It Takes a Church to Baptize - Softcover

Scot McKnight

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1587434164 ISBN 13: 9781587434167

Publisher: Brazos Press, 2018

Synopsis

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. The book includes a foreword by Todd Hunter and an afterword by Gerald McDermott.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"McKnight has given the church an enduring gift"

"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

About the Author

Scot McKnight (PhD, University of Nottingham), a world-renowned scholar, writer, and speaker, is Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois. His blog, Jesus Creed, is one of the most popular and influential evangelical blogs. McKnight is the author or editor of more than sixty books, including Adam and the Genome, Kingdom Conspiracy, The Jesus Creed, The Blue Parakeet, The King Jesus Gospel, and The Apostle Paul and the Christian Life. He is also a canon theologian for the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others.

About this edition

• Publisher: Brazos Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1587434164
• ISBN 13: 9781587434167
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144