Baptism: Considered in Relation to Its Mode and Subjects

Publisher Marketing: The Church has been divided with respect to many doctrines over the previous 500 years since the Protestant Reformation but one of the greatest divisions centers around the doctrine of baptism-its mode and its subjects. There are those that dogmatically insist that the word "baptizo" and its cognates as found in Scripture means "to immerse" and nothing more. Given this view they must conclude that to be properly baptized, as God commands, then a person must be baptized by immersion-and only by immersion, into the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Are they correct though? Since the majority of those that hold to Reformation theology, hold to a differing view of baptism-namely, that baptism should be applied by sprinkling or pouring-the Church of Christ remains at odds. And who should be baptized? Only those that are old enough to credibly profess their personal faith in Christ-or as the Paedobaptist believes, their children born into the covenant home? In this classic work, Archibald Burgess deftly tackles the issues with compelling logic and Scriptural support. Although unabashedly Paedobaptistic, Burgess writes in an irenic tone that makes this a valuable addition to the libraries of all Christians regardless of where you currently fall out on this issue. Every Christian must wrestle with this matter and come to his or her own settled conviction. This approachable volume is an excellent basis for studying this important doctrine as it deals with the original language but not so deeply as to confuse the layman. Whether Baptist or Paedobaptist, everyone will benefit from exploring the Scriptures along with Burgess as you study the doctrines of Christian Baptism. Contributor Bio:  Rotolo, Michael Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703 - March 22, 1758) was a preacher, theologian, and missionary to Native Americans. Edwards is widely acknowledged to be America's most important and original philosophical theo- logian, and one of America's greatest intellectuals. Edwards's theological work is very broad in scope, but he is often associated with his defense of Reformed Theology, the metaphysics of theological determinism, and the Puritan heritage. Recent studies have emphasized how thoroughly Edwards grounded his life's work on conceptions of beauty, harmony, and ethical fittingness, and how central The Enlightenment was to his mindset. Edwards played a critical role in shaping the First Great Awakening, and oversaw some of the first fires of revival in 1733-1735 at his church in Northampton, Massachusetts. Edwards's sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, is considered a classic of early American literature, which he delivered during another wave of revival in 1741, following George Whitefield's tour of the Thirteen Colonies. Edwards is widely known for his many books: The End For Which God Created the World; The Life of David Brainerd, which served to inspire thousands of missionaries throughout the nineteenth century; and Religious Affections, which many Reformed Evangelicals read even today. Edwards died from a smallpox inoculation shortly after beginning the presidency at the College of New Jersey (later to be named Princeton University), and was the grandfather of Aaron Burr.