# difference between baptism and christening



## kate1811

Hi!
Could someone please tell me the difference between baptism and christening -and when am i supposed to use one instead of the other? 
Thank you!


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## The Scrivener

kate1811 said:


> Hi!
> Could someone please tell me the difference between baptism and christening -and when am i supposed to use one instead of the other?
> Thank you!


 
Hi Kate.

Baptism is a Christian ceremony when a baby is welcomed into the Church. It has holy (blessed by the priest) water, from a font, poured on its head three times - in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It symbolises being "born again". Jesus was baptised by his cousin, John the Baptist, in the River Jordan. Some churches baptise babies (and adults) by total immersion in water.

Christening is the giving of a Christian name at the time of baptism.

The terms "to be baptised" and "to be christened" have the same meaning and you may use either. They belong together.

Non-religious people can opt for a naming ceremony, without the rite of Holy Baptism, but this is quite rare.


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## Ecossaise

Technically "baptism" is the rite in the Christian Church by which immersion in water symbolizes the washing away of sins and admission into the Church, whereas "christen" is to name (a baby) at baptism as a sign of admission to the Christian Church.

They are generally used interchangeably.


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## LouisaB

Hi, Kate, and welcome to the forums!

I totally agree with The Scrivener's and Ecossaise's definitions.

The only time the two words would _not_ be interchangeable (at least that I can think of!) would be when referring to the kind of adult baptism The Scrivener mentions. Because no name is usually given on these occasions, they are definitely 'Baptisms' rather than 'Christenings'.

Also, 'Baptism' is the word used most frequently in Church circles. 'Christening' is a more secular (ie non-Church) expression.

Louisa


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## hbklas

Hello-

In the United States, "Have you been baptized?" can mean are you a practicing Christian.  In the South certain faiths, as in the Baptist faith, see baptism as something like an adult conversion and not something done when you are a few months old.

In my understanding, baptism has a more charged meaning depending on where you are using it....  don't want to muddy the waters for you!


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## kate1811

You've all been really helpful..thank you!


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## panjandrum

This is a theological and denominational question with linguistic overtones.

At one time, these were precise synonyms. In recent times there has come to be a distinction, in some contexts.  
Christening is a naming ceremony.  
Baptism is a sacrament.
For many, the two are not interchangeable.  It is possible to be christened but not baptised. Different denominations have different practices and principles.


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## sandpiperlily

LouisaB said:


> 'Christening' is a more secular (ie non-Church) expression.



I disagree.  The word *christ*ening is a Christian word, and is not used in secular or non-Christian contexts.

Readers of this thread should understand that "Christianity" includes a large group of related religions and organizations, many of which have very different views about what baptism is and should be.  As you can see from this thread, some Christian organizations (such as the Catholic church) baptize infants, while others wait for each person to be "ready" for their baptism, and so on.  Some sprinkle a little bit of water on the head, some require full immersion.  Some perform the ceremony in a church while others travel to a natural body of water.  To understand how the word "baptism" is used in any given circumstance, you'll need to understand a lot about context.


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## JamesM

panjandrum said:


> For many, the two are not interchangeable. It is possible to be christened but not baptised. Different denominations have different practices and principles.


 
Also, in the case of adult baptism, you can be baptized and not christened.  You have already been named.


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## George French

Religions have lots of very complicated aspects. If you want to get a feeling for the complexity of all this then this Wikipedia page could be a starting point...

GF..

I leave it to the reader to work it out for themselves. Note the following link as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism_(disambiguation)).

Enjoy.  Make yourself a cup of tea before you start on this... It's a lot to read and ....... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christening


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## franc 91

A christening can also include the idea of the family celebration that follows the religious ceremony, whereas the word baptism wouldn't. It's a bit like the nuance between a marriage ceremony and the wedding that follows - a wedding can be taken to mean a marriage ceremony, but the word wedding can also mean the family celebration with food, drinks and dancing, speeches and so on.


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## Davidvs91

sandpiperlily said:


> I disagree. The word *christ*ening is a Christian word, and is not used in secular or non-Christian contexts.


 
Sandpiper, maybe the term secular is not the best phrase. I see the word christening as applying to a larger event than just the actual baptism. for example:



> I am going to a christening this weekend. The baptism is at Saint Ann's Church, and the party is at the hall down the block.


 
In this example the christening includes the party afterwards, but still is associated with the religous rite of baptism.


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## Myridon

franc 91 said:


> A christening can also include the idea of the family celebration that follows the religious ceremony, whereas the word baptism wouldn't.


This is going to differ by country, region, and denomination.  Some people have a big party thrown for them after an adult baptism with no christening.
In my denomination and several others that I know of, there is nothing called "christening."  The ceremony where a new baby is blessed, sprinkled with water, and introduced to the church is called a dedication.  There's no party.


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## natkretep

sandpiperlily said:


> I disagree.  The word *christ*ening is a Christian word, and is not used in secular or non-Christian contexts.



Unless you use it with non-humans. You can say a house or ship or car or some object or animal has been christened XXX. Here it just means named. The objects or animals don't become Christians!


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## Kevin Beach

There was no distinction between christening and baptism originally. To "christen" somebody meant to bring them into the Christian community by way of baptism, which has always been recognised as the sacramental doorway into Christianity. The reason why christening has been confused with naming is that those being baptised were also given new "Christian" names (i.e. usually named after a recognised saint) at the same time.

Nowadays, there could be a legitimate distinction in Christian denominations that don't recognise infant baptism but still have a ceremony to welcome babies into their parents' church. In that sense, they could be said to be christened without being baptised.


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## Oeco

> I agree but there is a christian then a born again christian
> but in order to be a born again christian in has to be full immersion in the water


With all due respect SJRuks, that is what sandpiperlily and others have said. There are varieties of Christian approaches to baptism. "Believer baptism" would normally be a full immersion and an infant in that tradition would have a "dedication" as Miridon has noted.


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## Myridon

Oeco said:


> "Believer baptism" would normally be a full immersion and an infant in that tradition would have a "dedication" as Miridon has noted.


... except my denomination (and others) NEVER use immersion.  All baptisms regardless of age are the sprinkling ("wet hand applied to head") type.


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## Oeco

Thanks Myridon! I've been a Protestant minister for more than 35 years and this is new to me! Never too old... and all that.


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## manon33

natkretep said:


> Unless you use it with non-humans. *You can say a house or ship or car or some object or animal has been christened XXX*. Here it just means named. The objects or animals don't become Christians!


With respect, I don't think you do. The phrase is not 'I christen this ship/house/cow etc...' but 'I _name_ this ship...'

To 'christen' definitely has Christian religious overtones;  to 'name' does not.


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## JamesM

You might want to check these out, manon33:

UK's Queen Elizabeth christens newest Cunard liner
Tony Blair christens the party New Labour
First lady Michelle Obama christens Coast  Guard Cutter Stratton
Sondheim and Company Christen the Stephen Sondheim  Theater

GREAT Malvern's Liam Killeen enjoyed a trial run of the London 2012 mountain biking course to *christen* the Olympic venue, and now he's itching to right his Beijing wrongs at the real thing.


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## Myridon

SJRuks said:


> I know what your saying but *i think* that only believers should be baptised and because all the belivers get full immersion so if infants are sprinkled when they are grown up if they are believers they should get the full immersion


Your personal beliefs do not define the usage of the English language, nor do they decide the beliefs of over 1 billion Christians who haven't been and never will be dunked underwater yet consider themselves to have been properly baptized.


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## sandpiperlily

manon33 said:


> With respect, I don't think you do. The phrase is not 'I christen this ship/house/cow etc...' but 'I _name_ this ship...'
> 
> To 'christen' definitely has Christian religious overtones;  to 'name' does not.



The word "christen" is used in "secular contexts" (especially for ships).  Obviously the object doesn't become Christian in this process, but I agree with manon33 that the word has Christian connotations.  I doubt that a non-Christian would use the word in a secular context, because it still refers to the religious practice of dedicating a person to Christ.


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## JamesM

sandpiperlily, please see links above.


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## manon33

JamesM said:


> You might want to check this out, manon33:
> 
> UK's Queen Elizabeth christens newest Cunard liner



This source illustrates my point exactly. What HM Queen actually says (when breaking the bottle over the ship) is 'I name this ship', not 'I christen this ship'. She is Head of the Church of England (a Christian church), and we should probably accept that she knows what she's talking about. Only human beings can be christened.

It's only the blog writer who refers to it as 'christening'. In my view, its a rather sloppy use of English.


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## JamesM

You're welcome to your opinion but it is a common construction.  It is also included in several dictionary definitions:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/christen
2.
a. To name: christened the kitten "Snowball."
b. To name and dedicate ceremonially: *christen a ship.*
3. To use for the first time: christened the new car by going for a drive.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/christen

2: to name or dedicate (*as a ship*) by a ceremony suggestive of baptism 
3: name 1 
4: to use for the first time 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/christen

3. to name and dedicate: to *christen a ship*. 
4. to make use of for the first time. 

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?search=christen

2. give name to something or somebody: to give a name to something or somebody, with or without an accompanying ceremony
*christen a ship*

3. use something for first time: to use or wear something for the first time ( informal ) 
Shall we christen our new coffeepot?


This is very, very common.


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## manon33

Interesting! I would suggest that when it is used in a secular context, it is with a sense, if not of bathos  ('Shall we christen the new teapot?' appears to invest the activity with a formality/ceremoniousness out of all proportion to the significance of the event!), then of tongue-in-cheek irony: 'They christened the hamster "Albert"...,'when a hamster clearly (i) would be unaware of its name  (ii) cannot be a Christian and (iii) probably doesn't care in any case. 

I accept that in time, the word may come to lose its religious connotation, just as the word 'Christmas' has done for many users of English.


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## Myridon

manon33 said:


> It's only the blog writer ...


This is an article from a respected US national newspaper, USA Today.


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## sandpiperlily

JamesM said:


> sandpiperlily, please see links above.



Yes, the word *christen* is sometimes used in a secular context, as I acknowledge above.  But those links illustrate my other point perfectly -- they're all Christians, and in Christian-dominated countries.  A non-Christian would probably not use the word in that way, and I doubt that the word is used in that way in English-speaking countries where Christianity does not dominate.


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## manon33

Myridon said:


> This is an article from a respected US national newspaper, USA Today.



That surprises me. It contains non-standard spelling and punctuation '('roll' for 'role' and 'your majesty' in lower case, for example...). In my view, it is a poorly-written, advertising-driven travel supplement.


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## panzerfaust0

<<Moderator note: I have merged panzer's question with a previous discussion of the issue to prevent duplication.  Please read the thread from the top>>

Hello.  I encountered these two words before and I have always wondered about the exact differences between them.  I think that (correct me if I am wrong), christening is a type of baptism.  It happens when Christian parents have a new-born infant and they try to welcome him/her into the religious community by baptizing them as well as giving him/her a Christian name.  Baptism on the other hand, pertains to adults.  You can have a christening for babies but not adults.  When an adult wishes to become a Christian, he/she undergoes baptism, not christening.

Christening only happens to infants.  It also happens to inanimate objects, such as boats.

Context for "christening":  In Linda Goodman's book Sun signs, under the Libran child section, she wrote: "So quiet and calm.  So chubby and dimpled.  Surely a gracious fairy touched him with her magic kiss. I don't like to play the role of the mean old witch at the royal christening, but would you mind checking to see if he has a dimple in his chin?"

Context for "baptism":  I first encountered this word watching the cartoon show, "The Simpsons" many years ago.  Basically there was one episode where Homer and Marge were deemed to be unfit parents so that Bart and Lisa were taken from them.  They were placed under the care of the Flanders'.  One time, the Flanders family were playing a Bible game with Bart and Lisa.  Both of them did not get any of the answers right.  Ned Flander asked them, (paraphrased) "didn't you learn any of this when you were baptized?"  Then Bart answered, "we were never baptized as children."  At which point Ned Flanders fainted.


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## cwervanTes378

Are the words baptism/christening and baptise/christen interchangeable (obviously in a Christian context)?


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## rhitagawr

_Christening_ is what happens to a baby. The vicar anoints him with holy water and names him (or whatever the practice is in the particular church). 
_Baptism_ is what happens to an adult. The person is fully immersed in water. John the Baptist baptised Jesus Christ in the Bible.


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## mplsray

I'm reminded of an old story about men sitting around the stove in an old-time general store talking when the subject turns to religion, specifically baptism. A fellow just arriving is asked, "Do you believe in infant baptism?" He replies, "I sure do. I've seen it done!"

As this Wikipedia article explains, "Infant baptism is also called christening by some faith traditions."

Addition: There are extended senses of the two words in which only one of the words is allowed. For example "baptism by fire" can, among other things, refer to a soldier's first experience of battle, while "christening" can be used when naming a boat.


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## rhitagawr

The normal word, at least in BE, is _christening_ (although _infant baptism_ may be the technical or formal term in some churches). _We had a party to celebrate the christening_. ..._celebrate the infant baptism_ sounds odd.
In the Seventh Day Adventist Church - an untypical church, I agree - in which I was brought up, the minister took the baby in his arms and blessed and named it. No water was involved. This was called _christening_. When you were old enough to make up your own mind, you could be baptised, i.e. undergo full immersion. I suppose that's the reason why I make the distinction I make. I wouldn't argue with anyone whose views are different from mine. As the Wikipedia article says, practices differ from church to church.
Footnote: _Wet the baby's head_ means have a drink to celebrate the arrival of the baby.


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## Silver_Biscuit

I would definitely tend to say that babies are christened, while older people are baptised. But I would also find it more natural to specify 'adult baptism' rather than 'infant baptism', because in the Anglican church (Church of England) anyway I don't think adult baptism is a common thing. The ceremony when you're a baby is supposed to last you your whole life for the C of E, isn't it? Anyway, I say that 'I was baptised' although it happened when I was an infant. Still I would point at the picture of the event and say 'That's a photo of my christening'. I don't _think_ there was ever an option for me to get 'confirmed' or undergo any further baptism as happens in some churches, but then I never actually became a Christian in any real sense, so it's possible I may have missed something.

At any rate I would never say that an adult who had turned to Christianity after a different upbringing was 'christened'. Those people get baptised, and as far as I know, it's usually a full-body immersion affair. Possibly because, as far as I understand, an important part of the christening is the name giving, and adults already have their names.


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## Andygc

The word "baptism" encompasses considerable variation in religious practice between different Christian sects. I can't speak for all, but for Catholicism and several sects which evolved from the catholic tradition, baptism is a ritual involving the pouring or sprinkling of water and the giving of a name. Apart from in the Roman Catholic church, this form of baptism is used by the Anglican churches and Protestant churches such as the Church of Scotland and the United Reformed Church. For these churches there is no distinction between christening and baptism.The baptist churches, however, subscribe to the practice of "believer's baptism", on the premise that baptism should be a declaration of faith - something an infant cannot make. I didn't know that Seventh Day Adventists did the same. In such sects, baptism and christening have distinct meanings.


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## JustKate

cwervanTes378, I've merged your question with an existing thread on this topic. I hope the combined thread answers all your questions, but if it doesn't, you're welcome to add them here. 

JustKate
English Only moderator


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## tsoapm

I came here because I didn’t see the figurative sense of giving a name to something in the online OED, and this surprised me.

I find it odd that “infant baptism” is a controversial concept whereas “christening” (with its glaring reference to Christ, becoming part of his body through baptism cf. 1 Cor 12:13 & Gal 3:27) has become the cosy term which is fine for kids.


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## natkretep

Are you really referring to the OED? I've just looked, and here are senses 4 and 5:


> 4. _transf._ To name and dedicate (bells, ships, etc.) by a ceremony analogous to baptism.
> ...
> 5. _gen._ To name, give a name to; often with complement, to call by the name of. _colloq._


And responding to some of the earlier comments: although we talk about christening in relation to the baptism of babies, the Anglican service book only uses the term _baptise_, not _christen_.

Here, for example, is the title in the Book of Common Prayer:


> *THE MINISTRATION OF*
> *PUBLIC BAPTISM OF INFANTS*
> *TO BE USED IN THE CHURCH*


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## se16teddy

The Scrivener said:


> Baptism is a Christian ceremony


Not sure about this - John the Baptist was doing it before Christianity was invented.


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## Andygc

tsoapm said:


> I find it odd that “infant baptism” is a controversial concept


Any controversy has nothing to do with the meanings of words. That can only be a cultural matter, which seems to me to fall outside the scope of a language forum.


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## tsoapm

natkretep said:


> Are you really referring to the OED?


Yes and no: I was only referring the online OED. I said, but it’s an easy detail to miss.


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## Andygc

tsoapm said:


> Yes and no: I was only referring the online OED. I said, but it’s an easy detail to miss.


That is not the online OED, it's the Oxford Dictionaries online website. It's based on the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, which is not the online OED - a subscription-only service giving access to the complete OED and its supplements - www.oed.com

PS. for the figurative use, search for "christen", not "christening".


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## tsoapm

I see, thank you. I actually have the Shorter as a software application (albeit a very old one) and I find it still differs considerably from the Oxford Dictionaries site.

P.S. I’m not sure I agree with you about the relevance of the interplay of controversy, word meanings and culture. But arguing about it would definitely fall outside the scope of the forum.


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