Debaptize yourself?

fire-insurance-thumbSince the time of Constantine, baptism has often been one of the strands holding together the knot of national identity and Christendom.

In other situations, the fear that a child, tainted by Original Sin, might end up in hell for all eternity if she were to die before being baptized has led parents, grandparents and other guardians to seek out baptism in churches as though it might  provide some sort of magical fire insurance.

Continue reading "Debaptize yourself?"

Baptism: What happened to John?

In the early days of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches,[1] the first Bylaws published by the movement had the following to say about baptism:

Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist by Andrea Solario
Click to see full image.

 

C. Sacraments

The Church shall embrace two Holy Sacraments:

1.  Baptism by water and the Spirit, as exemplified by Christ at the hands of John the Baptist.  This baptism shall be a sign of the dedication of each life to God and His [sic] service.  Through the words and acts of this baptism, the words, ‘God’s own child’ shall be stamped upon the recipiant [sic] (UFMCC 3).

But shortly thereafter, John the Baptist disappeared from the Bylaws.  What happened?

Continue reading "Baptism: What happened to John?"

Baptism: An Introduction

I mentioned in my 2009 Annual Life Lessons that I’ve been doing a lot of work on baptism this past year.  Most seminarians have to grapple with this practice at some point in their studies, but it was a call for papers from the Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) that sent me into overdrive.  So I’ve decided to make some blog entries to share what I’ve been studying and writing about.

Baptism of Jesus

Continue reading "Baptism: An Introduction"

2006-2009 Annual Life Lessons!

scribeI am pleased to report that my Annual Life Lessons have, at long last, been caught up.  I’ve not spent much time writing on this section of the site since I started seminary.

Years 2006-2008 will primarily outline papers written while in seminary, but beginning with 2009, there is again reflection on things that have happened throughout the year.  Take some time and check them out…

  Continue reading "2006-2009 Annual Life Lessons!"