Generations of Born Agains

[Sudsy]

This poll is to see how many here consider themselves to be a born again Christian and their ancestors were also born again or they were the first generation in their family tree to be born again.

I realize there are likely varying beliefs of what it means to be 'born again' but contribute to the poll in what you believe it means.

For example - I selected '3' - I consider myself to be a 3rd generation born again believer. My grandmother was the first in our family, my dad the second and myself the third.

For this poll only one parent needs to be born again to be a generational born again. BAC = Born Again Christian

I'm especially curious as to how many 1st generation born agains we have on this forum.

[Josh]

5 generations of "Born Agains" in my family.

My great-grandmother was Quaker and didn't pass the faith on.

My grandmother got "born again" in her 50s, after my mom left home.

My mother got born again in her late 20s, after she left home. My dad too.

I got born again in my 30s, long after I'd left home. The same goes for my brothers, or at least having a serious reconsecration experience followed by living a sold-out Christian life.

My nephew got born again around age 18 or 19, after he moved away from home.

It appears that we are not successful in transmitting the faith to our children, but instead other forces ended up evangelising us after we were adults and away from our family's influence.

In some good news, my niece became a baptised conservative Anabaptist church member at age 14/15. Perhaps she will be the start of a change in things.

Now looking at my wife's family... her ancestors have been born again and baptised church members since the 1700s in an unbroken lineage, or at least that's as far as Grandma Online goes. At one point it stops with a Scandinavian mercenary who heard an Anabaptist church service and stuck his sword into a fence post, snapped it off, and repented and was baptised.

Nothing is of greater importance to her grandma than her children's and grandchildren's salvation. For the ones who are wayward, she frequently asks where they are and what they are doing. And grandpa had nothing more important in his life than talking to his grandchildren about spiritual matters.

[JimFoxvog]

"Born again" was not the language used in my family. My mom and my father's parents took Christianity seriously, but as Lutherans might have thought "born again" referred to infant baptism.

[Sudsy]

A bit of my personal testimony and I would love to hear other Christian's faith journeys if they care to share -

I don't recall the story on when my grandmother was born again but I knew she was very instrumental in evangelizing her family. For all of her sons she reached out to their wives first with the Gospel. Most of her daughters-in-law became Christians and it took some time before their husbands quit giving them a hard time and repented of their sins and were born again.

My older sister remembers dad when he was not a Christian and would make fun of my mom and also make fun of some of his buddies that went to church to keep their wives happy. Dad would drive mom to and from church but sat out in the parking lot reading his western novels. He could hear the singing through the church windows and it finally got to him to go in and see for himself what made these people so happy. Were they really as happy as they sounded. Well, there he heard the Gospel preached and was born again. Dad had such an immediate turn around in his life that he lost many of his old friends and he became a street preacher leading others to the Lord. I only remember my dad as a keen soul winner and his life was all about sharing his faith with others.

I first repented of my sin and believed in Jesus as my Lord and Saviour when I was 7 years old. However, through my life I had a few periods of 'backsliding'. For those who might not be familiar with this term, for me it meant, a period in my Christian life where I wandered away from my Christian practises to just follow my carnal desires. It was a state of rebelling and trying to close out God from having influence on my life. This happened a couple times when I became quite fed up with the church and other professing Christians in how they treated one another. I should have learned from this the first time it happened but it got to me a second time. Other times I was 'backsliding' in the sense that my Christian life was not moving forward. This is probably a good thread topic to discuss about 'backsliding' and signs to look out for to see if this is happening in our lives. Also at what point, if there is one, that one could backslide to a point of becoming unsaved.

Well, I could share lots of stories about my struggles as a Christian but I would like to hear other's testimonies regarding their walk with the Lord as a Christian.

[Swiss Bro]

My great great grandfather converted in a late 19 century tent evangelization thing. Great grandfather trained as Methodist preacher but serviced Free Evangelical Churches (that’s not the same thing in Europe as in the US). My Grandfather was Ältester in one of these churches, which my parents still attend and I grew up in. So, 5 generations.

[Sudsy]

"Born again" was not the language used in my family. My mom and my father's parents took Christianity seriously, but as Lutherans might have thought "born again" referred to infant baptism.

From the Internet which I believe is correct on this about Lutherans -

Lutherans believe that babies are conceived and born sinful and therefore need to be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven. Through Baptism, the Holy Spirit works rebirth, creates faith in them, and saves them.

Evangelicals, Anabaptists and others view water baptism as having no saving properties but rather a public profession of one's faith in Christ and therefore must be had at an age that one can understand and believe in what Jesus did to save us. They request their own baptism. Often referred to as 'believers baptism'. The Salvation Army and Quakers don't follow a practise of water baptism but the SA, I know, is not opposed to it. Water baptism (immersion or other method) is also often part of the formal joining a local church with many.