Mennonites believe that baptism is an important sign of
believing in Jesus, being cleansed from sin, declaring publicly that one is
committed to following Jesus, and willing to offer one's life even to death for
Jesus. To summarize in the words of my
old pastor and one of my mentors Keith Tyson, "Baptism is an outward sign
of an inward change."
One of the distinctive parts of Anabaptists, and therefore
Mennonites, is the idea that children need to reach an age of accountability
before they can be baptized (adult baptism to the exclusion of infant
baptism). This means someone must freely
request to be baptized in response to Jesus Christ (babies cannot request this,
so we can't baptize babies).
The issue of adult baptism or infant baptism is usually hotly
debated between differing denominations, and historically has been the cause of
many church splits. One of the main
questions that pops up is, "What if a baby tragically dies and is not
baptized? What will happen to the
baby?" I find myself in the
position of simply relying and trusting in Jesus Christ, who shows himself
merciful, good, and loving in every regard.
Therefore, does a baby, or a child before the age of accountability need
to be baptized in order to get to heaven?
I seriously doubt it, for God's mercy is truly great and good.
On the flip side, Mennonites do dedicate babies to God - a
statement made by the parents publicly that they will raise the child to
believe in Jesus as best as can be done.
Oddly, this seems to be the purpose of baptism among those who baptize
as infants - many infant baptism denominations later have a period of
discernment called "Confirmation," where the faith is learned and
committed to before one can have communion.
Ultimately, we believe baptism is a public declaration of a
free choice and commitment to follow Christ, of being forgiven sin, and of
dying to this world and raising with Christ.
Want to learn more?
Here is Article 11 of the Mennonite Confession of faith: http://www.mennoniteusa.org/about/confession-of-faith-in-a-mennonite-perspective-1995/confession-of-faith-%E2%80%94-article-11/
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