To You and Your Children: Examining the Biblical Doctrine of Covenant Succession

by Benjamin K. Wikner, Nelson D. Kloosterman (Contributor)

Scripture promises that God's people "shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble; for they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them" (Is. 65:22-23) and that Christ "will turn...the hearts of the children to their fathers" (Mal.4:6).

Yet Christian parents today face a disturbing exodus of their children from the Church to the world. Why is this? What is the place of children within the faith? What do the promises mean? Recognizing that this subject is fraught with difficulty and grief, the twelve contributors to this volume seek to address the hard questions and lay a biblical foundation of hope for our children.

Contributors: Timothy Bayly, Joel Beltz, Randy Booth, David Hagopian, Douglas Jones, Dr. Nelson D. Kloosterman, Dr. Charles Alan McIlhenny, Dr. Robert S. Rayburn, G. Mark Sumpter, Tom Trouwborst, Benjamin K. Wikner, Douglas Wilson.

Genres: Theology, Family, Christian, Parenting, Nonfiction, Ecclesiology

328 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Shea Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.
This book rests on the premise that God has made promises to His people about their children, and on the inclusion of children in the covenant. Therefore as a teetering Baptist there is plenty I can disagree with and much I can say "I sure hope so" to as well.
The logical conclusions of the Baptist view of children are hard to settle with emotionally, which does not make them wrong. I still need to understand a more reformed covenantal Baptist view.
But for know as I continue to learn about raising my children in the fear and admonition of the Lord this book was encouraging.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

To You and Your Children: Examining the Biblical Doctrine of Covenant Succession was absolutely excellent. The authors do a wonderful job in presenting a biblical, theological, historical, and practical case for believing the promises of God for our covenant children. I commend this to everyone.

[Dylan Q-V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought-provoking, I thoroughly enjoyed these essays. I am still unconvinced on covenant theology, though I did find this book compelling. The wisdom and testimonies of the men who wrote these essays was very encouraging. My wrestle with baptism still continues.

[Peter Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not all essays in here are 5 stars, but most of them are very good, especially if someone is trying to get a big picture view of covenant succession. The essays that had the most impact on me were Robert Rayburns' on the Promise of Grace, Nelson Kloosterman's on Proverbs 22:6, Tim Bayly's on the Emasculation of the church, and Randy Booth's on how to pick up the pieces when parenting has gone wrong. It is odd that a lot of times books like these are accused of producing parents who presume upon God. My response to this book was gratitude for God's grace in covering my sin and gratitude for God's Spirit to guide me as I parent my children.

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When most people think about paedobaptism and covenant theology, generally we think about things that happen after the birth of a child. It usually involves thinking about modes of getting water put on you and receiving something called a sign. Those are arguably the most vital outward displays of the theology behind paedobaptism, but it is important to realize that we don’t do those things just because it’s really cute. In fact, as the authors of the essays found in this book show, there is a theological foundation built up all the way from the ground to the rafters called covenant succession - baptism is the roof of the house that was already there.

Without retelling the whole book itself, we see covenant succession from the beginning with the creation of Adam and his offspring, the salvation of Noah and his offspring, the promise to Abraham and His offspring, the faithfulness to Jacob and his offspring, the deliverance of Moses and his offspring, the favor of David and his offspring, and all the way down the line to Christian Fathers today and their offspring. This model is repeated by Peter at Pentecost, guaranteed by Paul in his letters, and foretold by John at Patmos. One would have to shift the entire model of Scripture from the way that God deals with families to allow another model that simply isn’t spoken of in Scripture.

Each essay here is like a tool in toolbox, some hammer on certain aspects of the succession model, others saw away at the misunderstandings we typically have in the realm of covenant theology, still others nail down non-negotiables of this doctrine, and inevitably one or two essays screw around with some Federal Vision concepts. But the whole kit is here for you and it is well worth your time.

[Caleb M. Powers]

Not for this baptist.

[Kevin Godinho · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains a thorough breakdown of the promises God makes to His people and their offspring throughout the Old Testament and displays how these truths carry over and are affirmed in the New Testament. Several authors do a great job of focusing on the fact that anyone that has ever been saved has been saved by grace through faith in Christ. Parents cannot save their children, but if we trust God, obey Him, and by faith give His means of grace to our children, there are promises attached to that faithfulness all throughout Scripture. We can trust Him and humbly take Him at His Word. These are truths that desperately need to be recovered, taught, and lived out in the Church today.

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[Devin Geiger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got the book thinking that it would contain more arguments for the scriptural grounds of covenant succession, in reality it is more of a guide that explains how the faith is (and is not) passed down from one generation to the next. However, there were some verses mentioned throughout the book that helped me see covenant succession being continued in the new covenant (Isaiah 59:20-21, Ezekiel 37:24-28, Luke 1:48-50). Overall, this book has some great wisdom and insights for faithful parents who want to see their children and their children’s children walk with the Lord.

[Mason Sherrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bit lengthy, but chalked full of wisdom. Loved hearing (audio book) from the different authors. This is basically a big fat application book on how to work covenant theology into your life, your home, your church. What does it *actually* mean to believe in covenant succession, especially as it pertains to children in the Christian life. Favorite chapter was Revitalizing Reformed Culture, hands down.

[Tyler Jarboe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and insightful from various authors, though the editor has since fallen to the social gospel, and you can smell a hint of it already present in his essay. Don't let that stop you from reading the rest.

[Aurora Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another collection of essays advocating, among other things, patriarchalism, rigid gender binaries, and child abuse in the form of spanking

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some solid content, but foundational disagreement with many of the paedo arguments.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this was a really good book that explained covenant succession and had some good practical applications. I think the chapters on defining covenant succession were probably the best. Even though I don't agree 100% with the doctrine, the book was nonetheless powerful and had very good points on how we view our children and how that view impacts how we parent. At times I felt the chapters didn't link well and were sometimes tangential, talking more about reformed theology in general the covenant theology specifically. And some of the contributors wrote more academically while some wrote more informally, which was ok for the most part. I do think the book could have benefited from a wrap-up/conclusion chapter to really tie everything together.

All that said, a good read and definitely recommended.

[Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of essays. It's a great read for church leadership, especially those of a southern presbyterian flavor since we seem to have more than a fair touch of revivalism. Just who are our children and how do they relate to the covenant-keeping God of scripture? This book was such a blessing to me and holds great potential for being a blessing to the whole Bride. The closing short essay by Joel Belz was a great capstone to a great book.

[Chris Comis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primer for anyone struggling with the whole issue of baptizing the little ones. This book deals more with the issues surrounding infant baptism. If I remember correctly, the editors included the essay by Pastor Rayburn dealing specifically with the issue of covenant succession. His essay was definitely worth the price of the book.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

First class and comprehensive study of Christian children in the Covenant. Chapters by Tim Bayly, Doug Jones, Randy Booth and Doug Wilson particularly good. Wish I'd read it in 1996 when our first child was born (tricky as it wasn't published then), glad that I read it when I stumbled upon it. Strongly recommended to Christian Dads, but hold onto your hat, it pulls no punches.

[Cray Allred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Balanced theological section, followed by a great practical section. Plenty even for baptists to appreciate. Summary: the Church needs to trust and submit to Christ, her Lord, in government and parenting, and we need real fathers.

[Christopher Brehm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very excellent argument for covenant succession, I highly recommend this book if you are asking the question, “Is my child a Christian?”

Having my first child recently this became a very practical exploration of this doctrine.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An uneven series of essays from a set of obscure authors on the topic of covenant succession, the biblical theology and nurture of children as seen by a subset of the Reformed tradition. Mostly an intramural discussion for Presbyterians and Dutch Reformed. The historical essays were useful for me.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though there were a couple of essays in this book that I need to re-visit because I found the ideas more challenging to grasp, this book is certainly an amazing and essential read for Christian parents. Much here to encourage and convict and inspire.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of essays.

[Mystie Winckler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Own. I've been spurred on by Brandy (Afterthoughts) to finally pick this one up.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good set of essays on covenant and children. Especially helpful historical material on the Reformers and a great essay by Doug Jones on joy in our families.

[KJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worthy of rereading and rereading throughout my tenure as a parent/husband. Very stimulating and provoking.

[Tyler Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this work. For a full review check out my blog. https://christliteratureculture.com/2...