Is it wrong in the eyes of The Church Of England to be baptised again by Full Immersion?

[mrs hazel denise wykes]

I'm a member of my local Church Of England Parish church,for some time although I love my church,i have felt unsettled and gone elsewhere due to all the gossip and unpleasantness going around,about me and other members of the congregation,which isn't very Christian I don't think.
For a few months I've been trying out my local Baptist church,which is very welcoming but i'm not sure sure I like their style of worship as they have a contempory worship band which play pop type worship songs and its rather loud as well.Maybe i'm old fashioned but I am 65.

As I've been going a while they have been asking me if i'd like to join the church and have asked me if I have accepted Christ as my Saviour which I have,so they said it doesn't matter that I have been ''Christened'' as a baby & then ''Confirmed'' in my tens,that I can still be Biblically Water baptised by Full Immersion which they said is the correct mode of baptism.They don't recognize sprinkling of babies.They said there are plenty of people in the church who have been 'Christened' and then 'Confirmed' in the Church Of England who have now joined this Baptist church and got a Full Immersion baptism & become church members.

I told them it would be wrong in the eyes of The Church Of England for me to be baptised again by immersion but would it be wrong?They said it wouldn't be wrong,i could have a proper baptism as my sprinkling as a baby wasn't true baptism,that I need to get fully immersed.

I told them I want to remain a member of The Church Of England,i don't Want to become a Baptist etc but they said I still need to be baptised Biblically.
Baptists,as well as Evangelicals & Pentecostals don't for some reason recognize THE Christening' of babies as a valid baptism...well why not?

Would it be commiting a big sin supposing I were to be baptised in the Baptist church by Immersion?

I am missing my own church tradition as I was brought up into The Church Of England & so I went back to my local Parish church today,i thought why should I stay away any longer and go elsewhere just because of some unpleasantness and tittle tattle going around.

Maybe if I wanted to become a Baptist Christian which I don't, then they would expect me sooner or later to be baptised again but i'd still feel it would be wrong for me to be baptised again somehow,so what are your views on going through baptism again?

 

[mozo41]

why would this even be a concern ....

 

[Catherineanne]

I'm a member of my local Church Of England Parish church,for some time although I love my church,i have felt unsettled and gone elsewhere due to all the gossip and unpleasantness going around,about me and other members of the congregation,which isn't very Christian I don't think.
For a few months I've been trying out my local Baptist church,which is very welcoming but i'm not sure sure I like their style of worship as they have a contempory worship band which play pop type worship songs and its rather loud as well.Maybe i'm old fashioned but I am 65.

As I've been going a while they have been asking me if i'd like to join the church and have asked me if I have accepted Christ as my Saviour which I have,so they said it doesn't matter that I have been ''Christened'' as a baby & then ''Confirmed'' in my tens,that I can still be Biblically Water baptised by Full Immersion which they said is the correct mode of baptism.They don't recognize sprinkling of babies.They said there are plenty of people in the church who have been 'Christened' and then 'Confirmed' in the Church Of England who have now joined this Baptist church and got a Full Immersion baptism & become church members.

I told them it would be wrong in the eyes of The Church Of England for me to be baptised again by immersion but would it be wrong?They said it wouldn't be wrong,i could have a proper baptism as my sprinkling as a baby wasn't true baptism,that I need to get fully immersed.

I told them I want to remain a member of The Church Of England,i don't Want to become a Baptist etc but they said I still need to be baptised Biblically.
Baptists,as well as Evangelicals & Pentecostals don't for some reason recognize THE Christening' of babies as a valid baptism...well why not?

Would it be commiting a big sin supposing I were to be baptised in the Baptist church by Immersion?

I am missing my own church tradition as I was brought up into The Church Of England & so I went back to my local Parish church today,i thought why should I stay away any longer and go elsewhere just because of some unpleasantness and tittle tattle going around.

Maybe if I wanted to become a Baptist Christian which I don't, then they would expect me sooner or later to be baptised again but i'd still feel it would be wrong for me to be baptised again somehow,so what are your views on going through baptism again?

If Baptists are claiming that infant baptism is invalid then they are mistaken. It is very unkind of them to suggest such a thing when you are a guest in their church.

I have visited Baptists many times over the years; none of them would have such very bad manners as to suggest there is anything wrong with my baptism, and of course I would not cast doubt on theirs. The question is best avoided.

However, the issue is, are you happy to remain Anglican or do you want to become Baptist? If you are happy to remain Anglican then it matters not a jot what Baptists think of your baptism; it is frankly none of their business and they need to stop raising this with you.

From an Anglican point of view it is not a sin to be redundantly dunked in a pool; it does not stand as a sacrament or as a baptism; it is just being dunked in water. If you want to do it then go ahead, but it means nothing. As the Nicene Creed says clearly, 'There is one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.'

Nobody can be 're-baptised'. There is one baptism and then there is dunking in a swimming pool. Alternatively, from the Baptist point of view, again nobody can be re-baptised. There is a baby getting its head wet, and there is baptism by full immersion.

Take your pick; neither will lead to loss of salvation.

 

[seeking.IAM]

From one of the earliest creeds of Christianity (325 A.D.) (underlining is mine):

...We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
​

One Baptism is quite sufficient and two brings you nothing that you don't already possess.

​

 

[seeking.IAM]

I once had an interest in joining a faith group that would have required me to be re-baptized in their tradition. The requirement was a stopper for me. To have agreed with them would have been a renouncement of my Baptism and all that had gone on before in my Christian development. I would not do it. Renouncing my Baptism would have been a lie.

 

[FireDragon76]

Re-baptism is usually considered sacriligious among Anglicans and Lutherans, because it implies that the sacrament given to you as a child was inadequate. From our perspective, it could not be inadequate because the quantity of water or the exact method of baptism is not an essential matter to the sacrament (the essence of Baptism in Reformed and Lutheran theology is water and the Word).

I have nothing against Baptists and I respect them as Christians but I agree with Catherine that its rude to insist on your rebaptism. On the other hand, if you want to be a Baptist, adhering to their rules is probably necessary.

 

[Naomi4Christ]

You can't be baptised again, but you can reaffirm your baptism vows.

This is really common in my church for those who were baptised as babies. When they come to confirmation, they often choose to go in the pool. It is slightly different than a baptism, where the vicar and a helper will physically dunk you; for a reaffirmation you go under by yourself.

A lot of people, even if they have been confirmed (i.e. As a young teen, at school), they might want to make a public affirmation as an adult.

 

[Naomi4Christ]

The Ethiopian was baptised in a puddle, not a sink hole.

 

[everbecoming2007]

I'm a member of my local Church Of England Parish church,for some time although I love my church,i have felt unsettled and gone elsewhere due to all the gossip and unpleasantness going around,about me and other members of the congregation,which isn't very Christian I don't think.
For a few months I've been trying out my local Baptist church,which is very welcoming but i'm not sure sure I like their style of worship as they have a contempory worship band which play pop type worship songs and its rather loud as well.Maybe i'm old fashioned but I am 65.

As I've been going a while they have been asking me if i'd like to join the church and have asked me if I have accepted Christ as my Saviour which I have,so they said it doesn't matter that I have been ''Christened'' as a baby & then ''Confirmed'' in my tens,that I can still be Biblically Water baptised by Full Immersion which they said is the correct mode of baptism.They don't recognize sprinkling of babies.They said there are plenty of people in the church who have been 'Christened' and then 'Confirmed' in the Church Of England who have now joined this Baptist church and got a Full Immersion baptism & become church members.

I told them it would be wrong in the eyes of The Church Of England for me to be baptised again by immersion but would it be wrong?They said it wouldn't be wrong,i could have a proper baptism as my sprinkling as a baby wasn't true baptism,that I need to get fully immersed.

I told them I want to remain a member of The Church Of England,i don't Want to become a Baptist etc but they said I still need to be baptised Biblically.
Baptists,as well as Evangelicals & Pentecostals don't for some reason recognize THE Christening' of babies as a valid baptism...well why not?

Would it be commiting a big sin supposing I were to be baptised in the Baptist church by Immersion?

I am missing my own church tradition as I was brought up into The Church Of England & so I went back to my local Parish church today,i thought why should I stay away any longer and go elsewhere just because of some unpleasantness and tittle tattle going around.

Maybe if I wanted to become a Baptist Christian which I don't, then they would expect me sooner or later to be baptised again but i'd still feel it would be wrong for me to be baptised again somehow,so what are your views on going through baptism again?

By undergoing the motions of a baptism as an adult you would be making a public statement that your baptism as an infant was invalid. If you do that without believing it then you would be engaging in dishonesty. I suggest talking to your priest who can explain our theology to you.

 

[Catherineanne]

By undergoing the motions of a baptism as an adult you would be making a public statement that your baptism as an infant was invalid. If you do that without believing it then you would be engaging in dishonesty. I suggest talking to your priest who can explain our theology to you.

I agree.

In my case, given that my Godfather was a Vicar it would also involve a repudiation of his ordination.

That is not going to happen.