Pathays To The Waters Of Grace [Hardcover]

What if the church took with utmost seriousness that baptism is the gift of a new identity taking a lifetime to grow into? And, what if that identity includes God's call to a way of life made visible in how Jesus lived his? This book is a response to these questions in relationship to the church's practice of baptizing children. This book's underlying premise is that how the church helps parents prepare for baptism is vital to how the whole family lives its baptismal identity throughout life, as well as to the renewal of churches themselves. In the last several decades, institutionalized Christianity has found itself renegotiating its relationship with a culture that often has churches on the defensive for practices that are little changed from an era now past and insufficient as a witness to life as Christ's disciple. This book urges a reconsideration of what churches offer parents seeking baptism for a child, offering a transformed vision of such a ministry as well as a practical guide for putting it in place in the life of churches. Pastors, educators, and leaders will find a pathway to follow that promises to be life changing for all involved. With pastoral wisdom and theological depth, David Batchelder shows us a new way to prepare parents for the baptism of their children, where wondering is a spiritual discipline, conversation replaces curriculum, and knowing comes through the body. Long on hospitality and rich in symbol and ritual, the process he describes promises to deepen the faith of all who take part and renew the church's sacramental and missional life. Thanks be to God! --Kim Long, Associate Professor of Worship, Columbia Theological Seminary; Author of From This Day Forward: Rethinking the Christian Wedding Beyond rules, beyond doctrine, there is a way of living.?Batchelder walks us into the vast baptismal landscape and we see its topography as if for the first time.?Attending to parents seeking their children's baptism, he recovers a vision l'