HEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE n THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE n THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE n THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE n THEOLOGICAL DIA T

he Baptist World Alliance joined other Christian traditions at the Consultation on Believers’ Baptism in Kingston, Jamaica, from January 8-10.

Baptists Join Others to Discuss Believers’ Baptism

The consultation was convened for rep- resentatives of “believers’ baptism” church traditions to share their understandings and practices of baptism and to explore how thinking has changed in light of the emerg- ing theological convergence on baptism and growing ecumenical encounter over the past 30 years. It was held under the auspices of the Conference of Secretaries of Christian World communions. It affirmed that believers’ baptism is the most clearly attested practice of baptism in the New Testament and that the personal faith of the recipient

participation in the life of the church are essential for the full Church representatives

attending the

conference also agreed that the pressures of contextuality have influenced the way churches understand and practice baptism. However, infant baptism, which has

developed within the Christian tradition, witnesses to valid Christian insights. A supportive

believing In response to community the sur-

rounding the infant will nurture the child’s personal faith as the child moves toward discipleship.

pressure of

contextuality, the consultation concluded that those who baptize infants and those who baptize only believers may need to radically rethink their baptismal practices. They resolved that indiscriminate baptism, which represents an abuse, needs to be eliminated. BWA General Secretary Neville

Callam, a presenter at the consultation, gave an overview of the understanding and practice of baptism from a Baptist perspective, drawing upon the published reports of bilateral and trilateral dialogues involving Baptists in Europe, Asia Pacific and North America. He also surveyed the response of Baptists to the baptism section of Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (BEM), published in 1982 and which, according to Callam, “continues to wield enormous influence in the ongoing life of the church.”

Acknowledging that “diversity marked APRIL/JUNE 2015 23

the responses made by the Baptist groups” to BEM, Callam stated that some responses emphasized that Christian unity is not predicated fundamentally on baptism, some questioned the suggestion that infant baptism rests on the witness of the Bible, others expressed concern over a supposed equivalence between believers’ and infant baptism, and some raised questions about “re-baptism.” These concerns and others, Callam said, featured in the discussion on baptism in many

bilateral and multilateral theological discussions in which Baptists have participated since BEM. He declared that “the conviction that believers’ baptism remains the most clearly attested pattern of baptism in the New Testament and is a guide for those seeking to practice ‘New Testament Christianity’ persists among Baptists.” A problem that some Baptists need to resolve, Callam indicated, was the relationship between baptism and church membership. There are instances of “apparent indiscriminate baptism,” as well as “the practice of admitting unbaptized persons into church membership.” Callam expressed the view that there is an “extreme form of open membership” practiced by some Baptist churches, which is based partly on the idea that baptism does not have instrumental value.

and continuous fruit of baptism.

The more frequently practiced form of open membership, he asserted, was the most promising development that may aid constructive engagement between believers’ baptism and infant baptism traditions. Groups participating in the consultation included the Church of the Brethren, the

Disciples of Christ, the Mennonite World Conference, the Pentecostal movement and the Christian Church/Disciples of Christ and the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, all of which observe and practice believers’ baptism.

Participants at the the Consultation on Believers’ Baptism in Kingston, Jamaica, in January, visiting the UTCWI. BWA General Secretary Neville Callam stands at left.