Finished reading: The Anglican Evangelical Doctrine of Infant Baptism by John R. W. Stott 📚
This is really good and concise. There are some ideas that I think could enrich it from more Lutheran and Patristic backgrounds to get at the objectivity of God’s work in baptism. For instance, Augustine’s image of the soldier tattoo from Against the Donatists can enrich the idea of “ex opere operato” as being objectively true on God’s side, even if not subjectively beneficial for us when we lack faith. Losing the objective work of God when focusing on faith is a perennial problem for modern evangelicals and produces a lot of doubt rather than faith. True faith needs an object apart from the subject, and baptism gives this object to trust “ex opere operato” …so to speak.
As one looks at baptism, one sees God working objectively and can trust that work. This is not supplanting the need for faith for baptism to be beneficial, but it’s the exercising of it.
Either way, this will become my quick handout book for those coming into the Anglican tradition from a broad evangelical background.
