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Unlock This CourseA rite of passage is a ceremony that marks an important step in a person's life, such as joining a community, growing up, marrying or dying. Christians have rites of passage that mark each stage of life with God. This lesson looks at the first two: baptism and confirmation. Marriage and funerals come in the next lesson, Christian Marriage Ceremonies and Funerals.
You have already met infant baptism, dedication and confirmation in the lesson on Christian nurture, and the font in the lesson on the church building. Here we look at what happens in each rite and why Christians disagree about them.
Key terms:
In infant baptism a baby is welcomed into the Church. It is practised by Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Methodist churches. Christians trace baptism to Jesus' words at the end of Matthew's Gospel, where he tells his followers to make disciples and baptise them 'in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit' (Matthew 28:19). You met the Trinity in the lesson The Trinity and the Nature of God.
The service usually follows this pattern:
Catholics teach that baptism washes away original sin, the sinful condition that Catholics believe all people inherit from Adam and Eve (recall the lesson Sin and Human Wrongdoing: Christian Teaching). This is why Catholic families usually baptise babies soon after birth.
Christians who baptise babies say it shows that God's love comes first, before a child can do anything. It also gives the family and the church a clear duty to nurture the child.
Orthodox baptism of babies, which is still infant baptism, includes one extra step. Straight after the baby is baptised, the priest anoints them with oil in chrismation, which Orthodox Christians understand as receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. The baby then receives communion. For the Orthodox, baptism, chrismation and communion are one joined-up welcome into the Church.
Baptist and Pentecostal churches practise believer's baptism. They baptise people who are old enough to understand and choose it, often teenagers or adults. The person usually gives a testimony in the service. They are then baptised by full immersion, going completely under the water and coming up again, in a baptistry, a river or the sea.
Believers give these reasons:
Baptists and Pentecostals say a baby cannot repent, give a testimony or choose to follow Jesus, and they point out that the New Testament examples are of people who believe first. For them baptism should show a faith that already exists.
Supporters point to households that were baptised together in Acts (for example Acts 16:33) and to Jesus welcoming children (Mark 10:14). They say baptism is a gift of God's grace that does not depend on the child's own choice.
Many Baptist and Pentecostal families hold a dedication service instead. The minister prays for the baby, the parents promise to bring the child up in the faith and the church promises to support them, but no water is used. The child can choose believer's baptism when they are older.
Some Christian groups have no water baptism at all. The Salvation Army and Quakers (met in the lesson on the Eucharist) hold that what matters is an inner change of heart and a life of faith, not an outward ceremony.
Confirmation is the rite in which a person who was baptised as a baby confirms the promises made for them. It is usually for young people in their teens, who prepare in classes and then say for themselves that they believe and want to follow Jesus.
Confirmation matters because it is the point at which many young Christians take their faith as their own. Christians also believe it brings the strength of the Holy Spirit and makes the person a full member of the church community.
(a) Outline two features of a Christian baptism. [4 marks]
(b) Explain why confirmation is important for Christians. [6 marks]
(c) 'All Christians should be baptised as babies.' Discuss this statement, considering the arguments for and against. In your answer you should include reference to teachings, other points of view and your own reasoned opinion. [10 marks]
(a) In an infant baptism, water is poured over the baby's head three times (1), once for each person of the Trinity (1). In a believer's baptism, the person is fully immersed in water (1), which shows leaving the old life and starting a new one (1).
(b) Confirmation is important because the person says for themselves the promises that their parents and godparents made at their baptism (1), so the faith becomes their own (1). In Anglican and Catholic churches the bishop lays hands on them and prays for the Holy Spirit (1), and Christians believe this gives strength to live as a follower of Jesus (1). Catholics also anoint with chrism and treat confirmation as a sacrament (1). It also makes the person a full member of the church community, so they belong to the Church in their own right (1).
(c) Plan. For: Jesus told his followers to baptise (Matthew 28:19); Catholics teach baptism washes away original sin, so it should not be delayed; it shows God's love comes first and welcomes the child; households were baptised in Acts. Against: a baby cannot choose or give a testimony; Baptists and Pentecostals follow the New Testament examples of believers who repent and are then baptised (Acts 2:38); Jesus was baptised as an adult; the Salvation Army and Quakers do not use water baptism. Conclusion: for Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican Christians infant baptism is right because God's grace comes first, but Baptists would say believer's baptism is the New Testament pattern, so not all Christians would agree that every baby should be baptised.
In a 'discuss' question, name the churches behind each argument (Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Pentecostal). This makes your points specific and shows the different views the question asks for.