I. A NEW SCENE
At the beginning of Martin E. Marty's perennially popular book Baptism1 there are two dramatic sketches, each describing a prototypical baptismal service. The first delineates the rite as it might have looked in the early church, complete with colorful details that could have accompanied the apostolic tradition of Hippolytus. The second scene is a drier description of a baptism that might have taken place in North America in the early 1960s, when the book was first published. While admitting that the second ceremony was a certainly a valid baptism, the author gave the impression that this rite, devoid of drama and mystery and somewhat removed from a called and gathered community, represented a thinning out of the great tradition. Some pastors with long memories will admit that this second scene was pretty close to the way things really were three decades ago when the Protestant tradition in the twentieth Christian century still held sway.
That Protestant tradition has all but washed away in the intervening years, causing relief for some and regret to many. The last reprinting of Marty's book was in 1977. If he were to reissue his book today, in addition to making the language more inclusive, he might include a third baptismal scene. A liturgical renewal that has sailed in the wake of the now departed Protestant tradition has elevated baptism to a new prominence in the life of many worshiping communities.
In this contemporary scene the sacrament might occur in the midst of a service of Holy Communion on a Sunday morning. It might transpire during an Easter Vigil or at one of several designated baptismal festivals throughout the year. There would likely be hymns and flowing water. There might even be oil imposed and a small baptismal candle lighted from a larger paschal candle. Little children from the congregation could be invited to look on along with sponsors and family. The gathered congregation would likely join in the creed and a brief liturgy of welcome.
Other rituals might also distinguish today's baptismal rite from that of a generation ago. There might be a procession from font to altar. The sermon for the day might emphasize baptism in the life of the community. Aspects of the liturgy, like the rite of confession and the sacrament of holy communion, might be closely linked with the baptism. All in all, it is a markedly different picture from that of the early 1960s.
While today's rite does not return to apostolic practice, neither is it the drier Protestant ritual. The more recent picture derives from an emerging liturgical tradition which has reshaped both the practice and place of baptism in the life of the church. This emerging tradition has also reshaped the role of the minister in liturgical practice and pastoral counseling even though some of the changes remain more in the realm of the possible than the actual. We will take note of some of the recent changes which have redrawn the picture of baptism in the life of the church. Then we will examine several ways in which the role of pastoral leadership has been influenced and changed by the recent conversation about baptism. Finally, we will evaluate what, if anything, has truly changed for those who have been baptized in the name of the triune God as a result of this conversation...