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Signed, Sealed and Delivered: A Study of Holy Baptism
SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED A Study of Holy Baptism [Paperback]
314 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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About the author
Ray R. Sutton
7 books7 followersRay R. Sutton is Bishop Coadjutor in the Diocese of Mid-America of the Reformed Episcopal Church in the Anglican Church in North America. He is also Rector of the Church of the Holy Communion in Dallas, Texas, president and professor of Scripture and Theology at Cranmer Theological House in Houston, Texas and headmaster of Holy Communion Christian Academy (formerly Bent Tree Episcopal School). Sutton was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and moved to Dallas at age thirteen.
He is currently head of the Ecumenical Relations Committee of the Anglican Church of North America.
He is currently head of the Ecumenical Relations Committee of the Anglican Church of North America.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 15, 2011
This was a fantastic book. Sutton, who is a Bishop in the Reformed Episcopal Church (and author of the more famous That You May Prosper) has written a marvelous study of baptism. The book is ostensibly from a Reformed Episcopal perspective, but if this is the case (and it clearly is) then the REC has preserved nothing more than what is essentially ecumenically and historically the Church's teaching on the sacrament. Sutton's book is a whirlwind of facts and historical argument, and he draws into the mix the ancient fathers, the Reformers, the early Anglicans like Hooker and Browne, and covers baptism from all angles, along with a surprising amount of other theological issues. The book also fills a needed gap in studies on myriad of issues pertaining to the Federal Vision, dealing with covenantal election, baptismal regeneration, the parable of the vine and branches, the visible and invisible church - all presented as self-obvious historical Anglican theology.
The book is not divided into parts, though it does break down into three basic parts. The first three chapters cover foundational material and the transition from Old to New Covenant, while the final three chapters deal with the issue of infant baptism in the most comprehensive way I have yet read. But the bulk of the book's pages are comprised of the middle three chapters, a robust defense of the use of the phrase "baptismal regeneration," from an historical, biblical, and then theological perspective.
This middle section was by far the most interesting out of the book, because Sutton undertakes the massive task of legitimizing a doctrine that has given many generations of Calvinists the willies, and he does so deftly and irenic skill. Most interesting out of all this, for me, was the historical study of the doctrine of regeneration. Sutton demonstrates clearly that regeneration, used by the Church Fathers, originally meant simply baptism, and thus, the new birth (regeneration) and baptism were integrally linked. He then traces the change in the word's use, showing that the doctrine of regeneration became eventually coupled with the idea of divine election by Calvin's successors, severed entirely from baptism - tied, that is, to a form of divine election that was also severed from God's mediated means of grace in the sacraments, and which eventually led to the denial of salvific progress in favor of a static and abstract order of salvation.
A really impressive book, though it could have used more footnotes. Sutton has a clear grasp of the history of baptism and the development of doctrine in CHurch history, but had I not already done some research in these areas myself, the book could read a bit light on the evidence of some of his statements. But thanks to my reading, I could see that he really did know what he was about. This is not to say the book doesn't have the footnotes to prove its case; the book is full of them. But especially given the FV controversy, there are others he could have used to bolster his case a bit. Really, if you have any interest in baptism, or in how the covenant intersects therewith, or are wrestling with issues revolving around baptism, this is very much the book for you.
Update: the book is really hard to find, but can be ordered direct through the publisher: http://rechurch.org/recus/IDae8947448...
The book is not divided into parts, though it does break down into three basic parts. The first three chapters cover foundational material and the transition from Old to New Covenant, while the final three chapters deal with the issue of infant baptism in the most comprehensive way I have yet read. But the bulk of the book's pages are comprised of the middle three chapters, a robust defense of the use of the phrase "baptismal regeneration," from an historical, biblical, and then theological perspective.
This middle section was by far the most interesting out of the book, because Sutton undertakes the massive task of legitimizing a doctrine that has given many generations of Calvinists the willies, and he does so deftly and irenic skill. Most interesting out of all this, for me, was the historical study of the doctrine of regeneration. Sutton demonstrates clearly that regeneration, used by the Church Fathers, originally meant simply baptism, and thus, the new birth (regeneration) and baptism were integrally linked. He then traces the change in the word's use, showing that the doctrine of regeneration became eventually coupled with the idea of divine election by Calvin's successors, severed entirely from baptism - tied, that is, to a form of divine election that was also severed from God's mediated means of grace in the sacraments, and which eventually led to the denial of salvific progress in favor of a static and abstract order of salvation.
A really impressive book, though it could have used more footnotes. Sutton has a clear grasp of the history of baptism and the development of doctrine in CHurch history, but had I not already done some research in these areas myself, the book could read a bit light on the evidence of some of his statements. But thanks to my reading, I could see that he really did know what he was about. This is not to say the book doesn't have the footnotes to prove its case; the book is full of them. But especially given the FV controversy, there are others he could have used to bolster his case a bit. Really, if you have any interest in baptism, or in how the covenant intersects therewith, or are wrestling with issues revolving around baptism, this is very much the book for you.
Update: the book is really hard to find, but can be ordered direct through the publisher: http://rechurch.org/recus/IDae8947448...
December 27, 2012
Easily the best contemporary text on the subject of Baptism. Sutton's work is rooted heavily in the writings of Daniel Waterland (18th Century) and Archibald Boyd (19th Century), but he brings this earlier theology into the 21st Century and uses it to address many of the ecclesiastical and theological issues of the present day. The bulk of the book addresses the subject of Baptismal Regeneration, looking at the subject biblically, historically, and theologically. Sutton demonstrates well the connection between the sacrament of Baptism and the work of regeneration and then explains well precisely what regeneration means: a change of covenantal state that is not to be confused with conversion or final justification. Sutton demonstrates that this is the teaching of the New Testament, especially in light of the covenantal aspects of the Old Testament, and that it was the teaching of the Early Church and of the first generation Reformers. Sutton does an excellent job outlining how Protestants, especially in the Reformed tradition, gradually lost this biblical concept of baptismal regeneration and how contemporary views have damaged the church as a whole. Sutton also deals at some length with the questions of infant baptism and the mode of baptism, putting special emphasis on the significance of the biblical mode. The book concludes with an excellent commentary on the Baptismal Office of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and a brief, but comprehensive history of Baptism.
The book's only real flaws are the need for additional editing and correction and it's dearth of footnotes in some places. My copy is from the first printing, so it's entirely possible that a new edition--if one has been made--will address the first problem.
The book's only real flaws are the need for additional editing and correction and it's dearth of footnotes in some places. My copy is from the first printing, so it's entirely possible that a new edition--if one has been made--will address the first problem.
June 1, 2022
Excellent groundwork in history, and then moving forward to understand the current doctrine of baptism.
May 16, 2013
A really great book. Eye opening for someone who has always read about Baptism and Regeneration through the lens of the English Puritans and the seventeenth and eighteenth century post Reformation church.
August 5, 2016
Baptism, Orthodox, Anglican, Appendix One commentary on BCP Baptism service is superb
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews