Defending Reformed Credobaptism: A Bibliography

Someone recently asked me to compile a list of resources for studying baptism from a reformed baptist perspective. For those with a similar interest, I have decided to share this list with annotations.

This list is mostly from my own reading or those I plan to read soon, but if you know any others you would like to add, please leave a comment. This list will be useful both for those who are already of a credobaptist persuasion but would like to dig deeper, or for those of the opposite persuasion who would like to understand our position. If you belong to the latter category, feel free to add your own list in defense of paedobaptism, since I would like to understand the best arguments from the other side as well.

I will divide the following resources into three broad categories, but there will be some significant overlap in places. I think it would be good to understand the origins of the baptists as a denomination (spoiler: they didn’t come from any of the anabaptists). Second, a good understanding of covenant theology and the history of its development is vital. Lastly, I’ll recommend various polemical works coming from various directions that are specifically about baptism.

History

1. The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness by H. Leon McBeth

This is a very long book, but of greatest use is just the first chapter called “Baptist Beginnings.” If you are a baptist history buff like I am, then the rest of the book is interesting as well. Depending on what evangelical/baptist circles you might be familiar with, the historical narrative McBeth tells may bust myths you may have been taught. It was written in 1987 at a time when reformed baptists or even calvinistic baptists were very few and far between, the author, to his credit since he was arminian, recognizes that the baptists came from two streams of English separatists and the more dominant and formative stream was fully calvinistic and reformed (the particular baptists). 

2. Baptists: Thorough Reformers by John Quincy Adams (not the president)

I would not endorse everything in this book since the mythological view of baptist history seems to have been common at the time of writing (19th century), but there is much worthwhile in it. Of special interest is the quote of Menno Simmons on p. 65 about all the various reasons paedobaptists at the time gave for infant baptism. Obviously, I am no fan of Menno Simmons, but it is an interesting anecdote pointing out that covenant theology was not necessarily the go-to argument to defend paedobaptism at the time.

Covenant Theology

1. The Federal Theology of the English Particular Baptists by Samuel Renihan

This is a first-rate scholarly work. Chapter 2 “Unity and Diversity in Reformed Covenant Theology” is worth the price of the book itself. Since paedobaptists often use covenant theology as an argument for their position, the natural reaction of a baptist is to reject covenant theology, but I think this would be a great mistake for two reasons. One, covenant theology came out of the law/gospel distinction which is the heart of the reformation itself and the recovery of the biblical doctrine of justification. Rejecting covenant theology is to endanger justification by faith alone and the imputation Christ’s active obedience. Two, a stricter working out of covenant theology might actually lead towards a credobaptist position and for the early particular baptists this was their experience. Regarding the covenant theology defense of paedobaptism, it should be remembered that the historic development was not covenant theology then paedobaptism. Paedobaptism was firmly believed before the development of covenant theology among the Lutheran (who never did adopt covenant theology) and Reformed traditions. In other words, paedobaptism may not be such a good and necessary consequence from covenant theology as commonly presented. I think Renihan does well in showing both of these things in this book.

2. The Mystery of Christ, His Covenant, and His Kingdom by Samuel Renihan

I have heard really great things about this one though I have yet to read it myself. It is a more popular level and positive treatment of baptist covenant theology than the last one that was adapted from his dissertation. 

3. (Optional) The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology by Pascal Denault

I’m not sure if there will be much more information here that Renihan doesn’t cover in more detail, but I have it here since this book sparked the current renaissance of baptist covenant theology. 

4. Covenant Theology from Adam to Christ by Nehemiah Coxe and John Owen

Probably the most systematic treatment of classic baptist covenant theology is the first part of this book by Coxe. Coxe is considered to be one of the most significant contributors to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. He explains the biblical covenants from Adam through Abraham. He was planning to go on from Moses to Christ, but he read John Owen’s Hebrews commentary and found that Owen was saying even better what Coxe wanted to say, so Coxe referred people to Owen. The relevant portion of the Hebrews commentary makes up the second part of the book. 

5. (Optional) The Covenants by R.B.C. Howell

This one is interesting because it is an American baptist from the 19th century with little or no knowledge of the original English baptist theology but he comes to all of the same salient conclusions as they did. I find that indicative that there is firm exegetical support for this position.

6. Visibility of the Church by Charles Hodge

Here is a presbyterian arguing against roman catholics regarding the nature of the church, i.e. arguing like a baptist.

7. “Oneness of the Church” Exercitation VI in Vol. I of Hebrews by John Owen

Here Owen says much of what Coxe said about the nature of the Abrahamic Covenant and Abraham’s two seeds.

Polemics

1. Lectures on Baptism by William Shirreff

This is an intriguing volume. Shirreff was a Scottish Presbyterian minister who took the regulative principle of worship and applied it to baptism and concluded he could not in good conscience continue with infant baptisms. In this book, he painstakingly goes through each NT passage commonly used by paedobaptists and argues that each passage is either about believer’s baptism or not about baptism at all. 

2. Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ by Various (ed. Thomas Schreiner and Shawn Wright)

There are a number of good essays in this volume. “Baptism in the Patristic Writings” by Steven McKinion really shows that historic consensus for paedobatism has often been exaggerated (I guess both sides have mythological histories). Stephen Wellum’s “Baptism and the Relationship between the Covenants” is interesting. However, although I understand where he is coming from, I ultimately disagree that we should drop the term “Covenant of Grace” because it has been so variously defined by so many. I think it is best that we just return to the original use of the term as distinct from the Covenant of Works since this arises from the law/gospel distinction. We would stand to lose too much if we dropped this terminology. I’m afraid too many in his camp, called Progressive Covenantalism (PC), have already lost too much with some denying the law/gospel distinction. PC has some great things to offer, but I’m afraid in reinventing the wheel they will also reinvent some error. In addition to these two essays, there are many other good essays. 

3. The Baptism of Disciples Alone by Fred Malone

I think this would be a good one to read. Everything I’ve heard from Malone has been excellent. He started as an uninformed baptist who received his education from a Reformed paedobaptist school and quickly became a paedobaptist himself. Afterwards though, on further reflection on the Scriptures and the arguments, he came back to being baptist, only this time an educated one. I’m afraid too many only make it half way through that journey.

4. Baptism in its Mode and Subjects by Alexander Carson

Here is another former paedobaptist turned baptist from the 19th century. I have heard this is the definitive defense of credobaptism. 

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Whether you are a credobaptist who wants to understand your position better, someone on the fence still, or even an opponent with an open mind, I think you will find the resources here compelling and informative. I welcome any suggestions to add to this list. I also welcome a list for the other view since I hope to be openminded as well. There are certainly more primary doctrines than this one and I will continue to make common cause with paedobaptists on those doctrines; however, I do feel strongly that this is an important doctrine and each of us should be well persuaded in our convictions. I hope these resources will do that.