Christian Baptism

TrueTube films are designed for use in a number of ways. Some ideas of where this film could link to your curriculum are below:

AQA

Component 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teaching and practices - Christianity - The role and meaning of the sacraments:the meaning of sacrament, the sacrament of baptism and its significance for Christians; infant and believers' baptism; different beliefs about infant baptism

Edexcel

Area of Study 3- Section 3: Living the Christian Life - Christianity - The role of the sacraments in Christian life and their practice in two denominations:
the role of the sacraments/ordinance as a whole; the nature and importance of the
meaning and celebration of baptism.
Section 3 - Living the Catholic life - Christianity -The sacramental nature of reality: Catholic teachings about how the whole of creation manifests the presence of God; the meaning and effects of each of the seven sacraments, including Catechism of the Catholic Church 1210–1211; the practice and symbolism of each sacrament; how sacraments communicate the grace of God; divergent Christian attitudes to sacraments, including reference to Orthodox and Protestant Christianity.

OCR

Component Group1 - Christianity - Practices - Sacraments• The meaning of the word sacrament • The role and meaning of the sacraments •The role of Baptism and Eucharist in the life of a Christian •Common and divergent attitudes towards the practice and meaning of Baptism by different Christian denominations •Common and divergent attitudes towards the practice and meaning of the Eucharist by different Christian denominations •Common and divergent attitudes towards the Sacraments, including which practices are considered by different Christian denominations to be a sacrament •Different interpretations and emphases given to sources of wisdom and authority by different Christian denominations

WJEC

2.2 Unit 2 PART A : Christianity - Core beliefs, teachings and practices - Practices Life’s Journey: Sacraments and key acts of worship:  Baptisms (Mark 1:9-11); Infant and Believers' Baptism; reasons and rituals  Eucharist/Communion (1 Corinthians 11:23-26): diverse Christian interpretations and associated practices

Eduqas

Component 2 (Route A) Study of Christianity: Practices: Sacraments ➢ Diverse beliefs regarding Sacraments ➢ The role, meaning and celebration of Baptism and Eucharist: John 3:3-6 ➢ Diverse interpretations of Baptism and Eucharist with reference to the beliefs of the Catholic and Protestant Churches Forms: Component 2 (Route B) Applied Catholic Theology : Theme 3: Life and Death: Artefacts: How Christian beliefs in the resurrection are expressed by the paschal candle as it is used in the Easter Vigil and during Catholic Baptism

Christian Baptism

Anna           I'm Anna and I was baptised when I was 13, in a Church of England or Anglican church. Some churches baptise babies to welcome them into Christianity. Others only baptise people when they're old enough to make the decision for themselves. When I was a baby, instead of baptising me, my parents decided to give me a service of dedication, which means they said they'd bring me up in a Christian home and tell me about what they thought of God, but that they'd leave it to me to decide whether I believed and wanted to live by that faith or not. As I grew up, I asked a lot of questions, and I came to the conclusion that I did believe that it was true. So when they were doing baptisms at church, I thought it would be a good opportunity to make a proper and public commitment to God. It's very common in Anglican churches to baptise infants. I've come to Saint John the Evangelist Church to talk to the associate vicar, Rachel Hawes, and find out more.

Rachel         While all religions have ceremonies, we call them initiation rites, which mark people's entry into the religion. And so baptism for Christians, is the important ceremony or initiation rite into the Christian faith, and it has been from the very beginning of Christianity.

Anna           So what happens in a typical Anglican infant baptism?

Rachel         We do it in the main service, and the parents will all come to the font with the baby, and the font is the name for whatever we put the water in. And this which we're standing by is our font. So the first thing that happens in baptism is that we have a series of promises. Now when adults are baptised, they make these promises for themselves. But when a baby is baptised, obviously they're too young to make the promises. So their parents and their godparents make the promises on their behalf.

Rachel         Will you pray for her? Draw her by your example into the community of faith. And walk with her in the way of Christ.

All                With the help of God we will.

Rachel         In baptism, this child begins her journey of faith. You speak for her today. Will you care for her and help her to take her place within the life and worship of Christ's Church?

All                With the help of God we will.

Rachel         Then the second very important picture or image in baptism is the signing with the cross. So we have holy oil, and so the priest will take the oil and dip their thumb in it, and sign the baby on the forehead and say, Christ claims you for his own, receive the sign of his cross. We offer the oil to all the parents and godparents, so that they, too, can dip their thumb in and sign the baby on the forehead. Then we come to the water, and water is obviously central to the service of baptism, and we pour the water into the font at that point. And, and usually here we ask one of the parents or godparents to pour the water in so that everybody can see it going in, and then the priest will bless it.

Rachel         Now sanctify this water, but by the power of your Holy Spirit, they may be cleansed from sin and born again.

Rachel         And then they will use it to baptise the child.

UU               Yeah. I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Rachel         So at the end of the service, we will call the parents up to the chancel. That's where the altar is. And we will light a special candle for the baby from the candles on the altar, and we will give it to the parents for the baby.

Anna           So obviously a baby is too young to understand what's going on. Um, could you tell me why a parent might choose to have their baby baptised?

Rachel         We believe that baptism is not just something we do, it's something that God does. So we believe that God is present at the baptism and is working in it, and Christians believe that as the baby grows, God is present with them and in their lives, and that they will come to understand what has happened to them in baptism.

Anna           Some churches don't allow infant baptisms at all. They wait until the person is old enough to choose for themselves. This is called a believer's baptism.

Kenneth      As a church, we practice believer's baptism, and that's different than some churches like the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church. We believe baptism is for someone who consciously commits themselves to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Anna           So how does baptism work in a Baptist church?

Kenneth      Um, well, normally when people want to get baptised, they come to see me. That's usually anyone from sort of early teenage years and over, and so all, all ages. They'll come and we have a baptism class, we'll take them through three sessions and explain what baptism is and what it means for them as a Christian, and what it means for their, commitment to, commitment to the church. And then there's a time scheduled for baptism. Sometimes it's one person, sometimes there's a group, and it will happen here. This is the baptistry. And what will happen is on a on a Sunday morning, we'll have a congregation here. And at the end of the service the person will be asked to come up. They'll give what we call their testimony, they explain how they became a Christian, why they want to get baptised, what it means for them.

Oluwatoyin Learning to trust in him and state my life and forever.

Kenneth      And then the person will come into the pool. So, they'll come up over here and down into the pool, there will usually be me or one of the other leaders of the church.

Kenneth      And I'll ask them a question at that point.

Kenneth      In your baptism, do you profess repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? And upon your profession of repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, we baptise you in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Kenneth      Baptism means partly that you identify with Jesus and His death and resurrection. And the Bible speaks about how someone whose trust in Jesus dies with Christ and his death on the cross is for them. And how he rose again, and there his resurrection is for them as well. And baptism is a very powerful picture of that, when you're immersed in water, going down into death, coming up into life.

Anna           So as you can see, baptism can take many different forms, but ultimately it's about forgiveness and renewal.