Baptism In The Modern Era

In today's churches the theology and practice of baptism continues to be shaped by the debates begun during the Protestant Reformation. Theological discussions continue about the nature of baptism and appropriate candidates for baptism. Liturgical discussions continue regarding the appropriate way to celebrate baptism. This article surveys the discussion of baptism in the contemporary church. Until the twentieth century, baptismal practices in the Western churches persisted largely unchanged since the Reformation era. In the Roman Catholic, Reformed, Lutheran, and Anglican (including Methodist) traditions, the normal point of entry into the church continued to be baptism as an infant. In the Baptist, Anabaptist (Mennonite, Amish, Hutterite), and various free church traditions, formal entry into the church normally came with baptism administered in adolescence or early adulthood. Yet problems inherent in each approach slowly intensified. Infant baptism in an increasingly secularized…