Media malpractice, baptismal renewal edition

Research into the sacramental practices of various Christian traditions is not a strong suit of secular journalists reporting on persons, places, and things religious. The consequences of such negligence are often laughable when they appear in print. Consider this headline from a story in the New York Daily News about Archbishop Timothy Dolan's pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Dolan gets a holy dip on holy trip 

Rebaptized in River Jordan

Yes, headline writers have been known to mischaracterize the actual content of a story. In this case, however, the opening paragraph only digs a deeper hole for the entire Daily News editorial department.

JERUSALEM — Archbishop Dolan followed in the footsteps of John the Baptist Sunday and was rebaptized in the River Jordan during the last stop on his Holy Land pilgrimage.

As Mollie Hemingway points out, the ignorance exhibited here is beyond any reasonable explanation. Rebaptism is a novel practice introduced by the Anabaptists in the 16th century. No major branch of the Christian Church -- be it Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant -- has ever recognized it as legitimate. Whether you are a Catholic, an Anglican, or a Methodist, baptism is a once in a lifetime, unrepeatable event. A Roman Catholic archbishop, of all people, would certainly know this.

What actually happened at the River Jordan?

“We renewed our baptismal vows at the River Jordan,” Dolan said.

There you have it. ++Dolan and his entourage renewed their baptismal vows. That is a relatively common practice in Christian churches, usually taking place annually during Easter Vigil. It may involve a little sprinkling of water -- flung into the midst of the congregation from palm branches in some of the more liturgical churches -- but nothing remotely approaching a "holy dip," a la full immersion.