bapti-

1. The absence of baptism or not having the Christian sacrament that signifies spiritual cleansing and spiritual rebirth: The fact that Gloria's son's abaptism existed when he died was of great concern to his mother.
2. A situation where there is no baptism: The frontier area was often without a pastor and so abaptism usually existed for quite awhile.

The advocacy of adult baptism on the grounds that only as adults can people responsibly accept and declare their faith: Anabaptism is a term given for those who practice re-baptizing mature Christian converts who already have been baptized as infants.

The churches of western Christendom that separated from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation resulting in some Protestant movements in the 16th century that believed that the Bible was the most important guidance for Christians and so some of them were practitioners of Anabaptism because they were convinced that only those who were old enough to make decisions to become baptized believers, and not infants, were the true believers.

A member of a movement of the Protestant Reformation who believed in adult baptism, freedom of religious beliefs, separation of church and state, the rejection of war, and other beliefs that were rather advanced for their time: "Anabaptists believed that infants were not punishable for sin because they had no awareness of good and evil and thus could not yet exercise free will, repent, and accept baptism."

"Denying the validity of infant baptism, Anabaptists accepted adult baptism, which was regarded as a second baptism by those outside the group who identified them as Anabaptists (from the Greek for rebaptizers)."

"Anabaptists sought to restore the institutions and spirit of the primitive church."

1. To immerse a person in water or to sprinkle a person with water again: Susan was anabaptized or rechristened in order to to wash away her sins and to rename her.
2. To purify or to symbolically cleanse someone spiritually: In school Grace learned that people back in 1637 were anabaptized in order to sanctify and to lustrate them from guilt or defilement.
3. To introduce or to initiate someone into an activity which is to be accomplished: Adam was anabaptized once more when he applied for a job as an a reporter in TV productions.

The denial, on scriptural grounds, of the validity of infant baptism.

Someone who denies, on scriptural grounds, the validity of infant baptism.

A special interest in collecting Christian baptismal names: Baptisaphily was known to be a favorite hobby of one of the faithful members of the local church in the small town.

1. The immersion or dipping of a believer into water, symbolizing the complete renewal and change in the person's life and testifying to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the way to salvation: "At some point, close to the time of Jesus, Judaism placed a heavy emphasis on ritual washings to cleanse from impurity. Jews started baptizing Gentile converts, although circumcision still remained the primary entrance rite into Judaism."

"Baptism is not just to cleanse the body, but as an outward sign of an inward spiritual cleansing and commitment. Baptism is a sign of repentance, as practiced by John the Baptist, and of faith in Jesus Christ, as practiced by Jesus’ disciples."

2. A ceremonial immersion in water, or application of water, as an initiatory rite or sacrament of the Christian church: "Baptism is not just to cleanse the body, but as an outward sign of an inward spiritual cleansing and commitment. Baptism is a sign of repentance, as practiced by John the Baptist, and of faith in Jesus Christ, as practiced by Jesus’ disciples.
3. A trying or purifying experience or initiation: "Zelda went through a baptism on her first day of work."

1. A member, or members, of a Christian denomination that baptizes people by total immersion when they are old enough to understand and declare their faith.
2. A member of any of various Christian groups that affirm the necessity of baptism; usually of adults or older children, and by immersion, following a personal profession of Christ as their Savior.
3. A member of an evangelical church following the reformed tradition in worship, and believing in individual freedom, in the separation of church and state, and in baptism of voluntary, conscious believers.

During the 17th century two groups of Baptists emerged in England: General Baptists, who held that Christ's atonement applied to all people, and Particular Baptists, who believed it was only for the elect.

Baptist origins in the American colonies can be traced to Roger Williams, who established a Baptist church in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1639.

Baptist growth in the United States came about by the Great Awakening in the mid-18th century with a series of religious revivals that swept over the American colonies. The 1814 General Convention showed divisions among U.S. Baptists over slavery; a formal split occurred when the Southern Baptist Convention was organized in 1845 and was confirmed when the Northern (American) Baptist Convention was organized in 1907.

African-American Baptist churches provided leadership in the 1960's civil rights movement, notably through the work of Martin Luther King. Baptist belief emphasizes the authority of local congregations in matters of faith and practice; worship is characterized by extemporaneous prayer and hymn-singing as well as by the exposition of the scriptures in sermons.

A collector of Christian names: The elderly Mrs. Smith, a baptistaphilist, kept a great record of all the names given at the time of baptism at the local church she always attended.

1. A building or a part of a church in which baptism is administered.

In the earliest examples, it was merely a basin or pool set into the floor; later, the Christian Church set aside a separate structure for the ceremony.
2. A tank or pool in a Baptist church used for baptisms by total immersion.

A part of a church or formerly a separate building for baptism; also spelled baptistery.

1. The immersion or dipping of a believer in water symbolizing the complete renewal and change in the believer's life and testifying to one's belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the way to salvation: To baptize someone in water was and still is a sign that the person has been accepted into the Christian faith.

The meaning of baptism is not the same for all Christian groups. For some denominations, the sacrament of baptism is performed by immersing the whole body in water, and this is done with mature people, not with babies.

2. To give a personal name to someone during the Christian ritual of baptism as some religious groups do when an infant is sprinkled with water: More generally among many church denominations, a baby is baptized during the ceremony by the sprinkling with water on the face of a baby or of an adult, and often with an baby, he or she is given a first or Christian name; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which is called Christening.
3. Etymology: from Old French batisier (11th century), from Latin baptizare, which came from Greek baptizein, "to immerse, to dip in water"; also used figuratively; such as, "to be over one's head" (in debt, etc.), "to be soaked (in wine)"; in Greek Christian usage, "baptize"; from baptein, "to dip, to steep, to dye, to color". For sense development, baptism originally consisted of "full immersion".

From the Latin word credo, "I believe", which is the religious practice of baptizing only individuals who personally confess faith in Jesus, therefore excluding very young children.

A person must come to a saving faith and profess Christ as Lord and Savior.