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Archiver > BRETHREN > 1998-02 > 0886402102


From: James Shuman <>
Subject: Re: Age of baptism?
Date: Sun, 1 Feb 1998 22:48:22 -0800


Richard C. Gethmann wrote:

>I know the Brethern do not practice infant baptism, but at what age are
>individuals who have been raised in the church baptised? Specifically,
>I am interested in the typical age of baptism in the mid 1700s, in this
>country.

The emphasis by the Brethren has been on BELIEVER baptism. Thus, the age at
which individuals are baptized has probably always varied considerably.

I have heard some members occasionally point to the instance of Jesus
reasoning with the Scribes in the Temple (commonly thought to have been
when he was age 12) as perhaps the earliest appropriate age for baptism
("the age of accountability"). Among the OGBB, there is emphasis on
"counting the cost" and making certain that the applicant understands the
implications of that action.

Within my own experience, I don't recall any examples earlier than age 12,
and generally it has been much more common around age 16. My grandmother
often said that in her "young folks" days, she was one of a very few (girls
only) who were baptized before marriage. What few baptismal records I have
come across from the 18th century indicate a similar varied pattern: some
individuals "joining the church" fairly young, but many others waiting
until mid-to-late teens or after marriage to make that step.

Regards!

JS

_______________________________________________
James Shuman, Telecommunications Coordinator
The California Arts Project
http://www.ucop.edu/tcap/
_______________________________________________

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