Conversion to Christianity Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Baptism=== In all varieties of Christianity, baptism is the initiation rite for entrance into the Christian community.{{sfn|Inbody|2005|pp=284-285}} Almost all baptisms share in common the use of the Trinitarian formula (in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) by the minister while baptizing the convert.{{sfn|Stookey|1982|p=27}} Two aspects of baptism are sources of disagreement: mode and meaning. In ''Understanding Four Views on Baptism'' editors have written that Christians disagree on the meaning of baptism and whether it is a necessary aspect of conversion or simply demonstration of a conversion that has already taken place.{{sfn|Armstrong|Engle|2009|p=163}} [[File:Child baptism with water.jpg|thumb|upright|Baptism of a child by affusion]] There are also different modes of baptism in Christianity. These include [[Immersion baptism|immersion]] (dunking), [[affusion]] (pouring), and [[aspersion]] (sprinkling). The most common practice in the ancient church was baptism by immersion of the whole head and body of an adult.{{sfn|Jensen|2012|p=371}} It remained common into the Middle Ages and is still found in the Eastern church, the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, and in most Protestant denominations.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=827}} Historian [[Philip Schaff]] has written that sprinkling, or pouring of water on the head of a sick or dying person, where immersion was impractical, was also practiced in ancient times and up through the twelfth century, and is currently practiced in most of the West.{{sfn|Schaff|1882|p=469}} However, according to the ''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' affusion has become the most common practice of the Western churches.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=24}} [[Infant baptism]] was controversial for the [[Protestant Reformers]], and remains so for some Protestants, but according to Schaff, it was practiced by the ancients and is neither required nor forbidden in the [[New Testament]].{{sfn|Schaff|1882|p=470}} The mode of baptism often depends on the denomination one enters, and in some cases, personal choice. Many Anglicans and Lutherans baptize by affusion. Presbyterians and Congregationalists accept baptism by pouring or sprinkling. Steven W. Lemke writes that the Presbyterian [[Westminster Confession]] says, “Dipping of the person into the water is not necessary".{{sfn|Lemke|2008|p=31}} Baptists disagree. Many Evangelical Protestants, such as Baptists, insist that only full immersion baptism is valid. The Second London and Philadelphia confessions of the Baptists affirm that “immersion, or dipping of the person in water, is necessary". Baptism by immersion is again affirmed in Article 7 of the BF&M [Baptist Faith and Message]".{{sfn|Lemke|2008|p=31}} Others, like Methodists, may conduct all three forms of baptism.{{sfn|Jagger|1971|p=407}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page