Baptism

from age 8 or less at baptism (109 cases) to 40 plus years at baptism (49
cases). Thirteen percent of all members had been baptized before the age of
12. Moreover, the 1973 data revealed significant differences between the five
denominations. The median age of baptism was lowest in the Mennonite
Church (14.0) and highest among General Conference Mennonites and
Mennonite Brethren (16.4), with the Evangelical Mennonite Church and
Brethren in Christ (14.1 and 14.5) more like the Mennonite Church (MC)
practice."
The reason for this difficulty is in the definition of the transition. Unless the
exact nature of accomplishments are defined a rite of passage baptism of the
believer will remain a hazy object. No one reaches the level of maturity to be
sinless as long as we are in this world. If baptism is supposed to be a
repentance process, we need to get baptized every day. This purification
process should go on as long as we live. This is what the Hebrew mikvas
represent. In the new Israel, the waters of the mikvah is still present as the
rivers of water that flows from the belly of the believer. It cannot be
represented by a one time immersion in water. If baptism is to represent the
personal covering of “the once and for all” sacrifice of Jesus for my sin, it
should not depend on my comitting the sin and then the sacrifice. That is
what the Old Testament animal sacrifices did.
It is interesting to note that there has been a new development within the
Judaic community regarding Bar/Bat mizvah. "A recent phenomena, Adult
Bar/Bar Mitzvah, has emerged. Often, these are group ceremonies following
an extensive study process; they appeal to people who did not have a Bar/Bat
Mitzvah ceremony when they were children, or who moved away from
Jewish tradition and are now returning." ((Rabbi Amy R. Schinermann
http://ezra.mts.jhu.edu/~ rabbiars/life-cycle/b-mitzvah.ht ml ) I believe that
believer’s baptism also has a similar place.
What this means is that the children of believers who are growing up within
the believing community do not experience the radical conversion experience
of new converts to Christianity except under extreme conditions when they
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