Being from the Friends tradition, and staying with it (which is not true of all Evangelical Friends), we’re often asked about our practice of baptism and communion. These days not too many Christians are aware of church history at all, let alone Quakers. They are surprised to find out that otherwise perfectly fine-seeming Christians are not practicing water baptism or communion with the elements! And so they ask perfectly reasonable questions. Hopefully I can answer some of those questions here.
Similarly, there are those members of LBFC who are asked these questions and are not sure how to answer. “What do I say?!” “Will they think we’re a cult or something?” “We don’t want to come across as saying that we are somehow spiritually superior!” Perhaps this essay can help you prepare for those questions.
Being something of a literalist, I am often taken aback when people say that Quakers don’t believe in baptism or communion. That’s simply not true. What Friends believe is that water baptism is a symbol of real immersion in Christ and that communion with elements (a fancy name for the bread and grape juice in this context) is a symbol of the real nourishment we receive from spiritual communion with Christ. Some Quakers literally think of Christ’s shed blood and broken body each time they eat a meal, treating it as a love feast or symbol of communion. So, I would say, we believe strongly in baptism and communion. So strongly, in fact, that we are unwilling to let the symbols interfere with celebrating the reality. We believe that God has called us to the testimony that Christ is all that we need – that no ritual can add to or substitute for what Christ has given us in himself. (See 2 Peter 1:3-11.)
How did we arrive at this testimony? Historically, Friends began as a church renewal movement in England. George Fox preached across Britain and gathered many who encountered the living Christ, calling themselves Friends of Truth or Friends of Light. One of Fox’s God-given messages was that Christians did not need state-sponsored and licensed clergy to stand between them and Christ. In fact, that human standing between Christ and his people was often a hindrance! Christ was available to teach his people himself; a degree from Oxford or Cambridge was no guarantee that one was called by Christ and filled with the Spirit of God. This and other points of the Quaker message angered the authorities and resulted in Friends being thrown out of the Church of England, forbidden to gather for public worship, receive communion, or be baptized in water. All of these rituals were controlled by the state church and forbidden to anyone not licensed by the state church. Of course, nearly everyone in England had already been baptized in water at that time; but only a minority seemed to be following Christ. Quakers realized that this ritual was not a sure sign of one’s standing before God – and neither was the practice of taking communion in the ritual practice of the state church.
While Quakers were quite willing to suffer persecution for disobeying unjust laws, they came to understand that no ritual was the sign that one belongs to Christ. Scripturally speaking, the sign of the new covenant in Christ is a “circumcised heart” (Romans 2:29) and the presence of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:18-25, not any particular ritual. (Also see the ninth and tenth chapter of Hebrews.)
So, Friends simply continued their lives of worship and obedience to Christ without the rituals, enjoying spiritual communion with Christ and being hidden in him – the realities symbolized by the rituals. They endured much persecution and brought much glory to their Lord through their peaceful faithfulness. Our testimony today is intended to stand against superstitious use of rituals to gain God’s approval or make an outward show of piety without inward truth. However, it is not intended to undermine the beautiful and appropriate use of ritual, including water baptism or communion with elements, as Christians follow Christ in their use. Our calling in this testimony is to point to Christ. If we are successful in highlighting the spiritual reality of Christ in our lives, the practice of other Christians who use these rituals should be enhanced by clarity and focus on the spiritual reality, not undermined. We desire that all Christians everywhere should experience the reality of Christ, and celebrate it as he may lead them.
Questions:
Q. Now that the historical context has changed, why don’t you just join with other Christians in using water baptism and celebrating communion with the elements?
A. When we’re in someone else’s church home, we often join with them in celebrating communion with the elements, as the Spirit leads. What we often see in the broader lightly-christianized society however, is continued confusion on what water baptism and the ritual of communion mean and imply.
How often have we been at a funeral where the relatives of the deceased are given false comfort with the words, “And we know that our dear loved one is with God in heaven today because he was baptized right here in this church” when the deceased showed no sign of following Christ at all in her or his everyday life? I’m often approached by those in the broader community who want the “assurance” (fire insurance?) they think they receive by being baptized in water, but who have no grasp of Jesus as Lord or any intention to pick up their cross daily to follow him. I vividly recall friends whose lives during the week were anything but holy explaining to me that they came to church to have their sins forgiven – meaning that they had no intention of stopping the sin! For these misguided souls, communion with the elements (and other outward rituals) were a false salve for their consciences.
It seems to me that there is plenty of need for our testimony and focus on spiritual realities, particularly given the patterns of thinking about ritual in human religions. Moreover, many Friends find that Christ is calling us to maintain our testimony on baptism and communion today. It’s a matter of obedience for us!
I want to say again, however, that many fine churches all over the world use the symbols of water baptism and communion with the elements in ways that highlight the spiritual realities involved and are a blessing to their members. We mean no disrespect by our testimony.
Q. Doesn’t Jesus tell his disciples to use the ritual of communion often in remembrance of him?
A. It seems more likely to us that since Jesus and his disciples were celebrating the Passover meal when he said those words, that he was putting a new meaning on the Passover celebration, identifying himself as the real Passover lamb. That is, he was instructing his disciples that from now on whenever they celebrate the Passover they should celebrate it in remembrance of him rather than establishing a new ritual.
Q. Are Christians told to use water baptism? Isn’t is disobedient to not use this symbol?
A. We don’t think so. We believe that when Jesus spoke of “baptism”, he was often using the word generically meaning immersion or washing, often in a spiritual sense, rather than speaking specifically of a ritual. When the New Testament is translated into English, the word for baptism is often used directly even though it has a pretty exclusively ritualistic meaning in English these days when the Greek word for which it is the translation was understood more generically. Let me say with unqualified enthusiasm that if I believed Jesus was telling me to be baptized in water that I’d be the first in the water; don’t get in my way! Quakers have always held up complete obedience to Christ as a practical, living ideal.
Q. Didn’t the early church baptize new believers in water?
A. Yes, they did. Water baptism was well-established as a Jewish conversion ritual and adapted by John as a pointed sign of the needed repentance for God’s chosen people leading up to the time of His Christ. It seems natural that early Christians would continue this Jewish ritual. On the other hand, there is no record of Jesus ever baptizing anyone in water. (See John 4:1-2.)
Q. Wasn’t Jesus baptized in water by John? If he did it, then shouldn’t we follow his example?
A. Jesus submitted to baptism in water by John as a sign of his identification with the Jewish people out of obedience to his Father. He needed no repentance for himself. As an observant Jew, Jesus also kept kosher, was circumcised, and followed all the Law of Moses. Does this imply that we should do the same?
Q. Can you give some examples of the use of the term “baptize” for something other than the ritual of water baptism?
A. John 1:33, Luke 3:16, Mark 10:38, Luke 12:50, Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16. (OK, I admit that those last two can be argued another way. I included them on purpose, though, to make the point that Quakers interpret them as not referring to the ritual.)
Q. Don’t some modern Friends Churches use water baptism and communion with the elements pretty much like any other Evangelical church?
A. Yes. Different regions within Evangelical Friends International have different perspectives on what is the best practice today. In some regions, all or nearly all churches use these rituals. In others, none do. In others, it is left to the local church within certain guidelines.
Q. Where can I get more information?
A. You can read more about this topic in a statements from Friends Church Southwest. There is more historical information in the Brief Historical Introduction. You can also download our official Faith and Practice, which has more complete doctrinal statements, along with a lot of other stuff. The other EFCSW statements may also be of interest, Fervent Convictions has a brief section on baptism and communion.
Q. What about folks who attend churches where water baptism is practiced? Should they go ahead with water baptism at their church?
A. Under most conditions, I would say yes. In particular, there are times when people I have known find the idea of getting up in front of others and submitting to water baptism distasteful in some way. This is not what the Quaker testimony is about. If God is leading you into fellowship with a particular church as your church home, and they require water baptism, then that’s usually a good sign that you should be in unity with them in this practice. Of course, it is possible that God is leading you otherwise, but I’d be sure it was God and not one’s own preferences or feelings. We must obey God rather than men. And yet, if God is leading one to a church home, unity with that church’s theology and practice is very important. There’s nothing inherently sinful in symbolizing one’s faith in water baptism. There is something inherently sinful in willful rebellion against one’s church and its reasonable practices.