American history records numerous accounts of churches
gathered at river banks for baptisms. Preachers
would lead new believers into the water, draped in white robes as a choir
sings, “Shall We Gather at the River.” It’s
the way it’s been done for generations – baptizing in creeks, lakes, and rivers
“in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” But now the tradition of “taking the plunge”
has been drawn into a controversy with the federal government.
The National Park
Service (NPS) recently began
enforcing a policy that required churches to obtain special use permits in
order to baptize in public waters. As
part of the same permit process, the NPS also
mandated that churches give the Park Service 48-hours advance notice of pending
baptisms. But as any Baptist or
Pentecostal in good standing knows – that’s a problem. “If the Holy Spirit is working on Sunday
morning, you’re going to baptize Sunday afternoon,” Dennis Purcell told The Salem News. “You may not know ahead of time.” Many Christians interpret that the Bible
commands new followers of Christ to be baptized immediately after their
conversion. It’s a public expression and
celebration of their new-found faith in Christ.
The NPS told
local churches in Missouri that the permits were needed to “maintain park
natural/cultural resources and quality visitor experiences, specific terms and
conditions have been established.” In
the Ozark Mountains, the feds also closed vehicle access to a sandbar along a
popular creek … meaning churches could no longer drive their elderly members to
the outdoor baptisms. And to make sure
the Baptists behaved, they placed large boulders in the area to block car
traffic. “Like the Baptists and
Pentecostals are going to harm natural resources and adversely affect quality
visitor experiences by occasionally baptizing new converts?” asked local
resident Lewis Leonard. “I can think of
a whole lot more activities along the river ways that are not conducive to
maintain the natural resources.”
Rep. Jason Smith fired off a letter to the NPS on August 21 demanding answers. “I am very troubled by any federal rule that
requires churches to apply for a permit for the purpose of baptism, especially
when these traditional activities have been done in the rivers and streams of
this nation since its founding,” the congressman wrote. He pointed out the NPS does not require a 48-hour notification from fisherman or
swimmers – so why churches? “One would
hope that the answer is not because the National Park Service wants to limit
the number of baptisms performed on the river.”
The Park Service responded within 24-hours. They said the reason they needed 2-days notice
is to “give the park staff adequate time to prepare the permit.” But based on local outrage (and Rep. Smith’s
promise to bring the matter before Congress), the Park Service had a change of
heart. “As of today, the park’s policy
has been clarified to state that no permit will be required for baptisms within
the Riverways,” Supt. William Black wrote in a letter to the congressman. “I can assure you the National Park Service
has no intention of limiting the number of baptisms performed within the park.” Rep. Smith called the decision a “victory for
common sense.” “The notion that permits
would be required for baptisms on our riverways is ridiculous,” he said.
It’s not the first time government officials have tried
to discourage public baptisms. In
Olympia, WA, a church was denied a permit to hold a baptism at Heritage Park a
few weeks ago. Their request was
rejected because the attorney general said the religious sacrament was a
violation of the state constitution. In
2011, a church’s beach baptism was shut down by lifeguards in Miami, FL.
But while the government cracks down on public
expressions of the Christian faith, they are embracing public expressions of
the Islamic faith – many times at the taxpayer’s expense. Universities across the nation are spending
thousands of dollars to install foot baths so Muslim students can wash their
feet before their five-times-a-day prayers. The New
York Times reported that the University of Michigan-Dearborn spent $25,000
to install the foot-washing stations in restrooms. The university defended the expenditure,
claiming it was for health and safety measures, not religion. A number of airports have spent public tax
dollars to provide foot-washing basins for Muslim taxi drivers. Airport officials declined to reveal how much
tax money was spent, but a spokesman for the San Francisco International
Airport told the San Francisco Chronicle
they just wanted to maintain “a good relationship with ground transportation
providers.” (read more about it in my July
19, 2013 blog)
It appears to be increasingly evident that our government
is accommodating those of the Muslim faith, while attempting to regulate the
Christian faith. Sure seems like
governmental ‘double talk’ in reference to the 1st Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution.
John Adams once wrote: “Nothing is more dreaded than the
national government meddling with religion.”
Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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