Baptist History, Heritage and Distinctives – Lydias Son-in-Law – The Red Headed One Eyed Shoemaker – The Life of Elder James S. Coleman – Part Eight of Nine

Thomas E Kresal Admin · August 8, 2020

Baptist History, Heritage and Distinctives – Lydias Son-in-Law – The Red Headed One Eyed Shoemaker – The Life of Elder James S. Coleman – Part Eight of Nine

Caskey made his speech as Dr. Coleman expected, and argued that since households were baptized by the Apostles, and that it is reasonable to infer that infants were in these households, that infant baptism was scriptural. That was the sum of his speech.

Dr. Coleman, in his reply, spoke as follows:

“I am surprised at Bro. Caskey’s limited information concerning Lydia’s household. He has inferred that Lydia had children, under the age of accountability, and that, therefore, these children were baptized. I am surprised, sir, that you do not know that Lydia was a widow, and a traveling cloth merchant, and that she never had but one child, and that was a daughter, who had married a red-headed, one-eyed shoemaker, and had moved off to Damascus, and had not been at home for years, and that her household at that time consisted of herself servants, who assisted her in her business. I am surprised, sir, that you did not know this.”

Caskey, in his confusion, spoke out and said: “Dr. Coleman, how do know what you have just said?”

In a lion like voice the reply came: “I inferred it, sir, just like you inferred that there were children in the household.”

This was too much for the audience, which broke out in uproarious laughter and applause. When Caskey arose to speak the very sight of him would be enough, and the laughing, half-suppressed, would be so continual that it was with great difficulty he could proceed, and every time he would make the slightest reference to household baptisms the vision of that “red-headed, one-eyed shoemaker” would come into mind and the audience would break out in uncontrollable laughter, which could not be suppressed by the Moderator. Caskey gave it up as a bad job and cut the debate short one day and left.

Presented by Thomas E. Kresal from: Pillars of Orthodoxy by Ben Bogard, 1900 pg. 342-43