Our local large Baptist Church accepts infant baptisms and sprinkling now. They don’t practice it but you can join the church without being full immersed.
Baptists were executed by the Pope for rejecting infant baptism? It’s how we got our name. You should really change your church’s name.
“Our local large Baptist Church accepts infant baptisms and sprinkling now.”
In one of J. Vernon McGee’s Q&A programs, I learned something interesting about baptism:
“The word ‘baptism’ is never translated in the New Testament; instead, it is transliterated. This is unfortunate because the problems associated with this word would be resolved if it were actually translated. The Greek word ‘baptism’ means ‘identification. It really has nothing to do with water, as often it is speaking of something where water is not involved.
It sometimes has to do with something wet and sometimes with things which are dry. Let me illustrate: In 1 Corinthians 10 the Bible says Israel was baptized unto Moses while passing through the sea. They were now identified with Moses as God’s people and no longer in bondage. The only people who got wet were the Egyptians who were in pursuit and drowned. This provides a wonderful picture of the Christians today who are identified with Christ and no longer are in bondage to the world.
John the Baptist said the Lord would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and fire. Believers would be identified with Him as the Church, His body, by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13), but unbelievers would be identified with judgment (fire).
When we are baptized in water, we show outwardly that we have had a wonderful work performed in our heart by believing in Jesus and are identified with all other believers in Christ.
Although baptism is commanded to be administered to all those who have believed in Christ, it cannot save or contribute to our salvation, else we could say that works were necessary to be saved. The Scripture makes it very clear that no works on our part are necessary for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).”
Anyhow, FWIW, it made this ol’ Baptist stop and think and maybe come down some from the high horse relative to immersion, sprinkling, pouring. Still... babies shouldn’t be baptized because they haven’t believed in Christ. This Kennedy family in the article probably should get saved, learn some discernment, and then do the right thing for the kid.
Our church frequently will hold a Dedication when a baby is born, but it’s more for the parents than the kid.