The Borders of Baptism – Michael Budde [Feature Review]

Page 2 – The Borders of Baptism

From there, Budde examines the state of the church around the world, looking at some of its major divisions (Catholics, mainline Protestants, Orthodox denominations, etc.) to ascertain whatever hope the church might have of achieving non-nationalistic identity formation among believers. Although Budde admits that the situation looks pretty bleak — the only group he speaks positively of in this regard is Anabaptists (and I think he’s overly generous in his assessment) — he does find hope in a few instances of increased intra-ecclesial cooperation, especially in the badly-fractured Orthodox churches of Europe and Asia.

Having gotten off to a strong start on a fascinating topic, the book unfortunately then diverges into its second section, comprising previously-written (but mostly unpublished) material. Although the remaining pieces are only tangentially related to the ostensible central topic of the collection, they are still uniformly excellent and readable. Budde’s particular genius lies in his ability to take various disciplines such as sociology, intercultural studies, history, ecclesiology, and theology, and tie them together effortlessly. Budde relies heavily on other scholars where necessary, but his voice is never overwhelmed by his collaborators. The latter section showcases this genre-hopping skill; Budde offers (1) a field survey on attempts at creating a “global ethic” to supersede individual religions, (2) a fascinating socio-theological reflection on the role of family language in the formation of nationalistic identities, (3) an ecclesiological consideration of attempts by various American states to criminalize church activity aiding undocumented immigrants, (4) a survey of Christian writers on American politics, (5) a lecture on the challenges of ending the de facto racial segregation of the church, (6) an in-depth analysis of Ecclesia in America, a papal document from John Paul II, (7) an ecclesiological critique of the trend toward using business consultants in the church, (8) a theological reflection on the concept of treason, and (9) a thoughtful look at the way the state attempts to control the meaning of death — especially military deaths.

It’s hard to choose a stand-out within the collection, but the essay on treason is among the best. In this essay, Budde looks at treason against the state — and against the church. He argues that the church, properly doing its job, will continuously be committing acts of treason, at least as the term is currently understood. He then takes historical examples of martyrs who were considered treasonous by their governments and examines their mixed legacies within and without their own communities. Budde goes further by looking at two “anti-martyrs” — witnesses showing us how not to live. Budde demonstrates a deep commitment to tying theory to actual history; nowhere in the collection are the author’s ideas presented in a scholastic vacuum, but always within the stories of communities and individuals that live them out. In this particular essay, the stories of Oscar Romero and Franz Jägerstätter (an Austrian conscientious objector executed by the Nazi regime) don’t simply sit alongside his description of Christian treason; they form the backbone of it.

Overall, Michael Budde’s work in The Borders of Baptism is exactly what one hopes for in church scholarship: relevant, honest, provocative, and well-situated within the story of the church. The only downside of this particular collection is that it doesn’t quite live up to the promise of the first two essays — but one can hope that these introductory pieces are going to form the basis of a full-length treatment at some point in the future.