Recovering….

So tonight I was talking to one of my dearest friends, Rochelle. We were talking about different denominations and practices of Christianity. She works with quite a few Catholics. She entered the faith in the Methodist church. I was raised in the Baptist church. She mentioned how they don’t tend to get in many “religious” conversations at work. I assumed that was the case in order to avoid offending each other or stepping on toes. That got me to thinking…why do we focus on the differences between different faith practices? We really should try to embrace the diversity we have, the freedom to pursue God in different ways. For example, the Catholic Church is very socially conscious, something that most protestant churches somewhat overlook. The Methodists are usually great thinkers of the faith. And the Baptists sure know how to cook.

For years I have called my father-in-law a “recovering Catholic.” This is not because he hates Catholicism, but rather he endured the sisters in grade school. This left a sour taste for such a rigid spiritual system. He now calls himself “just a Christian.” I mentioned this to Rochelle, and she replied, “yeah, and you are a recovering Baptist.” That is something that I had never really thought about. I am still shedding years of spiritual baggage from my childhood. I remember coming home from college one year. My ears were pierced a few times, my hair was bleached platinum, and I had a “different” look about me. My grandmother, the poster-woman for Baptist old ladies, pulled me aside and asked, “Michael, are you still close to the Lord?” At that moment, I realized that I was on the road to becoming something new…a recovering Baptist.

Now, theological debates aside, I am not a big fan of tradition. And I am certainly not a fan of tradition for tradition’s sake. I firmly believe that Scriptural example is much more important than man-made tradition. As I scan the denominational spectrum, there are representatives of the very tradition oriented denominations all the way to denominations that dismiss any form of tradition at all. I tend to lean a little to the less traditional side. I like some tradition. But when tradition is done for its own sake, it is dangerously close to being worshiped itself.

Baptism is one of the doctrinal topics that causes more argument and division in the Church than any other. Some of it is based on tradition. (the method, form, ritual) some is based on Scriptural interpretation. As far as I can tell, there are plenty of New Testament references to baptism. Not just baptism, but baptism by immersion. Not just baptism by immersion, but baptism by immersion at the time of belief. Why do we have to argue about what the Bible doesn’t say? Instead, we should embrace what it does say.

Anyway, I still struggle with my Baptist roots. There is definitely a “we’re right, and everyone else is wrong” mentality in some churches. I just wish that we could just say, “from what the Bible shows us, we are following Christ’s teachings as best as we can.” Instead of being divisive denominations, why not just be followers of Christ? It just makes sense to me.

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