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Update 42 page 1.
In Update 42:
New name
Why infants?
Baptism in CW
Baptism & Fathers
Does history compel?
Is history so clear?
Baptists' integrity
Table fellowship
If God gave
Reborn again
Baptismal Integrity - what's in a name?
"A history, a confession and a farewell", Clifford Owen, Chairman of BI
In the summer of 1986, in correspondence with Rev’d Alan Wright of Taunton, I shared my conviction that if infant baptismal discipline in the Church of England was to be reformed, it would require more than a towering personality. It would need a movement. As a prelude to the meeting which Alan called at Shrewsbury in October 1986, I tried out various names and acronyms, and my first choice fell upon (wait for it!)... ‘moribund’ - the Movement for the Reform of Infant Baptism under New Discipline.
I thought it encapsulated what such a movement might be about and also have the ‘double-entendre’ in the question, ‘what is moribund?’ As my doodle wasn’t quite slick enough, I tried shortening it to you know what. To my surprise ‘MORIB’ caught on at the meeting and the rest is history. So there is my confession: I invented it!
It was soon obvious that the name was a problem to some, and in 1995 we spent a whole day with a consultant looking at the name and alternatives. After a well meaning though warm discussion we concluded that we could not improve on what we had. It was some comfort to discover the existence of a previous group, the ‘Baptism Reform Movement’ (founded 1948 and by now dormant): its name showed we weren’t too far off track!
But contexts and cultures move on, and now ‘Baptismal Integrity’ has emerged as our new name. It was carried (with only one against) by a significant proportion of the membership. I voted for it myself. ‘Baptismal Integrity’ captures the core and key concept of all that has been talked and written about over the last few years within this movement. When clergy and laity are unhappy about this or that facet of baptismal practice it is usually because of some infringement of integrity. We still stand as the guardians of biblical conscience.
The launch of the website does highlight one change of emphasis, if not of belief. We are about not only the support of those who agree with us, but also about education, discussion and persuasion. We reenter the fray with vigour!
The change of name does not mean a change of aims or convictions (although it does show we have wider concerns besides just infants). It is not a re-launch of a group that had lost its way. Nor is it the awakening of the dormant - we have always been awake, though some catches get missed in every group’s life. It is our chance to boldly go where, so far, we have not been BIfore. May the Lord BI with us as we do his BIssness!
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This web page was last updated on 14th January 2003.
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