A Study on Baptism as a Rite of Passage and the Renewal of Baptism in the Presbyterian Church of Korea
As Tertullian (Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, a Father of the Church) mentioned in the third century, Christians are made, not born. From ...
A Study on Baptism as a Rite of Passage and the Renewal of Baptism in the Presbyterian Church of Korea
As Tertullian (Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, a Father of the Church) mentioned in the third century, Christians are made, not born. From this perspective, Christianity has regarded the process of baptism an important rite of passage in making a person a believer from the very beginning. In modern times, however, the rite of baptism has been disregarded by Korean Protestants as merely a formal procedure. Consequently, baptism is performed without the sufficient internalization of its the true values and meanings. This problem is by no means insignificant in that baptism is a rite of passage and a sacrament.
What then are the ways to restore the essence of baptismal ceremonies in South Korean churches today? This study suggests that the answer can be found in the restoration of the role of baptism as a rite of passage. Therefore, this paper focuses on clarifying the significance of and reasons for baptism by studying it as a rite of passage. To this end, this study attempts a preliminary understanding and review of the theories regarding the rite of passage, focusing on the work of Arnold van Gennep and Victor Turner. Taking the implications from the analysis of baptism in early churches and Korean churches as a methodological basis, time-appropriate suggestions for the renewal of baptism are provided. Through such efforts, this study seeks to advocate for baptism being restored as a rite embodying the significance of a passage through which a person becomes a Christian.
Anthropologist Arnold van Gennep points out that all rites of passage are commonly composed of a three-step structure of separation–transition–incorporation. To move from one step or state to the next, a rite symbolically separating a person from the previous state is conducted. However, since this separated state has not yet become a completely new state, transitional rites symbolizing this intermediate state are undergone, and finally, rites of incorporation symbolizing a new identity or state are implemented. Victor Turner paid particular attention to liminal rites among the stages on rites of passage. This paper argues that their theories on rites of passage are semantically consistent with Christian baptism, and also states that the baptism of early churches, which formed the prototype for Christian worship, faithfully played its role as a rite of passage methodically. These reflections point to the areas in which Korean churches need to recover and renew.
This paper also critically reflects on the editions of Book of Common Worship of the Presbyterian Church of Korea from the 19th to 21st century to analyze and understand baptism in Korean churches. Additionally, this study reinterpreted the characteristics and identity of the rite of passage of the early church baptism ceremony and applied it to Korean baptism in a modern manner to provide suggestions for the restoration of baptism in Korean churches. We hope that the suggestions on the renewal of baptism in today's Korean churches presented in this paper will serve as the foundation for the rediscovery of the essential significance of baptism in Korean churches.