Much has been made recently of Steven Furtick and his
resource for “spontaneous baptism.” The manual (found here) developed by Furtick
and his Elevation Church leadership team was highlighted by NBC in late
February, drawing national attention to the glaring reality that, by
definition, a baptism service that requires a manual is anything but
spontaneous. Many shake their heads at the obvious paradox. Many more find the
news anything but shocking, stemming from a religious leader who has already
sparked more than his fair share of criticism. But most concerning of all, is
the large segment of the public who may consider the issue at hand to be nothing
more than a hipster church behaving badly, arguing that whether there is a
manual or not, this is an issue of practice
not theology.
In reality, while the development of a spontaneous baptism
manual exposes the dangers of a celebrity driven church, and reflects an
undeniable desire to build a human kingdom, the more pressing issue at hand may
actually be more well hidden, and far more important to address. Like a page
out of C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters
I can imagine the minions of Hell giggling over all the bad press Elevation’s
baptism manual is getting, while the topic of baptism itself is ignored.
“As long as we have them arguing over the method, they will
never stop and think about the meaning,” their mocking voices shriek.
In his book Beginning Well
Gordon Smith invites us to consider the notion that the way we are invited into
a life of faith sets the path for the type of transformation we will
experience. He writes,
“Our whole life is in one sense the working out of the full
meaning of our conversion” (10).
The essence of what Smith argues is that the how (praxis) of our conversion is also
the introduction to our theology (doxy),
and the theology that emerges from that experience will serve as the foundation for our practice. To put it another
way, our introduction to the community of faith sets our expectations for the
ongoing life in that community.
For example, when conversion is introduced as a single event (i.e.
raising a hand, saying a prayer, walking an aisle, etc.) the expectation of
ongoing transformation is crippled. If a person becomes, instantaneously and
completely, “saved” in a moment, what is the Christian life look like moving
forward? What does it mean to “work out your faith with fear and trembling”
(Phil. 2:12) or to put your life on the burning altar daily as “a living
sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1)?
The same principles apply in our approach to baptism. As an “outward sign of an inward reality” baptism was
instituted by Christ as sacrament through which his children would be “set
apart,” marked by an act that identified with them with the Savior who was
crucified and resurrected. It is a rite that demonstrates new allegiance to a
King and a Kingdom at odds with the Kingdom of this world. It is the
declaration that He must increase while my agendas must die a thousand deaths.
Can all of these truths be organically transferred through a
public spectacle initiated by a scripted message, selective music, matching
t-shirts and a media crew dedicated to creating a highlight reel for marketing?
And if Gordon Smith is correct, what does this kind of introduction into the
faith teach followers about the transformation which follows?
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