In the Name of Our Lord

Description

Christians divide on how one enters the church body. Matters are quickly complicated once other factors are considered, such as faith, instruction, baptism, first Communion, and formal membership. Who should be baptized? What role does instruction play? And what is the best sequence for these things? Jonathan D. Watson’s In the Name of Our Lord provides an explanatory typology and incisive analysis for thinking through these interrelated questions. Watson’s four-model framework accounts for the major historical varieties of relationship between baptism and catechesis as rites of initiation into the church. With this framework in place, Watson then considers each model in relation to the others. With a guide to navigating the terrain, readers can comprehend, compare, and contrast the different theological formulations of these practices. Readers will have a sophisticated but clear system for thinking through foundational matters that are important to every pastor and congregant.