Is it okay to clap after a baptism?

 

Sincerely,
Hand in Hand

Dear Hand in Hand,

This is an issue that good brethren disagree on, and really it comes down to the issues of culture, setting, wisdom, and reverence.  For the purpose of this answer, we will only deal with the wisdom of clapping after a baptism in the auditorium/assembly setting – not a private baptism situation.  Since this is a wisdom issue and not a doctrinal black-and-white teaching, there are no clear-cut answers, only principles to consider and guide our actions.  Here are some main principles to think about:

1. Everyone agrees that it is a good thing to be happy and rejoice when a person is baptized into Christ – after all, we are rejoicing that a lost one is now found, and even the angels are rejoicing at that moment (Lk 15:7).  It is completely appropriate to show joy and rejoicing at a baptism.
2. There is more than one way to show joy, and our expressions of joy are interpreted differently by the culture we are in.  David danced for joy (2 Sam 6:14), which was completely appropriate in that setting, but in today’s American culture, dancing after a baptism would be wildly inappropriate and mildly alarming!  The same with shouting for joy.  Though a shout for joy is appropriate at a sporting event, it wouldn’t have the same effect during a church assembly because the settings have changed.  There are many ways to express joy, but some expressions aren’t appropriate for certain settings or are misinterpreted by different cultures.  Which brings us to the third principle…
3. Whatever we do must convey both joy and reverence because of the setting and circumstance (Heb 12:28).  A football game touchdown whoop conveys joy, but it doesn’t convey reverence.  The concern many brethren have with clapping at a public baptism is the same – it is joyous, but it isn’t reverent.  This is where the issue gets difficult because every individual feels differently.  Some feel clapping is reverent; others don't.  It is a matter of opinion, not doctrine.

So, since the issue is one of opinion – how do we decide what to do?  Romans 14 gives us the answer.  Romans 14 deals with issues when good brethren disagree – one feels free to do something, and another feels constrained not to.  In such circumstances, the one who feels free should restrain himself for the sake of the other brother’s conscience (Rom 14:13).  When there are so many ways that we can express joy at a baptism (saying ‘Amen’, joyously singing together afterward, etc.), why bring grief to a portion of the brotherhood when it should be instead a time of rejoicing (Rom 14:15).  The issue isn’t clapping but unity at a time when we are adding another brother or sister to the church – now is not the time to offend each other but to unite and praise God for the lost one that He has found.   SB