Baptists and the Communion of Saints : A Theology of Covenanted Disciples

This book fuses the Church's traditional doctrine of the Communion of Saints and Baptists' theology of salvation and discipleship--charting how Baptists can speak of a communion of saints here and now. Paul Fiddes and his coauthors emphasize that this communion is only possible within the fellowship of the triune God who covenants with and for believers. Reframing communion within a theology of covenant enables the affirmation of the practice of prayer and mutual support with all faithful disciples, both alive and dead. Such a covenantal understanding of communion avoids an unhealthy obsession with communication with those who have died. Baptists and the Communion of Saints thus makes a significant and practical difference in the way Baptists understand the nature of the church, prepare their worship, care for the dying and the bereaved, go on spiritual journeys, and celebrate baptism and the Lord's Supper.