Baptism vs Christening
Baptism is a Christian ceremony in which a few drops of water are sprinkled on somebody or they are covered with water to welcome them into the Christian Church and often to name them. Baptism may include pouring water three times on the forehead of the person being inducted into the Church or having the person take a dip in a water tank.
The ritual of Baptism includes the believer disavowing his earlier life ‘without Christ’ to be ‘buried’ in water and washed away. It symbolizes a new birth through water.
Christening is when a baby is officially named and welcomed into the Christian Church. Christening may or may not be part of a Baptism ceremony. Adults who convert to Christianity are baptized and not christened.
Most Christians accept infant baptism including those following the Roman Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, Methodists etc but those groups that reject it include Baptists, all Old Time Missionary Baptists, Apostolic Christians, Disciples of Christ, Mennonites, Amish, etc.
While both Baptism and Christening are elaborate ceremonies, the latter is more so. It includes Blessing (the child is asked to believe in Jesus and repent his sins), Baptism (the ceremony or sacrament of admitting someone to the Church who agrees to believe in Jesus), Christening (the act of giving a name to the baby).
Baptism of children is often referred to as pedobaptism. Many people dispute the Christening as more than just the naming of the child claiming that the baby is too small to understand the concepts of sin and dedication to Jesus so it is more of a ceremony decided upon by the parents. They say that the child should be just given a name at the Christening ceremony and his baptism should follow later when he is able to understand what Christianity is all about.
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The Description of the Sacrament of Baptism given in the introduction is both offensive and inadequate. For a traditional View of this Sacrament please accept the following?
THE ANGLICAN VIEW OF BAPTISM!
“We agree that Baptism and (The Eucharist,) , are of necessity to salvation for all the faithful ; [Eng. catechism.]
We are first entered into this society of the Church and made member of this which is Christ’s Body, by Baptism, in which the baptised person 1, renounces etc, 2. gives himself up to Christ’s service 3, Professes his belief in Christ ,promising to hold fast that profession and 4, engages to live in obedience in His laws: upon which God granteth him 1, full remission of his original sin and of all his antecedent actual transgressions, if he hath commited any, cleansing
him from all stain and pollution of them in the Water of Baptism.2, he giveth him a title to the Holy Spirit, as a principle of new life to the Mystical Body of Christ And being thus dead and buried with Christ,Body of Christ derived from Him the Head:3, and by this spirit he is entitled to the Resurrection of his body and 4, to a happy Immortality, if he he continues steadfast in the performance of the conditions undertaken by him. 5. God promises to accept of a sincere though imperfect obedience to His laws, provided it be universal and that he keep free from all heinous sin and still be improving and going onwards to perfection. And lastly,6. if he shall be so unhappy as to pollute his baptism by any such heinous and mortal sin, God is pleased in this covenant to promise , that upon a laborious and thoroughly practical repentance He, will pardon his lapse and receive him again into favour.
“The symbol by which this covenant is transacted is Water, in which the person is baptised,”( by Trine immersion or infusion; See Rubric ,Bptl Office, Eng Ritual 1548. ) “to signify his being washed from all stain of sin.
Bishop Rattray, Scots Episcopalian , Non Juring Bishop!
As far as I know this is the Official View of the Church in both England & Scotland as well as the Church world wide!
For favour of Publication!
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