Children of the Promise: The Biblical Case for Infant Baptism

Robert (Randy) Booth, a former Baptist, has put together a fairly compelling case for the practice of infant baptism in a way that is very accessible to the general reader and those new to the debate. More than just a book about baptism, however, this is also a good introduction to Covenant Theology in general, which the author contends is at the heart of case for infant baptism. Contrary to the popular sentiment among many Christians today, that the debate over baptism is some pedantic argument over theological trivialities, Booth points out that one's position on baptism is controlled by fundamental assumptions about how the Bible ought to be interpreted; especially with reference to the relationship between the Old and New Covenants. To his credit Booth remains respectful and gracious throughout to those who disagree with him.Choosing to build his case on biblical and theological grounds, Booth includes an Appendix which contains the argument from church history for infant baptism, by Samuel Miller. A second Appendix contains a table listing the similarities between circumcision and baptism, along with scriptural references.Unfortunately this text uses end notes rather than footnotes, forcing the reader to flip back and forth to the end of the chapter to reference a citation. A selected bibliography of works would also have been a helpful addition for those wanting to do further research.While no one should conclude that this is the definitive work on the subject (some of the other reviews notwithstanding) it is nonetheless a helpful and readable introduction to Covenant Theology, and the general case that can be made for infant baptism.

I'm now reading/enjoying this book for the 3rd time. The first time around persuaded me of the biblical evidence for infant baptism. The second reading was with a close friend of mine (Baptist) and was helpful in persuading them towards infant baptism, although, rightly so, their greatest conviction was brought about by reading the bible. My third reading is with my roommate. They have grown up in the reformed faith, but, like many believers in infant baptism, they never heard or never were taught the bible based reasons for believing. Its amazing to me how much I continue to pick up on and learn form this book and the bible. I would recommend it to any wanting to be convinced of the subject.Additionally, this book also serves as a good introduction to covenant theology vs dispensationalism. The book argues that, only from a covenany view can you come to an agreement and find unity throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Well-organized and clearly explains the Biblical practice of infant baptism from a covenantal perspective. Very helpful reference.

This book is a clear, plain look at the reasons why the author believes in infant baptism. It is written from a Presbyterian perspective (as compared with the Roman Catholic and Lutheran perspectives). It is pastoral and down-to-earth, no intense parsing of Greek verbs or detailed linguistic studies. If you want to know why a conservative Presbyterian believes it is important to baptize infants, this is a great place to start.

I ordered the book Children of the Promise: The Biblical Case for Infant Baptism and love it. It puts things in to perspective and explains biblically infant baptism.

The book was good reading but not what I expected!

Thank you

Must read!

This book is easy to read and that's more than I can say for a lot of books on this subject. I especially recommend it to people like me who have difficulty when an author takes a long time to say very little. It covers all the necessary material and is quite balanced.