Can baptism unlock the key to church unity?
by Mark Woods Ecumenical News International KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Could denominations recognizing each other’s baptisms be a key to promoting the unity of Christian churches? That’s a challenge currently being debated by theologians and church leaders of the world’s major Christian traditions at a meeting in Malaysia of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC). “The journey towards mutual recognition of baptism is one step towards full recognition and communion,” the Rev. Jorge Scampini, a Roman Catholic university professor from Argentina, said at the meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC but has had official representatives since 1968 on the Faith and Order Commission, which promotes theological dialogue to help resolve differences between the churches. Baptism, a religious ceremony performed with water, is acknowledged throughout the Christian world to be a commandment of Jesus and the fundamental rite of initia
