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In the Name of Our Lord

Four Models of the Relationship Between Baptism, Catechesis, and Communion

Jonathan D. Watson Malcolm B. Yarnell III

9781683594925
192 pages
Lexham Press
Overview
Who is a member of the church?

Christians divide on how one enters the church body. Matters are quickly complicated once other factors are considered, such as faith, instruction, baptism, first communion, and formal membership. Who should be baptized? What role does instruction play? And what is the best order of these things?

Jonathan D. Watson's In the Name of Our Lord provides an explanatory typology and incisive analysis for thinking through these interrelated questions. Watson's four--model framework accounts for the major historical varieties of relationship between baptism and catechesis as initiation into the church. With this framework in place, Watson then considers each model in relation to one another.

With a guide to navigating the terrain, readers can comprehend, compare, and contrast these different theological formulations. Readers will have a sophisticated but clear system for thinking through foundational matters that are important to every pastor and congregant.
Author Bio
Jonathan D. Watson (PhD, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is associate professor and chair of Christian Studies at Charleston Southern University.