Dimensions of Baptism Biblical and Theological Studies

282 Dimensions of Baptism

costal thinking, and some other evangelical churches; but a strong and

continuing stream within the Baptist tradition has regarded baptism in a

sacramental way as an encounter between the faith of the believer and the

transforming grace of God.^5 Placing saving faith before baptism is bound

therefore to result in a view of 'becoming a Christian' as characterized by

process.

Correspondingly, Baptists will look for a moment within the initiation

rites of other churches when a baptismal candidate exercises his or her

own faith in Christ. If this cannot be found within the event of baptism

itself, as in the case of the baptism of infants, then initiation will have to

be 'stretched' in some way to accommodate it. Traditionally this moment

has been located in western churches within confirmation, but whether or

not it takes this particular form, Baptists will expect personal faith (arising

from divine grace) to be a part of Christian beginnings.

The potential for the comparison of whole processes of initiation is well

expressed in a recent report of Churches Together in England, in which rep-

resentatives of both believer-baptist and infant-baptist churches participated:

The water rite of infant baptism on its own would not be considered as bap-

tism by Baptists.. .but perhaps infant baptism within a believing commu-

nity, followed by Christian nurture, personal faith and communion [i.e.

eucharist] might be regarded as a total process of initiation alternative to the

Baptist process of Christian nurture, personal faith, believer's baptism,

reception into membership and communion.^6

The report notes that this was essentially the view expressed by the

Baptist Union of Great Britain in its original response to BEM, when it

commented that 'It has long been clear that a total process of Christian

initiation wherein, at some point, all the necessary elements—including

responsible faith-commitment—find a place offers the most promising

way forward to mutual recognition on the baptismal issue'.^7 Other Bap-

tist statements since then have underlined the desirability of comparing,

5. See Anthony R. Cross, 'Dispelling the Myth of English Baptist Baptismal
   Sacramentalism', BQ 38.8 (2000), pp. 367-91; the 'myth' is that baptismal sacra-
   mentalism among Baptists is simply a modern development.


6. Baptism and Church Membership, with particular reference to Local Ecumeni-
   cal Partnerships: A Report of a Working Party to Churches Together in England
   (London: CTE, 1996), p. 13. A similar view had already been urged in the report of a
   British Council of Churches Working Party, Christian Initiation and Church Member-
   ship (London: BCC, 1988), pp. 27-29.


7. Thurian (ed.), Churches Respond to BEM, I, p. 71.