Baptism - Sprinkled or Dunked?

[rockytopva]

I was baptized three times in my teenage years...

1. GARBC Baptist - In a Baptistry
2. Freewill Baptist - In a River
3. Pentecostal Holiness - In a River

As a teenager my main thought was that it was fun. As that was many decades ago I would probably prefer to be baptized by sprinkling had I wanted to do it in my older years.

 

[Piper 2]

Dunked. The word in Greek means to dip, like you take a piece of cloth and dip it onto dye.

 

[Walter]

My church would never 'sprinkle'. The candidate can be baptized by immersion or pouring. I believe only the Presbyterians and Reformed 'sprinkle'. I remember watching Robert Schuller in his Garden Grove 'Crystal Cathedral' (now a Catholic Church) 'sprinkle' baptismal candidates using a chalice full of water.

As I have mentioned before, in the Baptist church I grew up in the pastors son was baptized multiple times between the age of seven and eighteen. Each time he was baptized the pastor would explain that 'yes, he professed his faith in Christ in the past, but he just didn't really mean it.

One Faith, one Lord, ONE baptism . . . . .

 

[JesusFan]

Dunked. The word in Greek means to dip, like you take a piece of cloth and dip it onto dye.

Immersion is the biblcalmodel/mode, and wished the KJV when first translated had kept it as immersion

 

[Deacon]

The most memorable baptism I attended happened many years ago during a church picnic at a local state park.

The summer was hot, with very little rain; a drought had significantly lowered the water level of the lake.
After the sermon the pastor waded into the water,
...and walked way out through the mud, to water that was not quite waist deep.
It was baptism by immersion, with a bit of sprinkling/splashing to cover the dry spots.
All those baptized were covered with mud, looking like they had been buried and rose again.

Rob

 

[Dr. Bob]

Baptized (full immersion in church baptistry of the Fourth Baptist Church of Minneapolis) on Easter Sunday (April 5, 1958) a year after I was born again.

My wife Teresa was baptized by immersion THE SAME DAY 860 miles away in the baptistry of Calvary Baptist Church of Casper, Wyoming.

Always smile when I see artists' portrayal of John baptizing Jesus standing waist-deep in the Jordan River and John dribbling a few drops on Jesus' head. Defies imagination how a dribble on the brow replaced going down into the water, buried, rose again and up out of the water.

 

[atpollard]

Funny story (God has a sense of humor):

1962
Born to Atheist Father, Methodist (Lily & Holly) Paternal Grandparents & Roman Catholic (Italian-American) Maternal Grandparents. Maternal Grandparents DEMANDED that their Grandchild be baptized (to avoid hell) and Paternal Grandparents ADAMANT that their Grandchild be raised Protestant rather than Catholic [this was the 1960's]. My Atheist Father just wanted peace and quiet in his life, so I was baptized in a Lutheran Church that I attended TWICE in my life (including the day I was baptized). So "sprinkled" and raised "atheist".

1995
I was saved by God via a supernatural encounter in 1980 outside of any organized Church. So it came to pass that I was attending a small "Church of God of Anderson Indiana" when someone from the youth went up to be baptized. I casually mentioned to a deacon that I had never actually been baptized since I was not saved in a church and that was something like 15 years ago, so it seemed sort of a 'moot' point. The pastor freaked out when he heard and sat me down to have a talk. I had no particular objection to baptism. I just figured that 15 years ago I was part of a gang and set my rivals on fire, and today I attended church and Sunday school and had a job as an Architect ... so I figured there was plenty of evidence of a transformed life. To make them happy, and because the Bible DID say to do it, I went and got immersed. I told them that I sure pitied the fish downstream that had to swim through MY SINS that were washed away.

So the way I see it, God used clueless people to mark me as an infant as someone that He would be coming back to claim later. Then Jesus came "Road to Damascus" style and snatched me out of the world. Eventually, the Holy Spirit circled back to dot all the (i)'s and cross all the (t)'s.

 

[Salty]

My church would never 'sprinkle'. The candidate can be baptized by immersion or pouring. I believe only the Presbyterians and Reformed 'sprinkle'. I remember watching Robert Schuller in his Garden Grove 'Crystal Cathedral' (now a Catholic Church) 'sprinkle' baptismal candidates using a chalice full of water.

Just to clarify - The building that had been home of the Crystal Cathedral was bought by the Roman Catholics.
The Crystal Cathedral is now know as Shepherd’s Grove in Irvine, California, and the pastor is Bobby Schuler, Grandson of the founder.

 

[David Lamb]

I believe only the Presbyterians and Reformed 'sprinkle'.

Reformed Baptists don't sprinkle.

 

[atpollard]

Reformed Baptists don't sprinkle.

Lutherans "pour" if I remember correctly (closer to sprinkle than dunk).
I bet Anglicans sprinkle.

 

[canadyjd]

Probably better the KJV used “baptized” instead of dunk.

You would have a “First Dunking Church” in every town and pastors would be called the “Big Dipper”



Peace to you

 

[Piper 2]

Reformed Baptists don't sprinkle.

We dunk

 

[xlsdraw]

Believers Baptist is by immersion.

 

[Martin Marprelate]

1952. 'Christened' into the Church of England at the behest of my nominally Christian parents.
1990. Baptized into Christ on my profession of faith.

 

[Christforums]

Dunked. The word in Greek means to dip, like you take a piece of cloth and dip it onto dye.

Exactly, dip the finger and sprinkle. The tip of the finger or half of the finger? Surely some will argue.

 

[Walter]

Lutherans "pour" if I remember correctly (closer to sprinkle than dunk).
I bet Anglicans sprinkle.

Nope, Anglicans pour or immerse

 

[David Lamb]

Lutherans "pour" if I remember correctly (closer to sprinkle than dunk).
I bet Anglicans sprinkle.

According to the Book of Common Prayer, these are the instructions to the minister:

"Then the Priest shall take the Child into his hands, and shall say to the Godfathers and Godmothers, Name this Child. And then naming it after them (if they shall certify him that the Child may well endure it) he shall dip it in the Water discreetly and warily.

But if they certify that the Child is weak, it shall suffice to pour Water upon it, saying the foresaid words,"

 

[atpollard]

According to the Book of Common Prayer, these are the instructions to the minister:

"Then the Priest shall take the Child into his hands, and shall say to the Godfathers and Godmothers, Name this Child. And then naming it after them (if they shall certify him that the Child may well endure it) he shall dip it in the Water discreetly and warily.

But if they certify that the Child is weak, it shall suffice to pour Water upon it, saying the foresaid words,"

Thank you.
Surprising given their late split from the RCC.
I suppose they went back to the TRADITIONS (like the Didache) and chose to follow what was "permitted" over what was "common".

Looking up the official RCC position, it seems NOBODY still sprinkles ...

"Let’s clear this up. In the Catholic Church, there are three forms of baptism that are considered valid: immersion, pouring, and sprinkling, the last of which is commonly referred to as baptism by aspersion. Among the three valid forms, aspersion is not permitted in the Church today, but it is considered valid. In legal terms, we would say baptism by aspersion is valid but not licit (permitted). Immersion and pouring are both valid and licit." - Catholic Magazine

 

[Piper 2]

Exactly, dip the finger and sprinkle. The tip of the finger or half of the finger? Surely some will argue.

RIDICULOUS. People are baptized, not fingers.

 

[Cathode]

The most memorable baptism I attended happened many years ago during a church picnic at a local state park.

The summer was hot, with very little rain; a drought had significantly lowered the water level of the lake.
After the sermon the pastor waded into the water,
...and walked way out through the mud, to water that was not quite waist deep.
It was baptism by immersion, with a bit of sprinkling/splashing to cover the dry spots.
All those baptized were covered with mud, looking like they had been buried and rose again.

Rob

I didn’t attend my most memorable baptism, I was however witness to its after effects.
I visited a friends place but he wasn’t home, he had gone out to the shops. His wife invited me in to wait till he came home.
I sat down on the couch as she went to get her baby son. When she returned holding him, I couldn’t even look at them because the light emanating off the baby was brighter than welder light. The light had a quality of Joy and Holiness in it, I couldn’t explain. Dumbfounded, I was about ask her if the baby had been baptised, but remembered how viciously anti religious she was, so I bit my tongue.
For about 10 minutes I was making small talk with her as this baby was wriggling and shining with this Divine Light in her lap.
My friend came home from the shop, but had forgotten the milk, and I said I would go with him.
Away from the house at the car I asked if the baby had been baptised or something. And my friend couldn’t believe it, and asked how I knew, I said, he is shining with light of a thousand suns it’s pretty hard to miss. He told me he secretly baptised his son at the bath sink without his wife or anyone knowing just shortly before he went out.
My seeing this effect cast off for him any lingering doubt he had.

Baptism is real regeneration, it is not merely symbolic.