The Shape Of Baptism

After revealing the genesis of the Roman tradition of initiation, Kavanagh moves on to the tensions between traditional practice and the need for change. He stresses the Church's ongoing need to focus its efforts on its main concern - the initiation of new members.

Most Christians would say that baptism is the one sacrament Christians of all denominations share, that it is the source of ecumenical unity among all Christian churches. But how true is that? Is there really one baptism," as we profess in the Nicene Creed? If we disagree about what baptism does, can we really say that baptism unites us? To address this central question Susan Wood brings together the history and theology of baptism (systematic, sacramental, and liturgical), focusing especially on the divergent paths taken in the understanding of the sacrament since the Reformation. Founded not only in her study of theology but also in her years of participation in ecumenical dialogues, her perspective will illuminate this problem for readers and point the way toward deeper understanding.

Connecting with Baptism is a comprehensive and accessible companion resource to help clergy and lay leaders unpack Christian initiation pastorally, practically and theologically. In a down-to-earth and stimulating way it provides an enormous amount of practical help, background information and suggestions for clergy and lay leaders involved in taking policy decisions, providing pastoral care and using the initiation services. Written from a wealth of pastoral and liturgical experience, it covers the whole scope of Christian initiation, including baptism and confirmation. Topics covered include: Infant baptism Connecting initiation with mission and evangelism The role of godparents Preparing adults for Christian initiation Helping those who are baptized or confirmed to grow in faith Christian initiation in Fresh Expressions of church The guide includes real-life stories, discussion starters and helpful cross-references to other sections in the text and the Bible.

The celebration of the sacrament of baptism underwent a major change in the years after the Second Vatican Council (1962 '65). The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults was revised to take into account the situation of the contemporary world by incorporating insights from the earliest centuries of the Church. The Rite of Baptism for Children was renewed to take into account the role of parents and godparents in a more direct way. These two situations 'the initiation of adults who profess their own faith and the baptism of children whose faith is professed for them 'are the object of this book. The symbols and actions of the rites together with the words of Scripture and prayer are explored to answer the question: How do these celebrations reveal a theology of initiation and baptism for today's Catholic community? Michal G. Witczak, SLD, is a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and an assistant professor in liturgical studies at The Catholic University of America. His writings have appeared in Theological Studies, Ecclesia Orans, and Liturgical Ministry.

What does a common baptism mean for the unity of the churches? Do the churches in fact share in a common baptism? This volume is the first comprehensive study of the meaning of baptism for church unity to be written by an ecumenical group of theologians -- Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Baptist. These essays explore such themes as how baptism relates to the communion shared by the churches and the relationship of baptism and church unity as found in the New Testament, in the ecumenical dialogues, and in the liturgies of the churches.

Where is Jesus Christ? This fundamental question is the starting point of this book, which investigates the shape of Christian life and ministry in a post-Christendom context. Over the last decades there has been a shift in much of Western theology towards focusing on Christian practices in ministry and theological education. This may be seen as a way to deal with theological anxiety in an era of heightened personal autonomy. In Practicing Baptism Bard Norheim critically analyzes the engagement in Christian practices. As a response to this engagement Norheim develops a missional and diaconal theology for ministry, focusing on the presence of Christ in Christian practices. Fundamentally, this is an attempt to answer a pressing question for today: What do Christians do? Norheim draws on Martin Luther's theology and his notion of the three modes of Christ's presence, the present tense of baptism, and Luther's idea of the marks of the church. Based on this reading of Luther's theology, Norheim suggests that Christian life and ministry could be interpreted through the concept practicing baptism.

Essay from the year 2008 in the subject Theology - Systematic Theology, grade: 1, Durham University, course: Theology BA, language: English, abstract: Traditional sacramental models have understood that Christian initiation is undertaken through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist, and is only fully complete after the conferral of all three sacramental actions. However, since the Reformation, and particularly over the last century, there has been a movement towards a baptismal ecclesiology which suggests that baptism, in and of itself, represents full initiation into the Church and the Christian faith. This essay will analyse the role of baptism in Christian initiation, and suggest liturgical implications for understanding baptism as fully initiatory into the Christian Church.

A comprehensive survey of the doctrine and practice of baptism in the first five centuries of Christian history, arranged geographically within chronological periods.