Tailgating & Baptism

YEEHAH!!! It's official - baptism is now a cultural celebration on the level of a Clemson University football game. Bring your grill, RV, pop-up tent, big screen TV and party before baptism. That is precisely what NewSpring Baptist Church in Anderson, S.C. promotes.

"We invited people to come tailgate before the baptisms like they would before a football game," said Tony Morgan, chief strategic officer (?) at NewSpring in Anderson, S.C. "People brought their RVs and set up tents. There were televisions going with people watching football games before the baptism service started," Morgan told Baptist Press. "People brought grills and they were making food for themselves and sharing with others. It was pretty fun." The church, which is about 20 minutes from the Clemson University campus, set up three above-ground pools in the parking lot, and two pastors in each pool took about 90 minutes to baptize the 562 people, Morgan said. Morgan believes it's entirely appropriate to party before a baptism because the ordinance is a celebration. [see entire article]

While I agree that baptism is a celebration of one coming to faith in Christ, it is much more than that. It is a ceremony that demonstrates one's union with Christ through His death, burial, and resurrection. While I am sure it has happened before, I don't think most church members would be comfortable tailgating prior to a wedding ceremony.

Further, the solemnity which should surround the ceremony is lost in this atmosphere. It is not unlike one church a few years ago that actually baptized children in a fire truck, complete with sirens, bells, and fireworks.

At stake in the casualness that surrounds a "celebration" such as this (along with the Lord's Table, I might add - see 1 Corinthians 11:17-34) is the twofold purpose of baptism is lost. Mark Dever wrote the following in A Theology for the Church, recently published by Broadman & Holman:

Baptism functions as both a confession of sin and a profession of faith for the believer. Faith is professed in Christ and the objective realities of Christ's death, the gift of the Spirit, and the final resurrection, all of which are depicted in baptism. Furthermore, it testifies to the subjective experiences of confession and forgiveness, spiritual regeneration, and the newly discovered resurrection hope. Baptism portrays the Christian's union with Christ, and therefore with other Christians and the church (see Rom. 6:1-14) [p. 787, emphasis mine].

While baptism serves as a visible demonstration of one's faith in Christ (which is celebratory), it also serves as an outward confession of sin. This is where a "celebration" in the form of a tailgate party falls miserably short. May we all have a passion to baptize. I pray that all of those baptized that day have truly come to faith in Christ. But does this type of display identify more with Christ or the world? Would the "celebration" not have been as joyous inside the church? Do sinners see their need for a Savior while sitting around preparing their hearts for kickoff? May we heed the warning of Paul concerning the Lord's Table and apply it to the ordinance of baptism as well.