Why I became Anglican: The Sacrament of Infant Baptism

Michael Bird and Matthew Barrett both used to be Baptists. Then their understanding of baptism changed. Why? In different ways they both realized that the scriptures, Old and New Testament alike, describe covenant inclusion as a corporate rather than an individualistic event. From Noah’s ark to the crossing of the Red Sea to the household baptisms in Acts, the whole of the family is included and represented by its head, whether that be Lydia or the Philippian jailer. Ultimately, Bird asks parents, “Should you be raising your children as Christians or to become Christians?”

Bird and Barrett also explain why the church from the apostles to the fathers to the medieval and Protestant Scholastics believed baptism is a sacrament and one that includes infants. They look specifically at the Anglican communion and discuss why infant baptism is so key to the liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer.

Michael F. Bird is a leading academic on New Testament studies and Christian Theology. He is Lecturer in Theology at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of many books, including Evangelical theology and What Christians Ought to Believe, and has written commentaries on books like Romans.