baptism

Blogging Toward Sunday

Whose children?

Mark 10:2–16

Oct 01, 2012 by Kathy Wolf Reed

Today’s Gospel lesson, though not a traditional baptismal text, embodies the spirit of the sacrament: the ones bringing the children to Jesus are not necessarily parents; they are “people” moved to care for these little ones. This choice of language leads us to ask, if the adults bringing the children to Jesus are not their parents, then who are they? Why do these men and women stand up to the disciples for the sake of children that are not biologically theirs?

Books

Font of Life

Ambrose, Augustine, and the Mystery of Baptism

By Garry Wills

Font of Life, by Garry Wills

Sep 05, 2012 reviewed by Walter Brueggemann

Garry Wills presents Ambrose as a forerunner of Desmond Tutu, who also opposed a government that intruded upon the church's claims.

Faith Matters

After adoption

Jul 13, 2012 by M. Craig Barnes

My colleague's daughter has health problems and poor motor skills. She also has loving parents, a prayerful congregation and a devoted God.

Editor's Desk

Beginnings and endings

Jan 25, 2012 by John M. Buchanan

After 48 years as a minister of word and sacrament, I will retire at the end of January.

Notes from the Global Church

The three days of Timkat

Dec 26, 2011 by Philip Jenkins

May I wish you all a blessed Timkat season. Tim­kat, I should explain, is an important festival of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia.

Century Blogs

To bless or baptize

Nov 22, 2011 by Katherine Willis Pershey

I was ordained to the Disciples denomination. But I'm serving in a congregation of the UCC, and the plan is to be here for a good long while. So what to do about baptizing our children?

In the World

What's a godparent?

Sep 20, 2011 by Steve Thorngate

I didn't refer to my godson as my godson until I heard one of his parents do it first. They asked me to be a baptismal sponsor but didn't use godparenting language at first, so I wasn't sure what name(s) they were giving the relationship. I was glad when, just before the baptism, the baby's mother said to him, "These are your godparents!" It's pretty awkward calling a kid your "baptismal sponsee." Really drains the cute right out of the moment.

News

Mormons, Jews reach pact on baptisms for the dead

Sep 21, 2010

Jewish and Mormon officials have an­nounced that church policies preventing the posthumous baptizing of Holocaust victims have reduced tensions between them.

Living by the Word

Somebody's calling my name

Sunday, January 7

Isaiah 43:1-7; Luke 3:15-22

Dec 20, 2000 by Peter Storey

Maya Lin, designer of the Vietnam Memorial, was explaining to a TV interviewer why her remarkable work has come to have such a strong grip upon the emotions of the American people. “It’s the names,” she said, “the names are the memorial.

M.E.M.O.

Baptismal terrors

Sep 13, 2000 by Martin E. Marty

"Admiral, the great navy of the State of Nebraska,” my 1991 citation from Governor Ben Nelson of Nebraska declares. It continues, “I do strictly charge and require all officers, seamen, tadpoles and goldfish under your command to be obedient to your orders as Admiral. . . .”