Dear Parents and Godparents,
Congratulations on being asked by other parents to be involved with the baptism of one of their critters. The institution of godparents probably extends back to times of greater mortality, when parents wanted to ensure that should they die, their children would be raised in a godly tradition. Even today, being a godparent implies that the parents of a child see something in your life that they want instilled in their child as they grow. In the course of the ceremony you will be asked questions, both affirmations and renunciations. The service can be found in the Book of Common Prayer, pages 299 through 314. The link to the online version is here: http://www.bcponline.org
The practice of baptizing infants and children has come under heavy criticism, as it suggests that there is some magical property in the rite that transcends understanding. To some extent the 1979 Prayer Book is guilty of making this claim. Other Christians suggest that baptism is appropriate only for older people who are capable of understanding what it is that is being said and promised. I believe that it is in fact appropriate to baptize infants and young children as long as it is understood what baptism is and isn’t. Let me explain.
Baptism is not magic. There are many people who are lost spiritually who were baptized. Further, there are many redeemed who were never baptized; the thief on the cross being a prime example. So what are we doing here? Baptism is two things. First of all, it is a celebration of the fact that without our knowledge or consent, Jesus Christ died on behalf of a sinful humanity, and all people, in every place and age, are justified by virtue of his substitutionary death. Humanity will never be judged for its sins; they’ve been atoned for by the blood of Christ on the cross. Just as an infant is unaware of this fact, so we are unaware that our sins are atoned for and will never be debited to our account. Secondly, baptism is a public declaration, with by an individual or parents and sponsors, that we recognize the death of Christ to be germane to our lives, and that just as he died, we, too, need to die to self, be buried and come up a new person. We need to cede our will to Jesus, and the symbol of giving up our will is to allow ourselves to be buried, in water as it’s cleaner than dirt, so that the old man with his selfish will, might be done away with. We come up in newness of life, free to obey Jesus as Lord and embark on a new adventure of living with Him. To the extent that kids are being baptized, it’s up to the parents and sponsors to bring them up to know that just because they want something, doesn’t mean it’s good or they should get it. It takes a lifetime sometimes to get the point across that our will should not, must not, be paramount, and that the faster we sign the death warrant to our own wills the better off we’ll be. Thus, parents and sponsors are the tools God uses to get the point across to kids that “It’s not about you.” To the extent that you can help them control their will, you’ve been God’s surrogate, and everybody, God, them, society and you, will be the better for it.
Although it’s beyond the scope of a discussion of baptism, I should point out that the way people get into spiritual trouble is not for being sinners per se, but for being fruitless. Jesus died for our sins, he is our savior. He lives to impart new power to us, he is our Lord. Or should be. Check out that attached paper for more.
This brief monograph captures the salient points of Christian doctrine. I would appreciate it if, before the ceremony, you read, mark, learn and inwardly digest it. It’s all based on Scripture, and conforms to the thinking of the great Christian luminaries across the ages. I would ask that you be prepared to answer the following questions:
What, if anything, is new to you?
Is there anything you don’t understand?
Is there anything you understand but don’t agree with?
Is there any Scriptural basis for your disagreement? Any historical precedent for your viewpoint?
Do you still want to be a sponsor? Some kids are pretty docile, while others can be a handful.
Please feel free to contact me with any reactions you have to this letter or this article. As the Scriptures say, it’s better to not vow, than to vow and break it. Thank you for your willingness to get involved in the life of a child. I look forward to having a beer and hearing the answers to these questions.
