Episcopal churches (Anglican, Methodist etc.) and baptismal regeneration

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buggy

Puritan Board Freshman
One question asked here:
Does episcopal churches - Anglican, Lutheran and Methodist - believe in baptismal regeneration? If yes, what differs their beliefs from that Rome's view on baptismal regeneration if any?
 
I'll just speak to the Anglican part of your question at this point.

The key mistake that most folks make in trying to understand the Anglicans is to assume that there is a single theologically correct position for that faith. On one end are the Anglo Catholics, who are essentially Roman in belief except for submission to the Pope (and who seem to be heading in that direction) and on the other end are those who are essentially Reformed in view. Add in the evangelicals and the agnostics, and you can find Anglican leaders who hold to almost any postion that you can come up with.

So the short answer is that SOME Anglicans hold to a form of baptismal regenerations, http://philorthodox.blogspot.com/2008/01/httpwww.html others overtly reject it http://www.churchsociety.org/churchman/documents/Cman_112_1_Stott.pdf.
 
A far as I know Methodists and Lutherans do not believe in baptismal regeneration. Anglicans on the other hand, just like Edward said above are a very mixed up group of people. I would say the evangelicals within the Anglican communion do not believe in baptismal regeneration, the Anglo-Catholics most probably do and the liberals are probably at odds whether or not they believe in any kind of regeneration or salvation for that matter.
 
One question asked here:
Do Lutheran believe in baptismal regeneration? If yes, what differs their beliefs from that Rome's view on baptismal regeneration if any?
The Lutheran Augsburg Confession of 1530 expressly teaches Baptismal Regeneration. In practice some Lutherans believe in presumptive regeneration.

---------- Post added at 04:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:23 PM ----------

The key mistake that most folks make in trying to understand the Anglicans is to assume that there is a single theologically correct position for that faith. On one end are the Anglo Catholics, who are essentially Roman in belief except for submission to the Pope (and who seem to be heading in that direction) and on the other end are those who are essentially Reformed in view. Add in the evangelicals and the agnostics, and you can find Anglican leaders who hold to almost any postion that you can come up with.
The historic doctrinal position of Anglicans is set forth in the 39 Articles. Article 27 seems to come close to teaching Baptismal Regeneration. In practice many Anglican clerics [even among high churchmen] believe in presumptive regeneration.

---------- Post added at 04:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:43 PM ----------

Lutherans confessionally teach baptismal regeneration. Melanchthon tried to fix the problem that the Reformed wing of the evangelicalism objected to Baptismal Regeneration with a 1540 revision of the Augsburg Confession. Some Lutheran State Churches adopted this revision. That is why some state kirches like the Church of Wuerttemberg and Church of Prussion were able to keep both Reformed and Lutheran men within their ranks.

---------- Post added at 05:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:58 PM ----------

Melanchthon's 1540 revision was not widely accepted in Lutheranism
 
The historic doctrinal position of Anglicans is set forth in the 39 Articles. Article 27 seems to come close to teaching Baptismal Regeneration. In practice many Anglican clerics [even among high churchmen] believe in presumptive regeneration.


Baptisme is not only a signe of profession, and marke of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from other that be not christened: but is also a signe of regeneration or newe byrth, whereby as by an instru*ment, they that receaue baptisme rightly, are grafted into the Church: the promises of the forgeuenesse of sinne, and of our adoption to be the sonnes of God, by the holy ghost, are visibly signed and sealed: fayth is confyrmed: and grace increased by vertue of prayer vnto God. The baptisme of young children, is in any wyse to be retayned in the Churche, as most agreable with the institution of Christe.

compare to

Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church; but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in the newness of life. Which sacrament is, by Christ's own appointment, to be continued in His Church until the end of the world....Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ,[11] but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to be baptized.
 
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