Can a Baptist Baptism Be Declared "Non Authentic"? (Updated)

I am a former Southern Baptist and I swear I never have heard this. I guess perhaps I can see a "Primitive" Baptist say this since from conversations with them it would align up with their theology. But other Baptist bodies?

A interesting quote in a story that deals with the latest atheist silliness via Get Religion. See But I don’t wanna be a Christian!


Atheist Gary Mueller recently mailed his de-baptism certificate to St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Concord, Calif., and asked to be dropped from its baptismal record. The church told him, in effect, that he was all wet.

“While we do not remove a name/person from a Baptism register, we can note alongside your name that ‘you have left the Roman Catholic Church,’ ” the Rev. Richard Mangini replied in an e-mail. “I hope that God surprises you one day and lets you know that He is quite well.”

In Christian theology, baptism can’t be undone. If a Southern Baptist renounces his or her baptism, then that person is usually presumed to have never received an authentic baptism in the first place, according to Nathan Finn, assistant professor of Baptist studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C.

For mainline Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christians, baptism is commonly understood as a sign or means of grace and a covenant that God maintains even when humans turn away, said Laurence Stookey, professor emeritus of preaching and worship at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington. He said “de-baptizers” misunderstand baptism when they caricature it as an attempt at magic.

So my extension does that mean if a Baptist is now unsaved because his "born again" experience is now deemed "un authentic"? If so is that sort of a departure of the person in the Baptist pews understands it and in fact has been taught? How can a Baptism be decalred "un authentic", which is a weird way of stating it, and not the whole saving process?

Update- I also see where I might have got tripped up. When I was a Southern Baptist there was not the Calvinist influence we see today in certain quarters. So the Southern Baptist atmosphere I was raised in has changed to a degree or there is a war over the ideas now

For instance I was taught- If you get saved nothing can take that away. Nothing!! You can be like Hitler in later years and still get to Heaven.

In I suppose the now emerging Calvinist view such a declaration does not show you were part of the "elect" in the first place. I suspect this Prof is a Calvinist Southern Baptist.

Update II- Question? If a Baptist came back after his former statement of Apostacy would his Baptism be deemed authentic again or would he have to be rebaptized. I can never recall dealing as a former Baptist with "Apostates" and I certaintly don't recall even fallen away people now back again that have made the "altar call" being re baptized. At least at my little ole Church