I had an interesting time at the Schuette's community group on Thursday night because there was a discussion about whether or not people should be allowed to be baptized immediately upon the transmission of a statement of repentance. Three of the seven people who were baptized on Sunday had previously been deterred from baptism by men who thought that the appropriate time for their baptism had not yet, or never would come. On the other hand, one lady at community group knew of several people who were baptized at a summer camp (candy was involved) but had not been known to live as Christians.
My comment was that maybe baptisms should be a bit more public than they generally are because if they were people might be a bit less likely to be baptized just to be baptized. I seem to have changed my mind from what I was thinking at the Tuesday night community group when I said that baptisms didn't need to be public because circumcision wasn't public, but that people should know that they had occured. Perhaps Mars Hill Church has come across the best of both worlds by including video of baptisms on the world wide web. I guess that this blog helps too.
The most interesting thing I heard was that the reasoning that says that new believers should wait and live as Christians for a while before they are baptized is the same reasoning that says that people people who have affection for each other should wait a while and live together to see how they get along before they become married to each other.
Directly above this text is an image of a goose which distracted us all at the front end.
This is an image of Alan telling us all why it is that he was about to baptized.
This is an image of Alan and lead pastor Chris (Swanny) walking into the Island Lake
Directly before.
Directly after.One down, six to go.
This is an image of Kehly telling us all why it is that she was about to baptized.
Two down, five to go.
This is an image of Clarissa telling us all why it is that she was about to baptized.
This is an image of Clarissa being baptized.
This is an image of Paige and her daddy telling the witnesses why she is about to be baptized.
Directly Before
During.
Directly after.Four down, three to go.
This is an image of Olivia telling lead pastor Chris (Swanny) why it is that she was about to baptized.
Five down, two to go.
This is an image of Candice (not Queen of the Ethiopians) telling us all why it is that she was about to baptized.
Directly After.Six down, one to go.
Directly after.
Now take a look at lead pastor Chris (Swanny) in this picture and compare it the wedding picture below.
Now you tell me which event is happier.
Directly after.
Now take a look at lead pastor Chris (Swanny) in this picture and compare it the wedding picture below.
Now you tell me which event is happier.
2 comments:
Baptisms in your church are apparently very different from baptisms in the Presbyterian churches I've been part of. Since we don't insist on immersion, baptisms normally take place in the church building, during the worship service. This makes the event more "public" than your low-church customs appear to be.
Also, Presbyterian churches typically have people go through a Communicants/Confirmation class before they are baptized (or confirmed), wherein they review the basic tenets of Christianity, and some basics about church history and denominational distinctives. In the communicants class which I took before being baptized (at age 14), we also each wrote a personal statement of faith which we read before the church elders at a special meeting.
One more quick note: you don't necessarily have to do the baptism by sprinkling in order for it to be in the church building! I've seen churches with little baptismal pools built in. They might only have been Catholic, though ...
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