What do you think?
Rate this book
An orthodox yet fresh presentation on the sacrament of Baptism. Dr. Scaer offers analysis both of the Roman Catholic and the Reformed views of Baptism, compares current Lutheran worship forms with historic Lutheran baptismal practice, and provides a thorough defense of infant Baptism. Provides the reader with a strong defense against those who would deny God’s work in this precious sacrament.
- GenresTheologyChristianity
236 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
3 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
David P. Scaer
43 books24 followersDr. David Scaer is a professor of Systematic Theology and New Testament and holder of the David P. Scaer Chair of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN. At the seminary since 1966 he serves as editor of the Concordia Theological Quarterly (1969-1994; 1999- ) and was academic dean (1984-1989). He is currently chairman of his department. Dr. Scaer has written extensively and his articles have appeared in Christianity Today, Lutheran Forum, Logia, Forum Letter, the Lutheran Witness, Modern Reformation, Cresset, the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Grace Theological Journal and Issues in Christian Education. His Christology (1990) was the first volume to appear in the Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics, and is in its fourth printing. A second volume in this series, Baptism, has been published by the Lutheran Academy. For the same series he is also authoring the volumes of Law and Gospel and the Sacraments. Twice he was awarded the prestigious John W. Behnken Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award by AAL for study in Europe (1969,1986).
A parish pastor serving congregations in Gillespie, Illinois and Rockville, Connecticut, he also taught for ten years as a part time instructor in religion at the University of Illinois (Champaign) (1966-1976). He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Institute for Biblical Research, the Alliance of Confessional Evangelicals and the Christianity Today Institute, for which periodical he also serves as a research scholar. Dr Scaer was a member of the composing committee for "Evangelical Affirmations 1989" and a contributor of essays published for the May meeting (1990). He is listed as a contributing editor for Logia and Modern Reformation. His Latin Ecclesiastical Glossary , a dictionary of Latin terms for Lutheran seminary students, is regularly used with Pieper's Christian Dogmatics. Professor Scaer's interest in New Testament studies is shown in his James: The Apostle of Faith (Concordia Publishing House) which demonstrated this epistle's close connection to the preaching of Jesus and its basic unity with the Pauline epistles. His interest for some time has been in the area of Gospels and their order and interdependency.
His Sermon on the Mount was published by Concordia Publishing House. He has written in the area of the Lutheran Confessions and co-edited a volume in honor of the 450th anniversary of the Small Catechism, Luther's Catechisms - 450 Years (1979) and contributed to a volume honoring the 400th anniversary of the Book of Concord, Getting into the Story of Concord (1977). His articles have appeared in the Concordia Theological Quarterly, the Concordia Journal, Christianity Today, Affirm, Lutheran Witness, Lutheran Forum, Theology Today and Philosophy and Theology. He is a contributor to Contemporary Theology, The Baker's Dictionary of Christian Ethics, and The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Among his other books are What Do You Think of Jesus?, The Apostolic Scriptures, and The Lutheran World Federation Today. Along with eighteen other recognized theologians, he is a contributor to Doing Theology in Today's World, a festschrift in honor Kenneth Kantzer, one time editor of Christianity Today. His contribution is entitled "How do Lutheran Theologians Approach the 'Doing of Theology Today.' " He has written two essays analyzing the theology of Dr. Francis Pieper. The first appeared in Baker's Handbook of Evangelical Theologians and the second in The Pieper Lectures: The Office of the Ministry, published by the Concordia Historical Institute.
He has served as the organizer of the annual on-campus Symposium on the Lutheran Confessions since 1978. His essays have also appeared in festschrifts for Professor Kurt Marquart, Dr. Charles Manske, Dr. Glen Zweck and Bishop Jobst Schoene. In 1999 his "The Doctrine of the Sacraments in the Theology of Johann Gerhard," appeared in Protestant Scholasticism.: Essays in Reassessm
A parish pastor serving congregations in Gillespie, Illinois and Rockville, Connecticut, he also taught for ten years as a part time instructor in religion at the University of Illinois (Champaign) (1966-1976). He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Institute for Biblical Research, the Alliance of Confessional Evangelicals and the Christianity Today Institute, for which periodical he also serves as a research scholar. Dr Scaer was a member of the composing committee for "Evangelical Affirmations 1989" and a contributor of essays published for the May meeting (1990). He is listed as a contributing editor for Logia and Modern Reformation. His Latin Ecclesiastical Glossary , a dictionary of Latin terms for Lutheran seminary students, is regularly used with Pieper's Christian Dogmatics. Professor Scaer's interest in New Testament studies is shown in his James: The Apostle of Faith (Concordia Publishing House) which demonstrated this epistle's close connection to the preaching of Jesus and its basic unity with the Pauline epistles. His interest for some time has been in the area of Gospels and their order and interdependency.
His Sermon on the Mount was published by Concordia Publishing House. He has written in the area of the Lutheran Confessions and co-edited a volume in honor of the 450th anniversary of the Small Catechism, Luther's Catechisms - 450 Years (1979) and contributed to a volume honoring the 400th anniversary of the Book of Concord, Getting into the Story of Concord (1977). His articles have appeared in the Concordia Theological Quarterly, the Concordia Journal, Christianity Today, Affirm, Lutheran Witness, Lutheran Forum, Theology Today and Philosophy and Theology. He is a contributor to Contemporary Theology, The Baker's Dictionary of Christian Ethics, and The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Among his other books are What Do You Think of Jesus?, The Apostolic Scriptures, and The Lutheran World Federation Today. Along with eighteen other recognized theologians, he is a contributor to Doing Theology in Today's World, a festschrift in honor Kenneth Kantzer, one time editor of Christianity Today. His contribution is entitled "How do Lutheran Theologians Approach the 'Doing of Theology Today.' " He has written two essays analyzing the theology of Dr. Francis Pieper. The first appeared in Baker's Handbook of Evangelical Theologians and the second in The Pieper Lectures: The Office of the Ministry, published by the Concordia Historical Institute.
He has served as the organizer of the annual on-campus Symposium on the Lutheran Confessions since 1978. His essays have also appeared in festschrifts for Professor Kurt Marquart, Dr. Charles Manske, Dr. Glen Zweck and Bishop Jobst Schoene. In 1999 his "The Doctrine of the Sacraments in the Theology of Johann Gerhard," appeared in Protestant Scholasticism.: Essays in Reassessm
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 14, 2013
Is relationship with God an objective reality or a subjective reality? Scaer in "Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics: Baptism" Vol XI presents an overview of the various beliefs about Baptism by Catholic, Reformed, Baptist, and Lutheran Christians. After showing the various differences in understanding Baptism, he forcefully argues the Lutheran perspective. Scaer sets out to argue that "The only solution in restoring to Baptism the place of importance it has in the NT and in the early church is understanding Baptism as a totally christological act - an act or ritual in which Christ baptizes and in which the baptized Christian is joined to Christ's death and resurrection." Thus "Jesus is at the same time both object and subject of Baptism, the baptized and the baptizer" (201).
Scaer makes compelling arguments for understanding Baptism as an act of grace. He also points out the problems of insisting on believer's baptism. Who's to say that infants or children cannot have faith, Jesus commands the Children to come to him, what about adults that are mentally handicapped or unable to express faith, and what about the issue of multiple baptisms (which one is the real baptism?). At the heart of the matter is the issue of whether baptism is an objective reality based on God's grace or a subjective reality that depends on our belief. Are we saved because of what Christ has done or because of what we have done through our faith?
Scaer believes that American individualism has eroded a healthy understanding of Baptism grounded in New Testament and early Christianity. Baptism is something that must be lived out on a daily basis in the believer - dying and being resurrected with Christ. In this way, faith is a journey and Baptism is an act of God's grace.
The Table of Contents:
1. Baptism as a Remedy for Original Sin
2. Baptism as a Divine Command
3. The Biblical Origins of Baptism
4. The Efficacy of Baptism
5. The Baptismal Formula: Baptism in the Name of the Triune God
6. Administration of Baptism
7. Baptism and the Holy Spirit
8. Infant Baptism: An Historical Debate with Theological Implications
9. The Biblical Support for Infant Baptism
10. Infant Faith
11. Baptism's Necessity and Its Exceptions
12. Karl Barth on Baptism
13. The Ritual of Baptism
14. Baptism and Catechesis
Scaer makes compelling arguments for understanding Baptism as an act of grace. He also points out the problems of insisting on believer's baptism. Who's to say that infants or children cannot have faith, Jesus commands the Children to come to him, what about adults that are mentally handicapped or unable to express faith, and what about the issue of multiple baptisms (which one is the real baptism?). At the heart of the matter is the issue of whether baptism is an objective reality based on God's grace or a subjective reality that depends on our belief. Are we saved because of what Christ has done or because of what we have done through our faith?
Scaer believes that American individualism has eroded a healthy understanding of Baptism grounded in New Testament and early Christianity. Baptism is something that must be lived out on a daily basis in the believer - dying and being resurrected with Christ. In this way, faith is a journey and Baptism is an act of God's grace.
The Table of Contents:
1. Baptism as a Remedy for Original Sin
2. Baptism as a Divine Command
3. The Biblical Origins of Baptism
4. The Efficacy of Baptism
5. The Baptismal Formula: Baptism in the Name of the Triune God
6. Administration of Baptism
7. Baptism and the Holy Spirit
8. Infant Baptism: An Historical Debate with Theological Implications
9. The Biblical Support for Infant Baptism
10. Infant Faith
11. Baptism's Necessity and Its Exceptions
12. Karl Barth on Baptism
13. The Ritual of Baptism
14. Baptism and Catechesis
Displaying 1 of 1 review