3)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote around 110 AD:<\/p>\n

Let your baptism be your armor; your faith, your helmet . . .\u00a0 (Letter to Polycarp\u00a06)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These early Christians, during the apostolic age or very soon afterwards, believed as they did because the Bible had already made it very clear. Jesus said, \u201cHe who believes and is baptized will be\u00a0saved<\/em>\u201d (Mk 16:16); Peter proclaimed in the first Christian sermon, \u201cRepent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins<\/em>; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit\u201d (Acts 2:38), and in his first epistle, \u201cBaptism \u2026 saves<\/em>\u00a0you \u2026\u201d (1 Pet 3:21); Paul was told right after he converted, \u201cRise and be baptized, and\u00a0wash away your sins<\/em>\u201d (Acts 22:16). And he later wrote that we get baptized so that we \u201cmay live a new life<\/em>\u201d (Rom 6:3-4).<\/p>\n

Protestants always demand \u201cclear\u201d Bible proofs. This sounds crystal-clear to me<\/em>, and we have also the provided undeniable apostolic Christian witness. When anti-Catholics learn things like this, they need to modify their views accordingly, or else they will be deliberately spreading lies, and that violates both the Ten Commandments and the golden rule. In Revelation 21:8 \u201cliars\u201d are included in the infamous list of those who will end up in \u201cthe lake that burns with fire and sulphur.\u201d This is very serious stuff.<\/p>\n

Related Article<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMike Gendron\u2019s Anti-Catholic Lies Exposed\u201d<\/a> [response to this very video] (Joe Heschmeyer, Catholic Answers<\/em>, 8-27-24)<\/p>\n

Related Web Pages<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Anti-Catholicism\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Baptism and Sacramentalism<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Fathers of the Church<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Related Video<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, Baptism Saves You [Undeniable Biblical Proof!]<\/a> [Catholic Bible Highlights<\/em>, 49 minutes, 10-25-24]<\/p>\n

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Photo credit<\/strong>: copyright 2025 by Catholic Bible Highlights<\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Summary<\/em>: We disabuse Allie Beth Stuckey and anti-Catholic idol Mike Gendron of the myth that baptismal regeneration was not present in the earliest, apostolic Church or the Bible.<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 This is the transcript for the video, Ex-Catholic Claims Baptism Doesn\u2019t Save \u2013 Here\u2019s What Scripture Actually Says (11-14-25). It featured well-known anti-Catholic Mike Gendron talking with Allie Beth Stuckey and claiming that sacramental baptism isn\u2019t biblical and isn\u2019t found in early Christianity. We respond with direct quotes from Church fathers, Protestant historians J.N.D. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2331,"featured_media":96256,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231,314,239,20171],"tags":[20335,315,1461,20329,321,20332],"class_list":["post-96253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anti-catholicism","category-baptism-and-sacramentalism","category-fathers-of-the-church","category-videos","tag-allie-beth-stuckey","tag-baptism","tag-baptismal-regeneration","tag-mike-gendron","tag-sacraments","tag-sacraments-the-church-fathers"],"yoast_head":"\nEarly Church Baptismal Regeneration (vs. Mike Gendron)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We disabuse Allie Beth Stuckey and anti-Catholic idol Mike Gendron of the myth that baptismal regeneration was not present in the earliest, apostolic Church or the Bible.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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Formerly a campus missionary, as a Protestant, Dave was received into the Catholic Church in February 1991, by the late, well-known catechist and theologian, Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave\u2019s articles have appeared in many influential Catholic periodicals, including \"This Rock\" (now called \"Catholic Answers Magazine\"), \"Envoy Magazine\" (Patrick Madrid), \"The Catholic Answer,\" \"The Coming Home Journal,\" \"Gilbert Magazine\" (American Chesterton Society), and \"The Latin Mass.\" He also writes a featured column for every issue of \"The Michigan Catholic\": published by the archdiocese of Detroit, and was editor for most of the apologetics tracts published by the St. Paul Street Evangelization apostolate. Dave\u2019s apologetics and writing apostolate was the subject of a feature article in the May 2002 issue of \"Envoy Magazine.\" He served as the staff moderator at the Internet discussion forum for The Coming Home Network, from 2007-2010. Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \"Catholic Answers Live\" (twice), \"Faith and Family Live\" (Steve Wood), \"Kresta in the Afternoon,\" \"Son Rise Morning Show,\" \"Catholic Connection\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \"The Catholics Next Door.\" His large and popular website, \"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \"Envoy Magazine.\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \"index\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \"Surprised by Truth\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \"The Catholic Verses\" (2004), \"The One-Minute Apologist\" (2007), \"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\" (2009), \"The Quotable Newman\" (editor: 2012), and \"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \"The New Catholic Answer Bible\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \"Quotable Wesley\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. Dave maintains a popular personal Facebook page, a Facebook author page, and has a Twitter account as well. He offers almost all of his books in e-book form on his own Biblical Catholicism site (http:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/), at a permanent deep discount: only $2.99 for ePub, mobi, and AZW, and $1.99 for PDF. His writing has been enthusiastically endorsed or recommended by many leading Catholic apologists, authors, and priests, including Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Marcus Grodi, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, Devin Rose, Mike Aquilina, Al Kresta, Karl Keating, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Brandon Vogt, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. They have three sons and a daughter, and reside in southeast Michigan (metro Detroit).","sameAs":["https:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@LuxVeritatisApologetics"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/author\/davearmstrong"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2331"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96253\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}