Thus James Brownson’s work, The Promise of Baptism, is a welcome and much needed contribution. Brownson, who is Professor of New Testament at Western Theological Seminary, offers a broad overview of the meaning of baptism that draws widely on the biblical literature.
The book is divided into thirty brief chapters that explore basic questions, core meanings, areas of disagreement, and pastoral decisions about baptism. Along the way, Brownson unfolds a vast array of scriptural citations to buttress the portrait of baptism that is laid out in the book. The breadth of the biblical citations provides an impressive foundation for the arguments that Brownson lays out about the centrality of baptism within the Reformed tradition. The work includes a spirited and lengthy defense of infant baptism. Pastoral questions that shape the conversation in many of the chapters give a practical tone to the presentation. The closing discussion of life after baptism and the importance of the on-going nature of baptismal discipleship is particularly noteworthy. Summary statements and discussion questions at the end of each chapter make it helpful for adult Sunday School classes to use as part of their study of baptismal practice.
Some concerns regarding the book’s approach to baptism need to be mentioned. First, it is worth noting that from the opening pages, the author refers to his aim of expressing the “essentials of the doctrine” of baptism in ways that are readily understandable to the reader. This expression is in itself a clue to Brownson’s own commitment to the primacy of doctrinal claims when it comes to baptism. While there is discussion about Christian practices, the act of baptism and a careful interpretation of the language of baptismal rites are largely over-looked. In contrast to Brownson’s approach that begins with doctrinal assumptions about baptism, Karen Spierling’s stunning work on Infant Baptism in Reformation Geneva provides an excellent example of another approach that starts with a careful study of baptismal practice. Additionally, the exegesis of Scripture often appears to be used to buttress doctrinal claims that seem to be assumed by the author.
A second related concern is that while the book wants to make matters clear to those who are entering the Christian faith, the promises of baptism are articulated in language that is available only to those who are already deeply inside the church. It is hard to imagine someone outside the church or on the threshold of congregational life reading this book as a starting place. Instead, the work is primarily aimed at catechizing those already firmly committed to the faith and work of the church. If the primary audience is those already in the pews, then it seems particularly crucial that the ecumenical recovery of a period of baptismal preparation that includes formation for baptismal living (known as the catechumenate) receive prominent attention.
Brownson’s brief conclusion about the importance of the baptismal life as a life of discipleship would be greatly strengthened by building on the on-go-
ing work of the catechumenate. By building on this foundation, the book could find a more natural audience as it seeks to catechize those in the pews to a larger and fuller view of baptismal life and discipleship. Finally, it is surprising that the notions of family articulated in the book remain grounded in images of family that is defined by blood relationships. Calvin and others certainly emphasized the critical role of family/kinship and its responsibility for growth in living out the covenant relationship that is grounded in baptism. However, the act of baptism as that which places us in God’s new family that is defined by water goes unexplored.
Still the book remains an important and much needed contribution, especially given the dearth of recent literature on baptism. Reading the book alongside “Invitation to Christ,” the recent report of the Presbyterian Church’s Sacrament Study Task Force, provides readers an opportunity for a helpful examination of practices in one’s own congregation. As congregations work towards recovering a rich and full baptismal theology that is appropriate in these days of post-Christendom, baptismal resources are vital for pastors, lay leaders, and congregations that seek renewal rooted in the Reformed commitment to the centrality of Word and Sacrament.
Paul Galbreath is associate professor of preaching and worship at Union-PSCE, Richmond, Va.
