So You Used to be a Baptist: Get Over It!

         I have had five articles published in the TFUMC Newsletter in the last six months. The Editor graciously offered me a monthly column called "Hinesight".  The one month in six that I missed had been scheduled to include an article I wrote about a former Baptist (raised a Baptist) needing to overcome some denominational baggage when he (me, of course) became a Methodist by marrying one.
         The article had the potential to offend some people if they took it seriously, namely Baptists and Catholics, even though it is the sharing of one man's (mine) journey, and was written somewhat tongue-in-cheek for entertainment value.
         After several watering down re-writes and vascillating decisions about whether or not to publish in the church Newsletter, the Editor finally made a firm decision that it would not be appropriate, and suggested that I put the article in a blog.  So here it is, for your enlightenment and entertainment.  I hope that you enjoy the read and that you are not offended.  But if you are, well, like theysay in Russia, "tough shitsky".

                                                

                                                   So You Used to Be a Baptist

by Bill Hines

         In conversations around the church, everyone, at one time or another, has heard someone utter the phrase, “I was raised a Baptist . . .”.  Most prominent are husbands who married Methodist women.  It is rare to find a couple in that situation who choose to settle in the Baptist Church.  There are also cases of women marrying into Methodism, although somewhat rare.  There are also other reasons for Baptists becoming Methodists, e.g., being drawn to our choirs or other programs or being urged by neighbors to visit our church. We even have three staff members who were Baptist before signing on.

       I fall into the ‘married a Methodist’ category.  But, regardless of what made the Baptist a Methodist, there are some central doctrinal differences that can be difficult for the Baptist to overcome.  My story exemplifies these hurdles, here enumerated:

1.     Pastors/ministers wear robes in worship;

2.     Candles burn on the altar during worship services;

3.     Baptism without immersion;

4.     Infant baptism;

5.     Prayers of Confession;

6.     Creeds;

7.     Laity assist with the Lord’s Supper;

8.     Use of the word “communion”.

9.     Bishops

There is also a difference in the way converts are received into the church, but that’s beyond the scope of this discussion.

         The nine items listed above have direct correlations to the Catholic faith.  To Baptists, when I was a youth, anything Catholic was bad.  Keywords that invoke a deeply embedded psychological rejection are equally present in Methodism and Catholicism: robes, candles, sprinkling, infant baptism, confession, creed, communion.  Brain-washing is too strong a term, but indoctrination against anything resembling Catholicism, was thorough and effective. 

       So when we Baptists suddenly become Methodists, we are laden with denominational baggage.  I can only speak for myself, but I will share parts of my journey to overcome my Baptist upbringing:

1.     So the preacher wears a robe.  So what?  Big deal!

2.     Two candles are innocuous, and symbolize Christ bringing light into the world and the church taking it out to the world. What’s wrong with that?

3.     The Baptism Service template found in the United Methodist Hymnal, states that baptism is an initiation into the body of Christ, the church. It is not magical, and no supernatural act occurs.  There is no expectation that the process somehow causes a paranormal transformation.  Makes sense to me.  I buy that.

4.     Infant baptism simply puts the responsibility for the Christian upbringing of the child squarely on the parents, guardians, or responsible adults. The child is still responsible for his own conversion declaration (with the assistance of some intense presentation of information to the ‘confirmation class’).

5.     How can you argue with the prayers of confession found in the Methodist Hymnal –prayed either collectively or individually?  We have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We confess and we repent.  This one was easy for me.

6.     Creeds—as a child growing up, I had no idea what a creed was, only that my church said that creeds were evil and should be shunned.  I must admit, I can’t say that I agree with every point made in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.  But they are ritual, liturgical statements, and as such, are good summaries of the facets of Christian beliefs.  I don’t have to memorize nor do I need to boycott them.  If recitation by the corporate body bothers my lingering religious upbringing, I just say to myself, “It doesn’t matter; it doesn’t matter,” etc.

7.     In the Baptist Church, only ordained ministers can administer elements of the Lord’s Supper (Heaven forbid that we should ever call it “communion”).  I had a hard time with this one.  Methodist pastors asked me to assist and I had to say, “no, not yet”.  Then, finally, one day, I—you might have guessed: I got over it!

8.     The term communion still bugs me, subconsciously.  It is so-o-o-o Catholic.   But there’s only one thing for me to do, though, unless I want to walk back across 4^th Street—that’s to “get over it”!  I’m sure that I will.

9.     Bishops are components of an episcopacy—oh Lord, there’s another one.

       I think this list encompasses all my borne Baptist hang-ups. Fellow former Baptists, have I omitted any?  Maybe we should form a support group for former Baptists—maybe a Sunday School class.  We could call it the “Get Over It Class”.