Scot McKight's book it takes a church to baptize, unpacks the issues of baptism that have divided Protestant Christianity. McKnight a lecturer at a Baptist Seminary, and an ordained Anglican explores how infant baptism is theological, biblical, historical and personal. He answers many questions people have about Infant baptism in this book, It takes a church to baptize.
This book will be helpful in responding to people who struggle with Infant Baptism.
About the book
The issue of baptism has troubled Protestants for centuries. Should infants be baptized before their faith is conscious, or does God command the baptism of babies whose parents have been baptized?
Popular New Testament scholar Scot McKnight makes a biblical case for infant baptism, exploring its history, meaning, and practice and showing that infant baptism is the most historic Christian way of forming children into the faith. He explains that the church's practice of infant baptism developed straight from the Bible and argues that it must begin with the family and then extend to the church. Baptism is not just an individual profession of faith: it takes a family and a church community to nurture a child into faith over time.McKnight explains infant baptism for readers coming from a tradition that baptizes adults only, and he counters criticisms that fail to consider the role of families in the formation of faith.
Editorial Reviews
"As someone who grew up Baptist and has wrestled deeply with questions about infant baptism, I wish I could have read this book years ago. McKnight has given the church an enduring gift--a book that is theologically rich, serious, and steeped in tradition yet accessible and readable. As a mother of young children and as a priest, I will put this book in the hands of many a friend and parishioner. If you are a parent deciding whether to baptize infant children, this book is essential reading."
--Tish Harrison Warren, priest in the ACNA, co-associate rector (Church of the Ascension Pittsburgh), and author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life
"Able, strong, wise, and biblically and theologically rich. There are a great number of confusions and misunderstandings about infant baptism that Scot thoughtfully clarifies. So even if you don't end up being convinced, you will know why people like Scot (and me) think it is a practice essential for proper Christian discipleship."
--Mark Galli, editor in chief, Christianity Today
"A cogent apology for the sacrament of infant baptism. McKnight, a New Testament scholar, writes in a comfortable and non-academic style that his readers will surely appreciate."
--Kathryn Greene-McCreight, Episcopal priest and author of Darkness Is My Only Companion: A Christian Response to Mental Illness
"McKnight provides a controversial though ultimately compelling case for infant baptism. It is not just the who and how of baptism that he tackles; the genius of this book is that McKnight elegantly explains what baptism is even about, what it means, what it does for the recipient, and why it really does take a church to baptize a child. This book could change your whole view of conversion, faith, family, children's ministry, and the church!"
--Michael F. Bird, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia
"The most compelling case for infant baptism available today. Not content to sprinkle with prooftexts, McKnight immerses his reader in the biblical, historical, and sacramental theology of this ancient Christian practice, and seals it with a testimony of how his mind was changed."
--Joel Scandrett, Robert E. Webber Center, Trinity School for Ministry
--Tish Harrison Warren, priest in the ACNA, co-associate rector (Church of the Ascension Pittsburgh), and author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life
"Able, strong, wise, and biblically and theologically rich. There are a great number of confusions and misunderstandings about infant baptism that Scot thoughtfully clarifies. So even if you don't end up being convinced, you will know why people like Scot (and me) think it is a practice essential for proper Christian discipleship."
--Mark Galli, editor in chief, Christianity Today
"A cogent apology for the sacrament of infant baptism. McKnight, a New Testament scholar, writes in a comfortable and non-academic style that his readers will surely appreciate."
--Kathryn Greene-McCreight, Episcopal priest and author of Darkness Is My Only Companion: A Christian Response to Mental Illness
"McKnight provides a controversial though ultimately compelling case for infant baptism. It is not just the who and how of baptism that he tackles; the genius of this book is that McKnight elegantly explains what baptism is even about, what it means, what it does for the recipient, and why it really does take a church to baptize a child. This book could change your whole view of conversion, faith, family, children's ministry, and the church!"
--Michael F. Bird, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia
"The most compelling case for infant baptism available today. Not content to sprinkle with prooftexts, McKnight immerses his reader in the biblical, historical, and sacramental theology of this ancient Christian practice, and seals it with a testimony of how his mind was changed."
--Joel Scandrett, Robert E. Webber Center, Trinity School for Ministry
