For Further Reading

Larere, Philippe. Baptism in Water and Baptism in the Spirit (Liturgical Press, 1993) reflects on a wide range of topics connected with baptism and the Holy Spirit.

Micks, Marianne. Deep Waters (Crowley Publications, 1996) is a brief and clear explanation of the sacrament as it is practiced and understood in the Episcopal Church.

For Further Study Scripture and History

Aland, Kurt. Did the Early Christians Baptize Infants? (Westminster Press, 1963) shows that infant baptism was already traditional in some places by the third century.

Beasley-Murray, G. R. Baptism in the New Testament (Macmillan, 1963) is a thorough examination of the topic by a Protestant scholar.

Brockett, Lorna. The Theology of Baptism (Fides Publishers, 1971) offers a brief and readable history of baptismal theology.

Burnish, Raymond. The Meaning of Baptism (SPCK, 1985) examines early and later practices and theologies in an ecumenical spirit.

Cramer, Peter. Baptism and Change in the Early Middle Ages (Cambridge University Press, 1993) details developments in the practice and interpretation of baptism from the patristic writers to the early scholastics.

Cullmann, Oscar. Baptism in the New Testament (SCM Press, 1950) gives a technical but clear treatment of various topics by a Protestant scripture scholar.

Dujarier, Michael. A History of the Catechumenate (Sadlier, 1979) recounts the development and decline of adult baptism during the first six centuries of Christianity.

Finn, Thomas. Early Christian Baptism and the Catechumenate (2 vols., Liturgical Press, 1992) introduces and translates all of the major early church documents related to Christian initiation.

Fischer, J. D. C. Christian Initiation: Baptism in the Medieval West (SPCK, 1965) documents the dissolution of Christian initiation into separate rites of baptism and confirmation.

George, A., and others. Baptism in the New Testament (Geoffrey Chapman, 1964) is a collection of articles by Catholic liturgical and biblical scholars.

Hartman, Lars. “Into the Name of Jesus”: Baptism in the Early Church (T. Clark, 1997) reviews the practice and meaning of baptism from before Jesus to the middle of the second century.

Jeremias, Joachim. Infant Baptism in the First Four Centuries (Westminster Press, 1962) examines the evidence that children were baptized in early Christianity.

Johnson, Maxwell. The Rites of Christian Initiation (Liturgical Press, 1999) amplifies developments in liturgy and theology from early Christianity to today.

Kavanagh, Aidan. The Shape of Baptism (Pueblo, 1978) summarizes the history of Christian initiation and discusses the reforms of Vatican II, emphasizing the norm of adult baptism.

Neunheuser, Burkhard. Baptism and Confirmation (Herder and Herder, 1964) is a thorough study of Christian initiation from apostolic through modern times.

Porter, Stanley, and Anthony Cross, eds. Baptism, the New Testament and the Church (Sheffield Academic Press, 1999) is a collection of articles by Protestant scholars, mostly about baptism in early Christianity.

Whitaker, E. C., ed., Documents of the Baptismal Liturgy (SPCK, 1960) contains rites, sermons, and other works on baptism up to the ninth century.

White, R. E. O. The Biblical Doctrine of Initiation (Hodder and Staughton, 1960) situates baptism in the context of conversion and entrance into the community.

Yarnold, Edward. The Awe-Inspiring Rites of Initiation (Liturgical Press, 1994) connects today's RCIA with church practices in the patristic period.

Theology and Liturgy

Bourgeois, Henri. On Becoming Christian (Twenty-Third Publications, 1982) pleads that baptism and confirmation not be taken as automatically effective.

Eastman, A. Theodore. The Baptizing Community (Seabury Press, 1982) examines the role of the congregation in the process of Christian initiation for children and adults.

Hamilton, David. Through the Waters (T. Clark, 1989) asks what washing, deliverance, birth, belonging and celebration refer to in the process of conversion and Christian living.

Huck, Gabe. Infant Baptism in the Parish (Liturgy Training Publications, 1980) explains the meaning and implementation of the Rite of Baptism for Children.

Johnson, Maxwell, ed. Living Water, Sealing Spirit (Liturgical Press, 1995) is a wide-ranging collection of articles on Christian intiation.

Marsh, Thomas. Gift of Community (Michael Glazier, 1984) presents a scriptural and theological explanation of Christian initiation.

McDonnell, Kilian. The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan (Liturgical Press, 1996) is a work of systematic theology that draws on biblical and patristic texts to fathom the cosmic significance of the event.

Mitchell, Leonel. Worship: Initiation and the Churches (Pastoral Press, 1991) collects twelve of the author's articles written between 1961 and 1988.

Osborne, Kenan. The Christian Sacraments of Initiation (Paulist Press, 1987) gives scriptural, historical, and doctrinal sources for baptism, confirmation, and eucharist.

Owen, Clifford, ed. Reforming Infant Baptism (Hodder and Stoughton, 1990) contains articles arguing that the Anglican Church should adopt a policy of believer's baptism.

Root, Michael, and Risto Saarinen, eds. Baptism and the Unity of the Church (William B. Eerdmans, 1998) looks at baptism as one practice that all churches have in common, in the hope of finding a foundation for unity among them.

Roy, Kevin. Baptism, Reconciliation and Unity (Paternoster Press, 1997) compares a variety of beliefs and practices, and looks for ways to overcome them.

Schmemann, Alexander. Of Water and the Spirit (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1974) develops an Orthodox theology of baptism by reflecting on the eastern rites.

Searle, Mark. Christening: The Making of Christians (Liturgical Press, 1980) explains the meaning, purpose, and dynamics of the revised rites of infant baptism and adolescent confirmation.

Searle, Mark, ed. Alternative Futures for Worship, Volume 2: Baptism and Confirmation (Liturgical Press, 1987) proposes that baptism be celebrated in stages, in the manner of the RCIA process, even for children.

Stasiak, Kurt. Return to Grace (Liturgical Press, 1996) develops a theology for infant baptism around the concept of adoption.

Wainwright, Geoffrey. Christian Initiation (John Knox Press, 1969) is an ecumenical examination of the history and theology of baptism from New Testament times to the present.

Walsh, Liam. The Sacraments of Initiation (Geoffrey Chapman, 1988) offers a traditional Catholic understanding of baptism, confirmation, and eucharist.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

Ball, Peter. Adult Believing (Paulist Press, 1988) is an introduction to the catechumenal process written by an Anglican.

Boyer, Mark. Breathing Deeply of God's New Life (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1993) provides spiritual reflections on every aspect of the RCIA.

DiGuido, Sandra. RCIA: The Rites Revisited (Winston Press, 1984) gives an honest appraisal of what happens and fails to happen in RCIA programs.

Duffy, Regis. On Becoming a Catholic (Harper & Row, 1984) walks the reader through the complexity of doctrinal and praxis issues surrounding the RCIA.

Duggan, Robert, ed. Conversion and the Catechumenate (Paulist Press, 1984) contains articles that work out the personal and social implications of the theology behind the RCIA.

Dujarier, Michael. The Rites of Christian Initiation (Sadlier, 1979) discusses each of the ceremonies in the RCIA in terms of historical origin and religious meaning.

Ellenbracht, Mary Pierre. The Easter Passage (Winston Press, 1983) draws on the scriptures to explain the experience of participating in the RCIA.

Hixon, Barbara. RCIA Ministry (Resource Publications, 1989) relates working in the RCIA to aspects of the ministry of Jesus in reflections on the rituals for each of the five stages.

McMahon, J. Michael. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, 1986) offers historical background, documentation, and pastoral reflection on the various parts of the RCIA.

Mick, Lawrence. RCIA: Renewing the Church As an Initiating Assembly (Liturgical Press, 1989) is a compact introduction to the history, purpose, and process of the RCIA.

Morris, Thomas. The RCIA: Transforming the Church (Paulist Press, 1989) is a more detailed introduction to the RCIA and its implementation in the parish.

Upton, Julia. A Church for the Next Generation (Liturgical Press, 1990) explores the implications of taking the RCIA process as a model for sacraments in the future.

Wilde, James, ed. Commentaries on the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (Liturgical Training Publications, 1988) contains explanations of each of the individual rites in the RCIA.