Evangelical Christianity in America and its Relationship to Infant Male Circumcision

Abstract

In spite of the fact that only one small Christian congregation in Schell City, Missouri, is known to make infant male circumcision a doctrinal tenet of faith, most infant males circumcised in the United States for religious reasons are born to Christian parents—particularly evangelicals. The varied reasons for the rather recent inclusion of male circumcision as a wise practice for the Christian—for the first time since it was embraced by a very vocal minority faction in the early church (Acts 11:2–3)—are far more subtle than stated doctrines, creeds, or tenets of faith. Nonetheless, these somewhat nebulous justifications must be recognized and addressed if this current trend is to be redressed.