Many books have been written on infant baptism. This is because there is significant disagreement among Christians as to whether their infants should be baptized. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, the Reformed, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and Methodists all say yes. Baptists and non-denominational churches, among others, say no.
The Infant Baptist Argument
There are different reasons that churches baptize infants (the position known as paedobaptism, as “paedo” is Greek for child). While some churches believe baptism confers salvation, the Reformed and Presbyterians root infant baptism in the covenantal nature of baptism. The general argument goes as follows:
The children of believers were members of the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 17);
The new covenant is a renewal of the Abrahamic covenant (Galatians 3);
The new covenant sign of baptism has replaced the Abrahamic covenant sign of circumcision;
God has nowhere put the children of believers outside the covenant but includes them in “household” baptisms (Acts);
Therefore, the children of believers are members of the covenant and should receive the covenant sign of baptism.
Many credobaptists (believer-only baptists) hold that infants should not be baptized because baptism is tied with faith and there are only examples of believers being baptized in the New Testament. Calvinistic Baptists criticize the covenantal infant baptist argument above by contending that Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8 teach that the new covenant has some differences from the Abrahamic covenant, including that only those who “know” Christ are members of the covenant. They also argue that we cannot know whether there were infants in the households baptized in Acts.
Covenantal infant baptists often respond that Hebrews 8 finds fault with the Mosaic covenant, not the Abrahamic covenant, and that “they shall all know me” (Hebrews 8:11) speaks either of the consummation of the covenant or the priesthood of believers (we no longer need priests to come to God in the new covenant). As for not knowing whether infants were in the households in Acts, the very mention of “household” (oikos) points back to the language of Genesis 17 where God commanded Abraham to circumcise his entire “household” (oikos in the LXX).
Top Books on Infant Baptism
There are obviously some deep theological issues to explore when discussing infant baptism. It deals with covenant theology, the role of baptism, and the question of how God regards the children of believers. If you want to study this debate more, you will need some resources. So here are my top books on infant baptism:
1. Baptism: Answers to Common Questions by Guy Richard. This is the best book on infant baptism because it is short and to the point. It makes the case for infant baptism well, and it responds to baptist critiques of the covenantal argument. It is not the most thorough resource, and for that reason I do not recommend you only read this book on the subject. But it is the best place to start.
2. The Case for Covenantal Infant Baptism by Gregg Strawbridge (ed.). This is a collection of essays and therefore must be judged differently from a book by one author. However, the essays are excellent. There are strong chapters on household baptisms, apostasy and baptism, and two essays providing different ways of addressing the objections based on the nature of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8.
3. Baptism: Three Views by David Wright. This is also a collection of essays on baptism, but from three different perspectives. The authors also provide responses to the other essays. Sinclair Ferguson argues for infant baptism, Bruce Ware argues against, and Anthony Lane argues for a dual-practice of both infant and believer baptism. If you are short on time, I recommend skipping Lane’s chapter and focusing on Ferguson’s and Ware’s, both of whom do a good job defending their positions.
Other Resources
Infant Baptism: An Introductory Sprinkling for Parishioners by Sean McGowan. This is a good very short (62 pages) introduction to the topic that can be handed to people in church. McGowan covers all the essential arguments, but he also has a helpful section on the prophets—showing how God’s promise to deal with offspring continues in the new covenant and also refuting the Baptist objection based on Jeremiah 31.
To a Thousand Generations: Infant Baptism—Covenant Mercy for the People of God by Douglas Wilson. Another good short book on infant baptism.
Debate between James White and Gregg Strawbridge. This is a good debate between a credobaptist and paedobaptist on whether infants should be baptized. You can watch the video or listen to the audio.
Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants by Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum. This is a credobaptist book that critiques the covenantal infant baptist argument, particularly in its first and last chapter.
Believer Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ, edited by Tom Schreiner and Shawn Wright. This is a collection of credobaptist essays, the counterpart to the above The Case for Covenantal Infant Baptism.
