Baptism in the thought of David Wright

This article surveys and evaluates the contribution to our understanding of baptism made by twenty-six writings of David Wright on the topic. His rigorous historical studies have cast further light on the Early Church, dispelling the idea that infant baptism was at any point universal or normative for children raised as Christians. During this period infant baptism was a rite in search of a theology, there being consensus about its validity but not its meaning. David Wright himself accepts the validity of infant baptism, but insists that believer’s baptism must remain the normative pattern of baptism. Finally, the inefficacy of indiscriminate infant baptism has encouraged a low view of baptism as a mere symbol, contrary to the high view of the New Testament.