Baptism: Its Purpose, Practice, and Power

Michael Green offers biblical and ecumenical answers to disputed questions about baptism.

The gateway into the church. An individual’s testimony to faith and repentance. The reception of the Holy Spirit. The meaning of baptism varies wildly between different Christian traditions. Seeking common ground, Michael Green turns to Scripture to assess the varieties of baptismal theology. Though Green assents that baptism is no substitute for saving faith, he endorses infant baptism, confronting common objections head-on. He also addresses the related problems of confirmation and rebaptism. Green’s lively and clear argument will challenge and intrigue readers of all denominations.

Michael Green (1930-2019) was one of the best-known British evangelical theologians and preachers of his generation. A scholar with degrees from the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Toronto, Green had a passion for evangelism and a rare talent for communicating complex ideas in easy-to-understand language. In 1996, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey granted Green a Lambeth degree of Doctor of Divinity. ?He led university missions on six continents, pastored St. Aldate’s Church Oxford, and introduced innovative approaches in seminary education. He authored more than seventy books across a range of fields, including evangelism, apologetics, biblical commentary, and academic theology.