In the Name of Our Lord: Four Models of the Relationship between Baptism, Catechesis, and Communion. The first thing one should know about this book, if you could not tell by the title, it is a kind of dry read. And By Kind of I mean very. This is the kind of book that would be required reading for a college course. This isn’t for everyone. With that said Watson has put the work in to develop 4 models that explain the relationship between Baptism Catechesis (discipleship/ teaching) and Communion in various faith communities. His 4 proposed models presupposes Discriminate Administration of the sacraments which Watson discusses his reasoning and a case to be made against indiscriminate administration ( chapter 2 and Chapter 6) This presupposition means that if a particular Faith community practices indiscriminate administration then there would not be a fit within Watson’s four Models. A interesting and valuable component of Watson’s proposed 4 models is that they are flexible (to use his adjective) enough to house faith traditions that may be surprising to some. The example Watson gives in the book is that the Quakers and John Bunyan have very different views on these matters they both fit into the same Model. This is because though they disagree in certain things they would in Watson’s estimation share the same “Liturgical logic” This book just on the sheer fact it is about the sacraments gets a high rating from me. It was a difficult read for me but I can see it being a book I go back and visit every now and again. It would be of great interest to me if Watson ever developed a book with this information but written on a Lay Person’s level. This book was provided free of Charge from Lexham Publishers in exchange for a fair review I was not required to give a positive review.

If you write a book on Baptism the chances are I will give it a positive review. I love this topic and reading about it always fills my spirit with life and peace. I was provided a digital copy free of charge from the publishers for reviewing purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. -- I may have to order a physical copy for my shelf. I am a fan of the Christian Essentials series of which this book is a part. The nature of this series is short accessible works on the essentials of the Christian Faith. Meaning, this great little book on Baptism was simply too short. It could have easily been a 250 page book rather than a 120 page book. Each chapter I was wishing it dove a little deeper into the waters. If you are a preacher needing some guidance or further help crafting some sermon on Baptism each chapter in this book could easily be adapted into a sermon highlighting a different aspect of the Sacrament of Baptism. Liethart, doesn't spend time being distracted by the debates and divisions found in discussions around this topic. It is his desire to bring unity around this topic rather than further division. Liethart writes, "This book is a small contribution to the effort to reunite a church divided by baptism. My approach is oblique. I don’t offer any nice knock-down arguments. As currently framed, the controversies are insoluble anyway. To arrive at unity, we need to recover the baptismal imagination of earlier generations. We need to start at the foundation and work our way up." That Baptismal imagination is seen page after page with a seeming barrage of simply beautiful statements regarding baptism. Here are just a few.. "The Greek philosopher Thales was right: Water is at the base of everything! Baptism lays the foundation of a new world, the city and kingdom of God." "Baptism points to Jesus, who rose from the dead as the firstfruits of the age to come. As it points to Jesus, baptism tells the world, “Behold, a new creation has come!” To the baptized, it’s performative speech, effecting what it declares: “Behold, you are a new creation!” As more and more are baptized, baptism forms the church as the locus of new-creation life in a dead world." "Baptism calls us to resist every tyrant, petty or potent, in the name of Jesus. We’re certain our Commander will conquer and reign until all his enemies are beneath his feet (1 Cor 15:25). Baptism makes us new creatures in Christ by placing us on the winning side." Get yourself a copy, read it with your friends and let the beauty of baptismal imagination be sparked in you.