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| Baptism Today |
Understanding, Practice, Ecumenical Implications
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| Thomas F. Best, Editor |
Paperback
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Our common belonging to Christ through baptism creates a bond that transcends the historic and theological differences among the churches; and the mutual recognition of baptism has emerged as a cornerstone of the modern ecumenical movement. Yet significant differences—some threatening the search for the unity of the Church—remain.
This book explores the significance of baptism for the churches, and the ecumenical movement, today. Descriptive articles explain the understanding and practice of baptism within a wide range of Christian churches and confessions; these are complemented by baptismal liturgies from many churches, examples of mutual recognition agreements, and reflections on topics such as the role of baptism in increasingly secularized societies. The volume is enhanced by survey articles by prominent liturgists, reviewing the current opportunities—and challenges—facing the churches in the area of baptism.
This book will be an important resource for all who wish to explore the understanding and practice of baptism, and its role in the life of the churches and of the ecumenical movement today.
Rev. Dr. Thomas F. Best, editor of this volume, is a pastor of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and retired as Director of Faith and Order, World Council of Churches, in November 2007.
"Any study of baptism today would benefit from this series of essays, whether the study takes place in a seminary or a congregation’s adult study group."
-Trinity Seminary Review
". . . [this book] will greatly advance the cause of ecumenism."
-Theological Studies
"This book is a helpful resource . . . especially as the Church struggles to be missional in a post-modern world."
-The Living Church
"The twenty-five years since the publication of the convergence text, Baptism, Eucharist, Ministry (BEM) has seen a rich profusion of research, deepened mutual understanding among the churches, formal response and reception, and concrete steps to give form to the unity we seek in these three dimensions of church life and teaching. This volume is a significant contribution to and compilation of this process as it touches the theology and practice of baptism. It is an important reference and useful text for appropriate classes."
-Worship
"Great book! . . . The research by the World Council of Churches that this book represents is needed and must be celebrated. But the actual understanding of the people must be surveyed and wrestled with. We look forward to the joining of this research when it is done with that presented in this book. Hopefully the combination will lead to a deeper sense of togetherness in the Spirit."
-Catholic Books Review
"This is a significant resource of materials and belongs in the hands of anyone involved in ecumenical dialogue on baptism and needs to be available to professors and students of liturgy."
-Liturgical Ministry
"This is a wonderful book for any person interested in understanding where the Churches and the global society are today on baptism. At the same time, it challenges our mind presenting the agreements and distance among the Churches in this crucial issue of our faith. I think it is the most important contribution of the last decade for those who work in a pastoral level and an unavoidable tool for research and teaching."
-Dr. Pablo R. Andiñach, Instituto Universitario ISEDET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
"In the years since the publication of the Faith and Order document Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, ecumenical discussions have come to include significant attention to the actual liturgical practice of baptism and the actual significance of that practice for the lives of Christian believers and for the unity of the church. Time and again, at the heart of such discussion has been the gracious and insightful leadership of Thomas F. Best. Now those discussions and that leadership come together in this excellent collection of liturgies, commentaries, survey articles, ecumenical agreements, and careful articulations of the many remaining challenges. The result is a book that cannot be ignored by anyone interested in thinking about Christian baptism in the present time."
-Gordon W. Lathrop, Charles A. Schieren Professor of Liturgy Emeritus, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
Publication Date:
September 2008
Format:
Paperback
Specifics: 464 pp., 6 x 9
ISBN: 978-0-8146-6221-2
Rights: North America
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