Baptism-for-residency policy backfires on the Dutch

A CHARITY in the Netherlands has warned churches not to baptise asylum seekers too quickly.

The charity, GAVE warns that some asylum seekers may only be requesting baptism because it could help them get a residence permit.

GAVE (Hospitality to Asylum Seekers through Friendship and Evangelism) urges churches not to rush into baptism. It advises that they provide each asylum seeker they do baptise with a letter that explains how the person has shown signs of Christian faith in their life, and what instruction in Christianity they have received.

The asylum seeker can present the letter to the Dutch government to support their application for a residence permit.

Marco Vos, head of policy for GAVE said asylum seekers should be 'warmly welcomed' when they visit a church but urges caution when dealing with their asylum claim: 'When the question of baptism arises, it is important to keep this separate from their application for a residence permit. However, it is good to address the matter.'

Pressure

Five years ago, under pressure from churches, charities and Christian political parties, the Dutch government changed the law to make conversion to Christianity a significant factor in the decision over whether or not someone gets a residence permit. Before that, it was only one of several factors considered.

The reasoning was that asylum seekers from countries like Iran and Afghanistan who convert to Christianity in the Netherlands face the threat of death if they are sent home.

GAVE lobbied for the new policy but now worries that some asylum seekers are requesting baptism only for the purpose of obtaining a residence permit, not because they have sincerely converted to Christianity.

GAVE has recently issued a pamphlet for churches that provides guidance on how to work with asylum seekers who request baptism.

Bible studies

The pamphlet says: ‘An asylum seeker’s request for a residence permit can be supported by a letter from their church that describes their faith life. It is important that the letter clearly states what Christian faith means to the person and how his life has changed, in so far as the church is able to judge such a matter. A letter stating that a person helps out in church, faithfully attends services and joins in Bible studies is not enough. One does not have to be a Christian for that. The letter must make clear that the person has a deep Christian faith.’

The letter will help the Dutch government decide if the conversion is sincere.

GAVE believes some asylum seekers are deliberately targeting churches that will quickly baptise anyone who professes faith.

These churches are motivated by a desire to remove any hurdles to conversion.

They believe that anyone who professes that ‘Jesus is Lord’ can be baptised and that further instruction in Christianity can take place after that. Are they making themselves vulnerable to abuse?

Not according to Masoud Mohammad Amin, the pastor of a Persian congregation in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn. 'It is not I, but God who is abused in that situation,' he says.

His church has a reputation for quickly baptising new converts, and he responded to GAVE's pamphlet saying that he doesn’t baptise any faster ‘than Philip for the Ethiopian Eunuch, than Paul did during one of his missionary journeys for the head of the prison, and certainly not faster than Peter at Pentecost.’

Sincere convert?

GAVE’s pamphlet points out that some asylum seekers will sincerely convert but then they return to Islam because they found it difficult to participate in a Dutch church because of cultural and language barriers. Moreover, they face pressure from their families to return to Islam.

The charity worries that churches that baptise too quickly are undermining the credibility of sincere converts and endangering those who might be sent back to countries like Iran and Afghanistan.

The Dutch Government's policy of prioritising residence permits for converts to Christianity is not popular in all quarters.

‘Many Muslims are offended that an asylum seeker who was only baptised just after arriving in the Netherlands gets to stay here, while someone else who fled identical conditions is sent back,' said Cees Rentier, pastor and director of the charity Evangelie & Moslims, which helps churches build relationships with the Muslim community. 

'They think that is not fair. It’s the opposite of what they expect from Christians,' he added.

GAVE considered establishing a certificate of quality for churches to indicate that they require significant religious instruction and a sincere expression of faith before baptising a new convert. Asylum seekers baptised at one of those churches would be more likely to get a residence permit.

Ultimately, the charity decided that a certificate of quality would be unworkable because churches are so diverse and have such different standards.

'Each church should agree on a fixed period of instruction with anyone requesting baptism.' Vos says.

'Above all, it is important not to deviate from this once it has been set down. The church must not grant a request for baptism after one month if they had told the person that four months of instruction was needed. The church should also try to involve others who are familiar with the asylum seeker’s language or culture in the process.’