The Southern Baptist Convention is reporting a drop in baptisms. Read the article here. This is actually how they count new members or their group, as they really associate salvation with faith only. Taking a somewhat Zwinglian angle, most of them believe that baptism is only an outward sign of what God has already done in the heart of a believer.
Anyway, the last paragraph of the article caught my attention:
"Falling baptism numbers have also been attributed to the cultural background of new converts, who include a growing number of Hispanics who are seen as reluctant to take 'the dunk' because it is considered a final step that breaks most ties with their past."
This is true on so many levels.
In Brazil there was sometimes reluctance about baptism because family members (Roman Catholics or Spiritists) would view this as a complete break from their past faith. It was one thing to dabble in this "evangelical" thing, but quite another to be baptized.
Really, baptism is a complete break with the past. It is the death of the old person we were, and the birth of a new person. Death, burial and resurrection with Jesus.
This was in the Tennessean paper this week. Maybe they should start making a bigger deal out of it.
ReplyDeleteI admit that I can certainly see there point. I mean, the idea of baptism as the death of the old person and birth of a new person does raise some very serious questions.
ReplyDeletePhysical death creates a physical separation between the deceased and loved ones. The death and resurrection of baptism does provide this separation. Both the baptized person and the family that is a part of that "old life" are likely to still have to interact on some level. I imagine it's difficult for everyone involved to figure out how to deal with that kind of complete and radical change.
To be honest, I think I can imagine this quite well, as I go through something of the same experience every time I go home to spend time with my mostly-Christian family. (In fact, I'm somewhat dreading the possible situations I might have to negotiate during my niece's tenth birthday party in two weeks.) Add to this the fact that (at least as I understand it) the religious aspects of many South and Central American cultures are much more heavily embedded than they often are in our (dominant) North American culture, and I imagine the difficulties become that much harder.
How does one deal with the difficulties of being "dead to the old life" while still maintaining close relations with loved ones who are still a part of that "old life"?
Out of baptism, or the loss of thousands of members?
ReplyDeleteJarred,
ReplyDeleteYour questions are good. I'm afraid I did pretty badly with this matter of family relationships after baptism. My Catholic mother and non-religious father were accepting of my change of church and all that went with it, but I was all-too-willing to distance myself from family. It was a struggle and I did poorly. The years and experience have taught me that it is a matter of priorities, and not that I love my family less than before. I just love God as I see Him in Christ more than I love them. If I love Him, then I will love them.
Yes, yes, I know the bit about hating father and mother that Jesus said. I also misinterpreted that. Suppose I'll have to post on that someday....