Things are most alike when they are different

Sometimes we get so busy arguing with each other that we fail to realize the similarities in some of our approaches. Let’s take the issue of baptism. Should we baptize infants or should we not? Now, let me tell you ahead of time that I am fully and totally convinced that infant baptism is both fully and totally Scriptural and also in accord with Holy Tradition. But, I am not talking about infant baptism per se but about a similarity of approach.

You see, we argue so much about the theology that we do not realize that we have come to similar conclusions. What do I mean? Well, when a baby is born, have you ever noticed that all Christian parents and all Christian groups end up doing the same thing? They end up in the worship service giving the baby over to the Lord. Now, they may call it infant dedication or infant baptism, but guess what? There they are in front of the entire congregation with the pastor standing in front of them and saying prayers that God may receive their child into His custody.

Then the same thing happens when the child begins to reach an age that is considered of importance. They are either confirmed or they “choose” to be baptized. I put the word “choose” in quotation marks because I know the intense pressure that many children are under in “adult” baptism groups to make their declaration by the time they are in their tween years. I also know that the same pressure exists for children in their confirmation years. But, here is the important part. Every Christian group acknowledges the supreme importance of a Christian child making an adult commitment to Our Lord Jesus Christ. So, whether the group is more Catholic or more Anabaptist, the conclusion is identical. Whatever may have happened with that child as an infant, it is vital that the child make an adult commitment. Eastern Orthodox do not have confirmation. But, we also think it is important to be a committed adult.

So, here is what is in common among all Christian communities. It is not just important but vital that a child be given to the Lord as an infant and that the parents (and sponsors) commit themselves to raise that child in the knowledge and love of God. That knowledge and love needs to include a saving knowledge of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also vital that a child confirm his childhood teachings as an adult and enter fully into the life of Holy Mother Church and Our Lord Jesus Christ.

I would even argue that the development of infant dedication is an argument in favor of infant baptism. That is, neither philosophically nor Scripturally, is there any necessity to have a child dedication. At best, a child dedication can only be analogous to certain Old Testament practices. There is no extant New Testament command to dedicate an infant. The dedication of an infant is, at best, an emotional response to an inner prompting that is saying that the child of a believer is somehow included in the new covenant just like they were included in the old covenant. I would argue that such an inner response is a prompting from the Holy Spirit that the children of believers are truly part of the New Covenant and need to receive the sacrament of initiation.

Nevertheless, do not miss my point. All Christians agree. An infant needs to be given to the Lord. A child needs to be raised in such a way that, at the appropriate time, they may commit themselves to the Lord. That is common in all of Christianity.