Significant Ritual Elements of The Sarum Rite for the Korean Methodist Church

The Sarum Rite (The SR) not only facilitates sacred objects such as salt, saliva, oil, a white cloth, and a burning candle but also bodily ritual actions such as “eating salt,” “spiting and touching with saliva,” “wearing a white cloth,” and “dipping the baptizand’s head/body into water and turning their head/body to the side of south, east, and north by turns in the water.” As for The SR, sacred objects and bodily ritual actions play a significant role in helping candidates actively participate in their baptismal rite. With regard to the baptism of the Korean Methodist Church (the KMC), The Korean Methodist New Book of Worship (The KMBW) rarely applies sacred objects and bodily ritual actions. This impoverished use of sacred objects and moderate ritual actions might not help the candidate actively participate in his or her baptismal rite. As a result, this passive participation of the baptizand might make his or her baptism a perfunctory ritual. Hence, the KMC needs to consider applying for sacred objects and bodily ritual actions. The KMC can learn significant ritual elements in terms of theological and liturgical aspects from The SR. The KMC does not need to follow the sacred objects and bodily ritual actions The SR uses. The KMC can develop any sacred objects and bodily ritual actions based on their sociocultural context for their baptism. The KMC can dynamically partake in their baptismal rite and make their baptism a more powerful, meaningful, and graceful ritual through using sacred objects and bodily ritual actions.