Blog poll…
Is this?
(A) A sign that a child may not sense the gravity of what baptism means.
(B) Good clean fun and “church” needs to lighten’ up.
(C) Just wrong.
(D) Other?
About Dan Miller
Pastor Dan was part of the core group that started Grace Fellowship in 2003. Pastor Dan is our primary teaching pastor, leads the staff, and oversees the vision and strategy for our disciplemaking philosophy of ministry. Dan married Vicki in 1993. Together, they enjoy their seven children – Benjamin (married to Courtney), David, Alexa, Zachary (married to Ginna), Nathan, Ana, and Autumn, along with one grandchild - Lucy.
I’m going to hedge and say A, B, and C.
I think D is also a good answer…
You missed one option….
(E) A popular new method of baptism called “double full immersion” or more commonly referred to as “dunk and drop”. This method is loosely based on the original Greek word for baptism, “baptizo” which translated means to “dip repeatedly”.
OK, first time blogger, be nice. This is a subject I have thought about in the past. I have been to many churches were the main goal is to just Baptize everyone including children whether they fully understand Baptism or not. I don’t believe that any child should be baptized just because they learned in Sunday school that Jesus died for our sins and they have accepted him into their heart. Although on the surface this is what we believe and learn the first 10 minutes in Sunday school, it is a little deeper then just saying the words. The maturity level of the child is important, but once the child expresses interest the real decision should come from the parents, the pastor, and the Sunday school teachers who spend time with the child and understands what the level of understanding really is for the child. So “D”
I am about as fun loving as it comes. However, in balance to my previous attempt at humor…It was disrespectful to the pastor, disrespectful toward the ordinance of baptism, along with the precious symbolism of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. This is supposed to be a public display of this child’s inward faith. This was somewhat a mockery of the seriousness of baptism IMO.
I believe one of the child’s parents put him up to doing this thinking that it would be “funny”. It was funny to watch, but everything else I wrote above is also true.
What if I was up in front singing with the band on Sunday morning and decided to let out a huge burp between songs right in the mic. “Excuse me everyone!”
Funny? Maybe. Sinful? No! Inappropriate? Definitely!
I didn’t see a video when I commented on baptism. I thought we were remarking on whether or not children should be baptized.
After seeing the video, my comment would be that I do not believe that this child really understands the significance of baptism. (A)
I’d go with A, B, and D. I’m not sure it’s wrong/sinful, like CA said, but I would definitely put it up there in the inappropriate category-thus the D.
Sorry Danny, please don’t be bummed about C.A. coming out hard at you, he really is very soft and huggable. Please come back we want and need your input.
This is one area that the church needs to walk the fine line between enabling and endorsing. We must be careful not to enable unhealthy, insincere people while having them participate in important and significant activities the church has been given by Christ. We enable when we don’t slow down long enough to discuss what things like baptism really mean. We enable when a child is not old enough to know what baptism means. We endorse issues like baptism when we search the Scripture, when we discuss varying views, when we love people by asking them to consider the reason for their activity.
It is true that kids will naturally act this way when parents or church leaders are not careful to instruct kids to first consider the meaning of an activity and then act in view of this meaning. The neat thing is that when we walk that “fine line” we help people to creatively express various ways of honor to the Lord in very different ways but all from the same understanding of meaning and significance. To me this is the best of both worlds.
My last post was not in response to anything Danny wrote at all, but a “stand on it’s own” balance to my attempt at humor/making light of the subject.
Not sure if I am reading into Dan’s comment that Danny might have been offended at my last post, but if so I do apologize.
As Dan wrote, I am all about the hugs and even greeting with “holy” kisses. 😉
I would have to respectfully disagree with Dan about me being “soft”. 🙂
A. and E. Embarassing.
A nice response would have been to send the kid back up the stairs – and have a little sit down with him and his mom and dad.
Of course the howls of laughter from the congregation don’t do much to discourage it.
Yikes.
Hey guys,
Sorry I haven’t commented back, but I have been in Guatemala for the last several days and trying to catch up at work the last two days.
C.A.,
I took no offense to your comments and I agree with or comments about it being disrespectful to all parties.
I find it interesting the the pastor says “this is the first time this has happened and it will be the last”. That is all and good but what I would really like to know is; did the pastor continue with the babtism? I agree with John Lee that the child and parents need to have a sit down with the pastor. The child is obliviousy not ready.
Thanks Danny!
Glad someone agrees with me on something. 🙂