Shawn C. Branch

Do you think that baptisms have become another superstitious act that parents and babies go through or does it still maintain its intended meaning?

At church on Sunday, a baby was baptised, and as I praying for the bébé and his family, I started thinking "why is this baby being baptised?  where is the family in their faith?  do they understand what’s going on?"

I’ve always struggled a certain amount with baptism and some times I really do believe that it just happens cause "its the right thing to do."  In fact, some people I know have admitted that the church did nothing to explain or prepare them for the baptism – "just show up and invite the family."

I was baptised as a baby (that’s what they tell…I don’t remember it) but never really went to church until I became a teen and started going with friends and then eventually met Jesus for myself.  I wanted to be baptised as a believer, but was told that I couldn’t (no "double-dipping") and confirmation was my way to accept my faith as a believer…I felt a little ripped off, partly cause I am slightly rebellious, but it felt like the Christian faith was forced on me.  I’m over that now and recognize that my confessing Christ as Lord is equally as powerful.

So here’s what I’m wondering:
- Is the church too laid back about baptisms?
- Do we take on a responsibility as "observers" when its unclear that the family are not devout believers?
- Should we ever say "no" to a family when they want their baby baptised?

"The greatest barrier to the gospel in contemporary western culture is the church," or so says New Zealand Theologian Mike Riddell. It is quite ironic that the very message, entrusted to us by Jesus, is in danger by the body created by Jesus to spread it. But what does Riddell mean? We call the church ‘a family’ and yet, if the church were to go into therapy, it would be considered severely dysfunctional, un-communicative and often abusive.

Our congregations… function as conglomerations of committed individuals, little different from a bowling club or a Rotary club group. Most Western Christians regard even major life decisions as their private arena and would never contemplate opening the process to fellow Christians.

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Thoughts??