Undoing the holy

More and more atheists are engaging a ritual of un-faith (Is there such a thing? Don't we all have faith in something, even if it's not God?) by practicing a new anti-sacrament. They're getting de-baptized.

It's a ceremony that apparently involves a hairdryer labled "reason" and concludes with de-baptismal certificates to validate the undoing of something once sacred but now deemed silly.

You can read all about it here and here.

How ludicrous …

I've got to admit my first reaction to de-baptism was a chuckle and a slow wagging of my head. It all seems so ludicrous. 

Why do they feel such a strong compulsion to break with a faith they no longer hold? And if they revile the rituals of the church—whichever church has been part of their lives—why do they need to parrot its practices with yet another ritual?

And a hairdryer? Couldn't they be more profound, if not symbolic.

But really serious

The more I've thought about de-baptism, the more I've grieved. Although I can understand—and even appreciate—the myriad reasons that drive people from their faith, my heart breaks to hear about souls who renounce that faith.

It's not so much the faith-renouncing that bothers me as it is the ruptured relationship with Christ. And what's even more grevious is that, usually, it's not Christ that caused the rupture. It's Christians.

Can we prevent de-baptism?

As I've pondered de-baptisms, I've wondered what we can do to prevent them. Several thoughts come to mind:

First, we should take baptism more seriously. Our Baptist forebears endured persecution and even death because they resisted infant baptism. Yet we border on it, with the immersion of ever-younger children. Often, we need to tell these wonderful, loving children: "This is tremendous. And it's so special, we need to wait awhile. You keep on loving Jesus, and let's keep on talking about what that means. And later on, when you're really ready, you can be baptized."

We also need to teach what baptism means. For 400 years, we have professed that baptism does not wash away sins. It's a symbol of our identification with Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. It's a sign of our obedience to Jesus to be baptized, to publicly claim him as our Savior. And it's a statement of our hope that one day, even though these mortal bodies will die and be buried, that death is not all there is, and we, too, will be resurrected into eternal life.

Second, we need to do a much, much better job of discipling young Christians and developing longtime Christians. Often, when I listen to lapsed Christians, to people who grew bored or angry or apathetic and stepped away from their faith, I find myself thinking, "They just don't get it." Seems like they typically believe one or the other of several misconceptions of the Christian faith. For example:

• Their faith was a transaction they completed when they walked the aisle, shook a preacher's hand and got "dunked." Then, it was over. And faith had absolutely no bearing on how they lived or thought or felt. If that's all there is, I'd get de-baptized, too.

• Or somehow, they were taught the Christian life is all about rules and about do's and don't's. This sounds a lot like what Jesus came to Earth to undo. If that's all there is, I'd get de-baptized, too.

• And some folks seem to think Jesus is some kind of a cosmic Genie. Pull out your Bible, think nice thoughts about Baby Jesus, and your wish will come true. Even if that worked, I'd get de-baptized, too.

We need to do a better job of helping folks grow in their faith. The solution runs the gamut from relevant, interesting Bible study, to caring small groups, to meaningful involvement in ministry, to focused mentoring, to vibrant worship. When we fail at these, they falter.

And third, we Christians need to quit undermining Christ. So many unbelievers and former believers base their opinions of Christ on the lousy Christians they know. Of course, we're all sinners, and we need to admit that and tell them so. We need to do the best we can to validate our faith and our calling in our lives. But we also need to point people to Jesus and to help them see that, even when we stumble, Jesus is steadfast. Even when we're unloving, Jesus is eternally loving.

Save it for another day

We didn't even get into the whole debate about whether de-baptism works. The doctrine of the security of the believer—once-saved, always saved—will have to wait for another day.