[Rot 911]

Baptism is a sacrament of commitment—a commitment by parents to raise their child as a Christian. Unlike Jesus, who was an adult when he was baptized, an infant or small child isn't involved in the decision of whether or not he or she should be baptized (as the children sometimes make abundantly clear when you try and put a few drops of water on their heads in front of a bunch of people they don't know and aren't sure they like). The baby has nothing to say about it. Babies get baptized because moms and/or dads want them baptized, or sometimes because grandma and/or grandpa are putting pressure on the parents to have their grandchild baptized.

From whence comes this pressure? For the most part, it comes from a Roman Catholic understanding of baptism. My experience is that many, perhaps most, Protestants have a very Roman Catholic concept of baptism.

In the past, it wasn't unusual for Roman Catholic parents to go directly from the hospital to the church for a baptism. Why? According to the Roman Catholic Church, a child's soul is in jeopardy until she or he is baptized. If a child is an infant and dies unbaptized, the child will go to limbo, not heaven.

The concept of limbo is, in my opinion, the result of the Roman Catholic Church understanding the unchristian harshness of its own theology. I think they realized that God wouldn't send an innocent baby to hell. Therefore, they came up with this place called limbo for unbaptized babies who died before being baptized. If someone grows to be an adult and dies unbaptized, however, the Roman Catholic church believes that person will go to hell. So in their theology of baptism, limbo is for unbaptized babies; hell is for unbaptized adults (as well, of course, some baptized adults who are unrepentant sinners.).

Most other Christian sects aren't quite as harsh in this belief. God loves us all and that love is not contingent upon clergy praying over someone and putting water on their head. They do not believe that God will punish a child simply because the parents failed to get their child baptized. It is simply incompatible with the understanding of the gracious love of God. It is also contrary to the understanding of the very limited powers of the Church (To paraphrase Calvin, "Who woke up and appointed the church God?").

So if baptism is not about the child's soul, in our tradition, what is it? Back to where I began. Baptism is a statement of commitment by the parents to raise their child as a Christians. When you baptize a baby, you don't ask the baby anything. You do ask the parents if they believe in the God revealed in and through Jesus Christ. You also ask them if they plan to raise their child in that faith.

In addition, baptism is also a statement of commitment by the church. In the sacrament of baptism, the congregation is asked if they are prepared to help nurture this child's spiritual life. They respond in the affirmative verbally. More importantly, they respond affirmatively in deed by providing the children with a loving, nurturing environment.