A few thoughts on my latest read – not too many words, I promise!

9. Believer’s Baptism edited by Schreiner & Wright. My studies on baptism continue. I found this book recommended as one of the best recent resources on believer’s baptism (or what some prefer to call “confessor’s baptism”) and it did indeed fit the bill. A very solid and comprehensive work, even if the format – each chapter by a different author – did make for a bit of a disjointed reading experience at times. And there were a few chapters which I felt didn’t add much, specifically the chapter on the Stone-Campbell restorationist movement at the end. But there were a few chapters in this one which were indeed well worth the price of admission, namely the middle chapters. Wellum writes a fantastic chapter looking at reformed theology and exploring how the logic of the covenant of grace carries over into a theology of baptism. Also was much interested in and benefited by the two historical chapters, one looking at the writings of the early church on baptism, the other being an exploration of baptism following the Reformation, leading up to the Anabaptist movement. I find it very helpful to more fully grasp the arguments around baptism when one more properly understands the historical progression, and these chapters were very helpful in that regard. Being one who is particularly interested in comparing the classic Reformed view of baptism vs the Baptist view, I appreciated that Wellum fully explored the logic and underpinnings of Reformed theology and how that necessarily results in a theology of baptism that is a bit different than what may be seen in early church and modern Baptist practice.

I fully admit my biases in that I’ve long believed in what some would call Baptist theology, baptism being a sign and proclamation of a reality that has already taken place. This places me full on one end of the spectrum, very much gazing off into the distance towards the Catholic/Lutheran/Reformed camps as I sit with my Baptist brethren. I came to this book predisposed to believe what it sought to prove but I did also hope that it would be a work that was intellectually honest and forthright in both the view it put forth and the views it argued against. I did not find anything in this book to budge my view down the spectrum and if anything, I found my support for believer’s baptism strengthened. While I don’t believe baptism is a first-order issue (few in the Christian world would), I do believe it’s an important issue and one that is sadly neglected too often these days. When we consider that one of the primary commands of the Lord given to his disciples was to go forth and make disciples and “baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”, how critical is it that we have a proper understanding of what baptism actually means and entails? I would argue – quite. I also much enjoyed Dever’s chapter at the end laying forth some practical advice and guidance as to how baptism ought be practiced in the modern church, answering some possible questions/dilemmas and being clear as to the function of baptism in our modern day.

I don’t think this book was perfect but I do believe it was a worthwhile read. If anyone would like to discuss this issue with me further, let me know and I’d love to have that chat over a coffee. I have many brothers and sisters who differ with me on this and I love them none the less for that.