Troubled Waters: A Fresh Look At Baptism And Why We Argue

Baptism is an issue that has long divided the Christian church, and in spite of 400 years of discussion, it is an argument that has not made much progress. Some churches baptise infants claiming that the covenants have always been for us and our children; other churches limit baptism to believing adults only and accuse paedobaptists virtually of denying the gospel. Yet when arguing the details, each camp discusses the same biblical data, but without seemingly being able to hear each other. The major reason for this lies in the fact that even Bible-believing Christians on either side base their beliefs about baptism upon at least two foundational doctrines that rarely if ever are discussed: our beliefs about the covenants, and our beliefs about the nature of the church. Because we differ on these matters, our beliefs about baptism—and our discussion of the usual baptismal scriptures—are incompatible with the other camp’s foundations. Using biblical evidence that is not usually associated with baptism, this book examines those foundations, showing how correcting our foundations and challenging our assumptions can suggest a fresh solution to the problem of baptism. It may even provide a way forward to settle the baptism debate once and for all.

Jordan Pickering is a lecturer in Old Testament Biblical Studies at George Whitefield College in Cape Town, South Africa.