It is interesting to see the theological debate between
Protestant Church and Pentecostal church concerning Baptism. In the first week
of this month (December 2015), My brother’s 2+ months old daughter was
“Presented in Church”. (I am not sure whether ‘Presented in Church’ is the
right English translation for Penyerahan Anak. I am open to correction and
suggestion for further improvement). My family is Pantecostal and we do not
embrace the child Baptism because Pantecostal believe that baptismal decision
should be made by a mature person who are able to make their own decision,
realizing their sins and would take a leap of faith to be ‘born again’ through
baptism. During the service, both parents, My brother, his wife and the
daughter, sat in front of the altar where they received messages of wisdom from
the bible. The Church elders and the whole congregation later joined together
to pray and to receive blessings not only for the child but most importantly
the parents and as whole, the church where the child will grow in the learning
of the Truth. The pastor strictly announce their stand of No Child Baptism.
They do not mention which church denomination but it is like a public hush-hush
of you-know-whom-I-meant.
My little girl Tania will receive her holy sacrament of
Baptism this coming 26th of December. Now, Tania is 5 years old and
of course it means this is a child baptism. I am married to a Protestant (not
that it matters, but for the sake of the story line I will need to say this).
During the preparatory meeting, the pastor explained to the parents and god-parents
that the baptism is a symbol of redemption and miraculous act of divine power
over the life of a child, where the baptized child is a member of a church, a
member of the kingdom of heaven. Thus throughout the child’s life, he/she will
learn to know Jesus and His teaching and apply it to his/her life. The pastor
made a reference that there is no need for ‘re-baptism’ (Baptis Ulang) in their
adult life because the child is anointed in the name of Father, Son and the
Holy Spirit only once. The pastor of course did not made a clear naming but
everyone know that is is the hush-hush of you-know-whom-I-meant.
Now, based on what I hear from the pastors, Penyerahan Anak
(Child Presentation in Church) and Child Baptism are essentially referring to
the similar theological notion. Now before I continue, I want to give the
disclaimer that I am NOT a theologian. This is purely my opinion. I am not
trying to over-generalizing the matter. Discretion, adult consideration and
wisdom are encouraged.
Both Penyerahan Anak (Child Presentation in Church) in Pentecostal Church and Child Baptism in Protestant Church mentioned the same elements:
the anointing of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Being a member of the church
on Earth and in Heaven, Parental guidance as well as support from the
congregation are enforced as the community where the child will grow to learn
about Jesus, His teaching and application in life. I can see that in this phase
of a child’s life, the emphasis is on the responsibility of the parents,
god-parents and church community as whole as we welcome the child spiritually
and physically in our midst.
The difference is in the use of water. Pentecostal church
does not use water in this occasion and rather emphasis on anointing the child
by releasing blessings through prayers and joyful rejoice. Protestant church
use water, 3 times the splashing of water over the head of the child as the
anointment was proclaimed. This, in my opinion made the Protestant baptism
considered sacred and cannot be ‘tinkered’ with in anyway, (read ‘re-baptism’).
Once again, I do not dare to say which is wrong and which is
right nor to come to the point of referring to which is the ultimate true
baptism. Who am I to say that? I sincerely believe there is nothing wrong in
this believe and sacred sacrament. Water throughout times, culture and religion
was used to symbolize cleansing, purity and sacredness. Thus, most of the time
when the holy water is poured and use in anointing, it is forbidden for us to
denounce or re-do the sacred act.
Before we continue I need to share something about me and my
family. I was born in the time where my family was a member and follower of
Protestant Church. I grew up in church and was very active in all church
activity; Sunday school, Teen Groups and I was even a church dancer. My parents
at some point share the believe about NO Re-baptism after the child baptism was
done. Then come the religious conflict in our land. We were uprooted from our
village, live in refugee camps, live in fear midst the war that is raging
around us and being chased and threatened to be killed because of our belief.
We didn’t immediately turned Pentecostal, nor Pentecostal served us better than
the Protestant. We were still attending Protestant Church and tried to be
active in our core church. Then come one day, my parents and brother went to
the funeral of a relative. They were Pentecostal. My father shared that He felt
he was touched deeply by the preacher’s words. My parents began to attend their
gathering (they weren't an official church yet). My brother began to help them
with keyboard playing. I was away training in Bangkok, Thailand I suppose. I
returned home to a new kind of family. A sense of fresh breath of faith in the
house. We then began attending and felt at home. The way Pentecostal preach is
different from Protestant. I guess that at that time, during the conflict, we
needed those words more than we need to hear preaching about the nation and the
country that completely failed us. I believe we longed for a more intimate
relationship with God and Pentecostal way provided that for us. Long story
short, we became the member of Pentecostal Church where both my brother and I
were very active in Music and Praise and Worship. I was particularly active
with the youth.
So I was baptized as a child. Then I made my decision to be
baptized in terms of an act of born again when I was in my University year (an
adult) together with my parents and brother. Now being in both circumstances, I
think I can share some of my opinion. I think we cannot say that the adult
baptism in Pentecostal Church is Re-Baptism or Baptis Ulang. I believe the Child
Baptism is actually the presentation of a child to the church. Baptism should
be done out of conscious realization of one’s sins and the leap of faith to
receive Jesus as savior and to be born again as a whole new creation. This
later one can only be done by adult who has full knowledge of what is right and
wrong and who is able to make his/her own decision.
When I was a child and my parents were still in Protestant
church they brought (a child ) me to be baptized because they feel their
responsibility and their love to Jesus that they want their child to grow in
the knowledge of HIM. As I grow older, learning more about life, doing my fair
share of mistakes and sins, I wanted to make amends with God. I wanted to start
a new life. I know I can only do this in Jesus name, in HIS Mercy and Love.
What better and more beautiful way to do this that to surrender myself and do
the ‘Jesus Baptism’. As I was submerged underwater, I surrender all my sins and
wrongdoings. I surrender my past, present and future to Jesus. I rise from the
water as a clean slate. A new person. A born again whose sins are washed away.
So there is a fundamental difference between the ‘Child
Baptism’ and ‘Adult Baptism’. I believe this nay-say and finger pointing about
which is right and which is wrong is pointless and childish. If only churches
can sit together, talk heart to heart not between them but between them and
God. I don’t want to belittle sacrament or holy rituals here but I think
churches need to see that it is a matter of terminology and symbolic rituals
which lead to the conceptual theology. I believe there is nothing wrong when an
adult Christian is ‘born again’ through submerged baptism. Isn’t that good? Isn’t that what Church aimed
for, to save lives and bring them to God? Also there’s nothing wrong in Child
Baptism. It’s a celebration of ‘new member’ which is our shared responsibility
to keep them growing in God’s track. Now judging by what happen around me now
where young people fall in to sins and the very church community who welcomed
them are helpless and even joined/seduced them into it, - then ‘Born Again’ is
not a bad idea at all.
So what I want to say is there’s no need for denomination arrogance.
There’s no need to keep hinting that ‘what WE are doing is right and what THEY
are doing is wrong’. There is no need to demonize others just because they do
it differently. Let us work together. Save Life! Save these souls for the
Kingdom of God. As long as we are living on earth, we can only do our best to
bring souls to Jesus. In the end when the King comes for the second time, He
will be the judge. Until then, just do our best, work together and don’t build
walls (of denomination).
So this coming 26th of December 2015,
my 5 years old daughter will be baptized and I will continue to pray for one day,
she discover God, befriended Jesus and walk with Holy Spirit. I will continue
to pray that if she made mistakes, commit sins etc. She knows Jesus has her
back. I will continue to pray that one day when the world gets her, she will
find a way to be ‘born again’ and walk the path that has always meant for her.
It will be her decision. Until then… I will continue to pray for her.
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