What do Christian churches teach about baptism?
Here is a sampling of official church beliefs about baptism: Baptist: Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper. From Position Statements, Copyright (c) 1999 – 2001, Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, http://sbc.net/default.asp?url=position-statements.html Catholic: • Every person not yet baptized and only such a person is able to be baptized. • Since the beginning of the Church, adult Baptism is the common practice where the proclamation of the Gospel is still new. The catechumenate (preparation f
