Today’s Book is brought to you by Kregel Academic and Ministry, one of my preferred publishers.
Have questions about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper? Want to see the viewpoints of various Protestant groups on these two ordinances? And yes, whether or not you call them sacraments or ordinances is one of the 40 questions.
40 Questions About Baptism and The Lord’s Supper is the latest entry in Kregel’s 40 Questions series. I’ve read the entries on Creation and the Law, which were both excellent. John S. Hammett authors this volume, and it’s worth noting at the outset he approaches these questions from a Baptist viewpoint.
And it’s also worth noting that I approach these from a Baptist viewpoint. It is possible, then, that I will misconstrue bias as good ideas. Or that I will assume that Hammett has well-represented other views which I don’t understand.
That caveat being offered, I enjoyed 40QABLS a great deal. I serve as the pastor of a Baptist church, and we observe these two ordinances, but I find that we often don’t fully understand them. First, we don’t understand our own view. Second, we don’t see the differences in ordinances as our main distinction from other denominations. Yet this is the practical place where those distinctions show up most clearly!
The book is broken down into four parts, with differing number of questions in each part. The parts are introductory matters, questions on Baptism, questions on the Lord’s Supper, and concluding questions.
Hammett approaches the ordinances plainly, looking at the historical development of theology about each one. He also attempts to present a balanced answer to the questions, noting the various denominational views in Christianity. His conclusions fall in general line with my own, but it remains enlightening to see the answers placed in one location rather than hunting them out of a theology textbook.
In all, I would highly recommend this as a resource on the shelf of a pastor. There are clearly worded answers here and helpful guides to understanding the why behind the how of the ordinances of the church.
Yes, free book in exchange for the review.
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To deal with SPAM comments, all comments are moderated. I'm typically willing to post contrary views...but I also only check the list once a day, so if you posted within the last 24 hours, I may not be to it yet.