He made his point and struck greater blows for freedom of religion and freedom of the Spirit than any other Englishman. General Booth was more practical. The first thing was to rescue the drunks and knifers and harlots, and get them marching for Jesus Christ. The mode of baptism need not detain us, since the age of baptism is obviously the real issue. Those who only baptize adults have nearly always required total immersion.
Infant baptisms are usually by sprinkling or pouring water on the head.
The Greek Orthodox liturgy and the Anglican Book of Common Prayer still recognize that the infant should be put right under the water unless the parents can certify the child's health would be endangered by this. On the assumption that ministers are too clumsy or English babies less robust than in the good old days, this is rarely done. When challenged by their Baptist friends Anglicans will often counter by asking sarcastically why so few Baptists are called to evangelize the Eskimos or the Bedouins of the Sahara. When the argument can elicit no more than jokes about the quantity of water to .be used, it is high time to return to the real issues, which relate to the candidates rather than to the manner. If the church is the school of Christ, the crux of discussion is whether baptism is the sign of entering or the sign of attaining what the school stands for.