sold. After a decade or so, these Baptists rejoined other denominations while still staunchly defending their understanding of the “biblical” way of baptism.
Aside from the heavily polemical treatises, Baptists have certainly plumbed Scripture for all the possible meanings of baptism. This has been an important contribution to Christian theology, as Baptist studies of the doctrine of the church and mission are. One of the least recognized literary and liturgical contributions of Baptists has been the production of baptismal hymns, penned especially for the rite of baptism. A London Seventh Day Baptist, Joseph Stennett, who wrote of baptism by immersion as entering a “watery grave,” composed what may be the oldest surviving collection of baptismal hymns, dated about 1700.
In major studies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, other Christians have come to appreciate the Baptist position on believer’s baptism by immersion as consistent with the ancient churches. As the World Council of Churches statement on “Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry” (1982) put it, “baptism upon personal profession of faith is the most clearly attested pattern in the New Testament.” Many denominations today not only teach the Baptist position, but also practice believer’s baptism by immersion as part of their understanding of the church. Particularly in North America and related missionary contexts, Baptist baptismal practices have become so widely accepted that one observer has been prompted to describe the “baptistification” of religious culture!
