Examining The Practice Of Baptism Religion Essay

The pattern of baptism at Shiloh-Sixth Avenue United Church creates a sense of malaise, because vows are made, that by and large talking, can non be fulfilled because the households in inquiry are ne’er seen once more. Baptism is something of a relic, in secular Canadian society, of a water under the bridge twenty-four hours when people were received ceremonially, non merely into a spiritual community, but into society every bit good. The church is therefore expected to be ready to baptise any infant regardless of the parent ‘s purpose to raise the kid within a faith tradition. Yet for folds in the wider Christian community, baptism is a sacrament whereby fledglings are received into an on-going relationship with God and a local church.

This difference between the demands of the household and the strong beliefs of a fold reflect three sets of of import denominational values within the United Church, viz. 1 ) extremist cordial reception to fledglings, 2 ) a committedness to our topographic point in the wider Christian motion which requires that we maintain the unity of baptismal vows and the significance of baptism, and 3 ) our openness to making new Holy Eucharists and rites to accommodate altering fortunes. Furthermore, within our ain fold, we try to keep in tenseness a committedness to ‘being progressive and radically inclusive ” and to being “ followings of Jesus ” showing high degrees of committedness. While other folds tend to concentrate on the former, we try to keep both of these in tenseness.

The three options posited are 1 ) accept anyone ‘s petition for baptism regardless of whether they will of all time be seen once more, because extremist cordial reception affairs most, 2 ) expect parents to carry through all preparatory demands and demo their committedness by regular attending before the kid can be baptized, because the unity of the ritual and our organisational connexions to the wider church affair most, or 3 ) abandon this ancient ritual and do up new 1s where no promises are made, but kids are named, blessed, and celebrated. Each of these options is considered, along with the quandary intrinsic to them.

The concluding recommendation is a meeting of these values and options, by offering two rites 1 ) the sacrament of baptism for those who wish to be committed adherents, and 2 ) a service of dedication and Thanksgiving for households seeking some approval from the church without being overwhelmed by regulations and outlooks. This double path is a manner to run into our desire to be both radically welcoming and to keep a community with a high degree of committedness by its members.

Context

The rite of baptism within at Shiloh-Sixth Avenue United Church has left many congregants uneasy. Although there is great delectation at the jubilation of the new life of an baby, the promises by parents and the fold to assist the kid turn up within the Christian religion community is marred by the cognition that in the great bulk of instances, the kid and household will ne’er be seen once more, rendering the fold unable to maintain the promises they made to God, the kid, or the household, and, rather honestly, experiencing merely a small used.

Very specific and grave vows are made by the individual being baptized or their parents/legal defenders, and the fold. In each instance there is a inquiry posed followed by a response. First the parent or legal defender or individual being baptized is asked: 1 ) Do you believe in God, who has created and is making, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to accommodate and do new, and who works in us and others by the Spirit? And they respond: I do, by the grace of God. Similarly: 2 ) Will you populate with regard in Creation, love and service others, seek justness and defy evil all the yearss of your life? I will, God being my assistant. 3 ) Will you follow and be a adherent of Jesus Christ, who lived a life of love and grace and passion for God ‘s mission? I will, God being my assistant. 4 ) Will you take part to the full in the mission and ministry of Christ ‘s church, on a regular basis attend worship, pray, read Scripture, build religious friendly relationships, and utilize your gifts and resources to take part in God ‘s rich purpose and love for the universe? I will, God being my assistant. The Congregation is so asked: At this Shiloh-Sixth Avenue United Church, will you perpetrate yourselves to back up and foster this/these child/person/s within our community which worships God, loves and serves others, seeks justness, and resists evil? Will you, portion your religion with him/her, promoting him/her, as together you walk with God? We will, by the grace of God.

During the Christendom old ages, when most people attended church on a regular basis, the rite of baptism besides became something of a social rite of transition. In our post-Christendom universe, peculiarly in British Columbia, Canada, where merely 18 per centum of people attend any signifier of spiritual service on any regular footing, the social rite of transition has non wholly lost its popularity. Many households, who have no connexion with a community of religion, still experience a demand to “ acquire the kid done ” , that is, to hold the kid baptized, possibly to delight the grandparents, or to supply some sort of religious vaccination, or as some sort of nod to the Gods.

Baptism, of class, has historically been the rite of Integration into the church. In the early church, campaigners for baptism or their parents went through a three twelvemonth developing procedure with the baptism taking topographic point at Easter. The word baptism, to dunk or swamp, was a form of burial, with people deceasing with regard to their old manner of life, and being raised to a new life as followings of “ The Way. ” More late, the preparation for baptism, depending on the Christian tradition in which it is practiced, has become less clip consuming, but in most traditions there is some needed readying.

The United Church, nevertheless, has tended to be “ the easy church, ” willing to baptise or get married anyone who asks. Decisions about who to baptise or get married are normally made by the peculiar curate in charge, and rubberstamped by the worship commission or church council. Some curates have a really broad and unfastened policy, and others are more restrictive.

There are in fact a figure of viing values in drama in the United Church as a denomination. The first is our committedness to extremist welcome and inclusivity. The 2nd is our committedness to unity expressed through an commitment to the existent significance of baptism as understood by the cosmopolitan church, viz. , that of the Integration of a kid and his or her defenders into both a local religion community and the church universal. The 3rd is our willingness to accommodate Holy Eucharists and create rites to accommodate altering fortunes.

In our ain fold specifically, we have chosen to walk together in an unusual tenseness between our committedness to extremist inclusivity on the one manus, and a committedness to knowing discipleship on the other. Runing against the more easy-going denominational criterions, we invite people to high degrees of committedness and dedication. Our baptismal and dedication policy must of necessity speak to both of these values. We want to fondly and respectfully embrace all those who come to us regardless of age or position, and we want to supply chances for all those who come to see Christ ‘s call, “ Follow me. ” Bing faithful to both values at the same clip is a challenge so for any fold.

Policy Options

Many folds choose one of the three denominational values we have mentioned to concentrate on, with the others withdrawing into the background. 1 ) Some are convinced that extremist welcome is so of import that all other considerations are secondary. No-one should be turned away for any ground. If person asks for baptism for themselves or their kid, the lone response is echoing “ yes! ” This nevertheless creates the job antecedently mentioned, where parents and fold go through a parody where each pretends that the vows made are echt, but both are doing these vows with their fingers, figuratively, crossed behind their dorsums. Not merely does this consequence in a deficiency of unity, but in a diluted signifier of religious community that reinforces the diminution of the church, and harms oecumenic dealingss with denominations that require that we take this ceremonial more earnestly if they are to acknowledge our baptism rites for intents of rank transportation from one Christian tradition to another.

2 ) Others are convinced that the true significance of baptism and our committedness to the wider church is the most of import value, and that the others are secondary. If households are non willing to prosecute in the procedure of readying required, and to go portion of the fold in order to convey their kids up as portion of a loving fold, so they can non take part in the ritual. It is non that we are turning them off every bit much as they are turning themselves off because they do n’t desire what we can offer them. The vows of the fold and parents must be made with all earnestness, and the unity of the baptismal ritual must be preserved. This can, nevertheless, lead to a really negative experience of the church for households who are tentatively interested in researching the religion community, but are non ready to do any immense committednesss.

3 ) Others feel, rather rationally, that our ability as a church to accommodate ancient rites to do them more relevant to current fortunes should take us to abandon baptism as a ritual raw, and make new ways of observing either a new life in a household, or a new committedness to discipleship in an grownup. Why non make our ain new rites that work for everyone? Why make any promises in the rites we use? If no 1 promised anything, there would be less of a sense of disjuncture for the baptised party or the fold. Alternatively of a baptism ritual, we could merely make a dedication rite. Families could convey their babies for a service of approval and Thanksgiving, and no 1 would necessitate to perpetrate to anything. This solution is organizationally and politically debatable, nevertheless, in that it would rip our relationship with the wider church and topographic point us into a post-Christian tradition that we have already decided is non the appropriate way for us. While Universalists have taken that way, we have decided to remain within the Christian tradition, even as we bear witness to a far more progressive version of that religion. Baptism is so core to that religion that if we change it, we can non take part in the world-wide church with unity. This is a way we have considered and refused.

Policy Recommendation

My recommendation to you as council members of Shiloh-Sixth Avenue United Church is that we find a way that meets all our committednesss and values. We have a alone chance to populate up to our divergent and of import values in originative ways. We can continue the oecumenic importance and unity of baptism for those who are earnestly going committed to Christian pattern, and retain our committedness to knowing discipleship within a extremely dedicated community of religion by lone baptising those whose parents or who themselves are committed to a life of discipleship. We should, at the same time, make conditions that allow seeking households a friendly and welcoming environment, and non randomly turn anyone off. We should happen ways to welcome and prosecute with fledglings or searchers without puting burdensome regulations in their way. I am therefore urging that we preserve 1 ) baptism as a rite for the committed and their kids, while making a different 2 ) rite of approval and Thanksgiving for those who are seeking a connexion with the church that is non so regulated.

During a ritual of dedication and Thanksgiving, supplications will be said that celebrate the life of the kid, name the kid, offer thanksgiving for the kid, and give the kid to God. While these supplications do non make the sort of contract between a fold and a kid in the same manner that baptism does, they do open up a manner for the relationship to turn if so desired by the parents. These rites can be originative, and adapted to run into the alone demands of the household involved. The fold can happen particular ways to observe with the household ; we can ask for them back to annual day of remembrances of this rite of approval, and therefore hopefully construct up a longer-term friendly relationship.

Baptism on the other manus is a sacrament. The primary symbols are H2O and oil, and the mark of the cross, which reflect the profusion of the response of a kid or individual into the household of religion. The Sacrament of Baptism is a really joyful and important portion of the life of this fold – we thirstily anticipate the response of new life into our thick, and take earnestly the vows that are made by all parties.

It is my strong belief that this double path allows all parties to retain their unity, helps folds to be welcoming and generous, and enables households to link with the fold harmonizing to their ain gait and comfort degree. We retain our committedness to the significances and roots of our baptismal religion, while making new and advanced rites to prosecute with our post-Christian and secular neighbour.