Sunday School Reading - June 7, 2009

Here is the recommended reading from this week's Sunday School. This week we covered the mode, subjects, and efficacy of baptism. As I promised last week, here are all the recommendations on baptism.

First, here is where baptism is addressed in the Reformed and Presbyterian confesssions:

• Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 28 - I would recommend reading this chapter carefully, it is very helpful.
• Westminster Larger Catechism, Q&A 165-167
• Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q&A 94-95
• Belgic Confession, Article 34
• Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 69-74 - I think that you'll find the personal language in this catechism about this subject very comforting and helpful.

Second, here are some recommended books that deal with Christian baptism:

• Christian Baptism by John Murray - I firmly believe that this remains the best book out there on baptism and our discussion closely followed Murray's. This book will be most rewarding if you read it with his article, The Covenant of Grace, which is also available on the Shady Grove book table for $2 and free online. The book on baptism also only $6 from WTS Books!
• The Biblical Doctrine of Infant Baptism by Pierre Marcel - Marcel was a French pastor who only has a few of his works translated into English. This is a helpful book and is available in the church library.
• By Oath Consigned by Meredith Kline - You may be able to find this book electronically but I do not think that it is in print any longer. It is helpful because Kline focuses on the covenantal meaning of baptism. While I sometimes think that Kline stretches in drawing his conclusions (in his broader writings though not so much in this book) his exegesis is very helpful. The book is available in the church library.
• The Case for Covenantal Infant Baptism ed. by Gregg Strawbridge - While I do not think that this book is as helpful as some of the others because it has so many essays it covers more aspects of baptism from different angles and so helps to answer a lot of different questions and objections.
• Christic Baptism and Patristic Baptism: An Inquiry into the Meaning of the Word by James Dale - While I think that the books by Murray and edited by Strawbridge in particular will be sufficient to tear down the argument that baptism must be by immersion if there are still questions then this is the definitive study on the meaning of the word in Greek.

Third, here are the sections of Presbyterian and Reformed systematic theologies that interact with baptism:

• Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - Calvin addresses baptism in chapters 15-16 of Book 4.
• Reformed Dogmatics by Herman Bavinck - Bavinck writes on baptism in chapter 10 of volume 4, Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation.
• Systematic Theology by Charles Hodge - Hodge covers baptism in sections 7-14 of Chapter 20 in Volume 3 (available as a .pdf at the link provided)
• Outlines of Theology by A.A. Hodge - Baptism is covered in chapter 39 (available free at the link provided)
• Systematic Theology by R.L. Dabney - Dabney's treatment of baptism is in Chapter 40 (available free at the link provided)
• Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof - Berkhof interacts with Christian baptism in Chapter 4 under his section on the means of grace. This is available in the church library.

Finally, here are some free essays and articles that you can read online about baptism:

• "Why We Baptize Infants" by John Murray
• "The Children in the Hands of the Arminians" by B.B. Warfield - While this article is a polemic against Charles Rishell it is helpful because it shows how general doctrines of soteriology impact how we would consistently teach and raise children.
• "Christian Baptism" by B.B. Warfield
• "The Development of the Doctrine of Infant Salvation" by B.B. Warfield - Again, this shows the implications of our soteriology on baptism.
• "The Polemics of Infant Baptism" by B.B. Warfield
• "A Contemporary Reformed Defense of Infant Baptism" by R. Scott Clark
• "The Prevalence and Theology of Infant Baptism in the First Four Centuries, East and West" by Greg Johnson
• "Infant Baptism" by John Calvin
• "Of Infant Baptism" by John Owen
• "Baptism as a Sacrament of the Covenant" by Richard Pratt - A very helpful article.
• "Oath and Ordeal Signs" (Part 1, Part 2) by Meredith Kline
• "God's Grandchildren: The Biblical Basis for Infant Baptism" by Michael Horton
• "Infant Baptism Optional?" by D.G. Hart and John Muether
• "Baptism: It's Meaning and Purpose" by Greg Bahnsen
• "Cross Examination: Infant Baptism" by Greg Bahnsen
• "The Biblical Doctrine of Infant Baptism" by Pierre Marcel - This is a large excerpt/summary from the book mentioned above.
• "The Subjects of Baptism" by Wilhelmus a'Brakel
• "Baptism" by William Ames
• "Is Infant Baptism Scriptural?" by John Murray