"The perfect guidebook for curious parents, enthusiastic newcomers, and confused cradle Catholics. Frankly, this is the best book on baptism I've ever read." --James Martin, S.J. author of the New York Times Bestseller, "The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything"
Baptism is the beginning of one's life in the community of the church, and the "gateway" to the rest of the sacraments.
- Isn't it better to get baptized when you're older, and can understand what you're doing?
- Does my baby have to be baptized immediately?
- Will my child go to hell, limbo or purgatory if--God forbid--he or she dies before baptism?
- Why are so many baptisms done during the Mass these days?
- What's the role of the godparents? Do they have to be Catholics? Christians? Believers?
These are questions from good Catholics that deserve good answers. If people remain confused about baptism, they will be confused about the sacramental life of the church, and, by extension, their faith.
"Thomas Scirghi has written a fine book on baptism for the 21st century church. Rooted deeply in Scripture, the authoritative teaching of the Catholic Church, and the living tradition of sacramental practice, Scirghi's book is laced with literary, cultural, and everyday examples that allow readers to grasp (or grasp anew) the continuing significance of baptism in the life of the Church and in their own lives." -Timothy Brunk, Assistant Professor of Theology, Villanova University
"From the foreword by James Martin, SJ:
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Frankly, this is the best book on baptism I've ever read. It's wise without being overly academic; inviting without being overly informal; and concise without being slapdash. Fr.
Scirghi, a distinguished scholar, compassionate pastor, and popular teacher at Fordham University, is the perfect guide to the history, theology, and application of the sacrament.
Father Scirghi's book could easily become a standard introduction to the sacrament, and is the perfect guidebook for curious parents, enthusiastic newcomers, and confused cradle Catholics. After reading it, you'll understand why we invite parents to have their children baptized, and also why we baptize adults at the Easter Vigil Mass. You'll know the significance of the oil (and the candle) in the rite. And the next time you see a priest or deacon pour water over a child's head and pronounce the ancient baptismal formula, you'll have a richer appreciation for his words and his actions.

Taking Hugh of St. Victor's magisterial 'On the Sacraments of the Christian Faith' as his source text, Dillard applies the methods of analytic philosophy to develop a systematic theology in the spirit of Christian Platonism. The themes examined include the existence of God, creation ex nihilo, modality and causality, divine immutability and eternity, divine exemplarity, sin, dualism, personhood, evil, ecclesiology, and resurrection, and beatitude.

Balthasar Hubmaier remains one of the most significant figures in the radical reformation of the sixteenth century. A Pledge of Love is close and thorough examination of Hubmaiers view of the sacraments within the context of worship. This ground-breaking work examines the distinctive theology of this important Anabaptist and his possible influence upon others.

These important and incisive essays, spanning more than two decades of research and engagement, probe facets and episodes of infant baptisms' fortunes over twenty centuries. The story of paedo baptism is traced from its shadowy beginnings as a variant of faith-baptism, through inflated Reformation defenses as it monopolized baptismal thought and practice, to biblical and ecumenical reevaluations and hopeful contemporary rapprochements across divisive waters.

For most Christians, marriage is considered a sacrament, created and uniquely blessed by God. Yet, the theology of marriage rarely matches the actual experience. Marriage is too often a violent, loveless institution-and it is increasingly delayed, avoided, or terminated.

Marriage After Modernity offers new hope for Christian marriage at a time of unprecedented social and theological change. It provides an unreserved commendation of Christian marriage, reaffirming its status as a sacrament and institution of mutual self-giving. At the same time, it breaks new ground. It draws on earlier traditions of betrothal and informal marriage to accept some forms of pre-marital cohabitation and provides a new defense of the link between marriage and procreation by sketching a theology of liberation for children. Chapters shed new light on divorce and legitimate theological grounds for 'the parting of the ways, ' contraception, and the question of whether marriage is a heterosexual institution. Particular attention is paid throughout the book to overcoming the androcentric bias of much Christian thought and the distorting effect it has had on marriage.

Marriage After Modernity argues for a vision of marriage which does not abandon its history, and which draws upon its premodern roots to grapple with our current social, cultural, and intellectual upheavals.

The question of the meaning and significance of baptism is explored from a number of different perspectives in this volume. Inspired by the honoree of this volume and his important work on the subject, the contributors approach baptism from biblical, historical, theological and practical perspectives. Some of the essays re-examine the well-known biblical texts, feeling free to probe their implications. Others tease out the implications of the concept of baptism in a variety of contexts, both ancient and modern. Contributors include Joel Green, Geoffrey Bromiley, Larry Kreitzer, John Nolland, Ramsey Michaels and J.D.G. Dunn.>

'This resource provides careful teaching in the very best traditions of SPCK. It is both detailed and readable, and provides a comprehensive introduction to the Christian faith as lived out through the Church. I commend it to all those seeking to establish deep foundations on which to build their faith.' John Sentamu, Archbishop of York 'One of the joys of being a bishop is to preside at a confirmation. The joy is greater when the candidates have been well prepared and are full of expectancy and a desire to grow in faith. Faith Confirmed will help produce confirmands like that. It is a wonderful resource. ' Michael Perham, Bishop of Gloucester and President of Affirming Catholicism Faith Confirmed is an introduction to what Anglican Christians believe. It is written for those preparing for confirmation in the Anglican Church and for all those who want to know more about the essentials of the Christian faith. This revised edition has been completely updated for the twenty-first century.

Based on a constructive reading of Scripture, the apostolic and patristic traditions and deeply rooted in the sacramental experience and spiritual ethos of the Orthodox Church, John Zizioulas offers a timely anthropological and cosmological perspective of human beings as "priests of creation" in addressing the current ecological crisis. Given the critical and urgent character of the global crisis and by adopting a clear line of argumentation, Zizioulas describes a vision based on a compassionate and incarnational conception of the human beings as liturgical beings, offering creation to God for the life of the world. He encourages the need for deeper interaction with modern science, from which theology stands to gain an appreciation of the interconnection of every aspect of materiality and life with humankind. The result is an articulate and promising vision that inspires a new ethos, or way of life, to overcome our alienation from the rest of creation.

The Eucharist continues to be central to contemporary Christian religious tradition and to be the focus for a wide range of assumptions and disputes. Chief amongst these disputes is the role of women in the theology and the ritual of the Eucharist. Reinterpreting the Eucharist brings together a diverse range of voices with each using their own marginalised experience to explore other ways - indigenous culture, medieval and contemporary art, social history, and environmental ethics - of engaging with the Eucharist. Presenting new forms of theological and ethical engagement, the book responds to the challenge of reconsidering the meaning of the Eucharist today.

The third volume in the exciting new Interpretation series offers a comprehensive look at the theology of sacraments. For many church people, worship is about preaching and music. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are occasional additions to Sunday services. Recognizing that church-goers are uncertain about the need for sacraments, Ronald Byars describes the possibility that the very "doing" of worship--the actions observed, the postures assumed, the sound and sight of water, the smell and taste of bread and wine--will subtly alter the temper of the heart and the mind. If we encounter the sacraments honestly, they lead us to the very heart of the gospel.