The Radical Act of Baptism?

Believer’s baptism by immersion was no insignificant step when Baptists championed it in the 17th Century. This radical and public act was a break with over 1300 years of recognized practice in Christian society and it won few converts in the early years. Why was it so unpopular?

Infant baptism was important to almost everyone. With it came a Christian name, a recognized family and community relationship. For the church it meant another communicant who would obey its teaching and support it financially, either through offerings or taxes (or risk severe punishments!). Since church and state were wed across Europe, infant baptism was significant because it was the first point of accountability and authority which a person met.

Baptists, on the other hand, saw no scriptural basis for infant baptism and no need to succumb to the authority of the church in this way. Dedication of children to the Lord was permitted, but scriptural baptism was something else. A believer’s baptism by immersion was a profession of his faith in Christ as Savior and Lord … it was a picture of his death, burial and resurrection. When Baptists immersed new converts, the believers knowingly and voluntarily sought baptism and church membership, thus exercising each individual’s precious liberty of conscience. Believer’s baptism was an act that no parent, guardian or sponsor could do on one’s behalf. It was a personal, public witness of faith.

For those who defended the baptism of infants, the public spectacle of immersion was disgraceful, unbecoming and unhealthful. More than that, believer’s baptism was an affront to church tradition, control and authority, and certainly the continued well-being of both church and state.

Baptism is a declaration to the world that we belong to Jesus. Believer’s baptism by immersion … a radical act indeed!

Bibliography

Christian History Magazine-Issue 6: The Baptists (Worcester, PA: Christian History Institute, 1985).

Redifining God

An article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported in April 21, 2000 that "Across the country, the faithful are redefining God. Dissatisfied with conventional images of an authoritarian or paternalistic deity, people are embracing quirky, individualistic conceptions of god to suit their own spiritual needs.”

You might say, ‘yes, this is what our culture is doing’, but I would submit to you that it’s also in our churches.  We have a tendency today to redefine God into who we want Him to be.  He’s a god that is okay with the middle class American way of life.  He’s a god that’s okay with our self-satisfied lukewarm faith.  He’s comfortable with our apathy and half-hearted devotion to him.  He’s comfortable with our materialistic indulgences.  He’s okay with these things, why? – because we are. 

And so what do we do? – we fashion a god who looks a lot like us and this is a dangerous thing because when we gather together each week for our so called worship services what happens is not true worship to the revealed God of the Scriptures who is worthy of our praise.  In all reality the only person we are worshipping is ourselves and the actual God we’re supposed to be worshipping has been grossly mis-defined.  We become just like the Israelites who fashioned a golden calf in the desert.  We worship a god that we’ve crafted in our own mind and this god is one that we can control and he’s okay with whatever we do, to include even our sin.    

Our goal must not ever be to redefine God, because He’s not open to redefinition.  The goal is revelation –to see how He has chosen to reveal Himself in scripture. 

The WSJ goes on to say that “These gentler, almost mystical forms of theology have found a receptive audience in today’s affluent society.  Americans are cobbling together a spiritual life from a variety of religious influences, along with a dash of yoga and psychotherapy or whatever else moves them.”  This is an example of man-centered theology in which people will be quick to quote “Cast all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).  But avoid verses that say “If any man will come after me (Jesus), let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).   

“People seek out these new gods the way they seek out new products in the marketplace, ‘says Randall Styers, assistant professor at Union Theological Seminary, in New York.  ‘It’s the ultimate form of individualism.” 

There are some key questions that we all need to think about: Who are we worshipping?  Is it the true God that has revealed Himself in Scripture or is it some other god that we’ve created in our minds?