Remember Who You Are: Baptism and the Christian Life

Rating:
Summary: A thoughtful and refreshing look at sacrament of baptism
Review:

William Willimon's "Remember Who You Are" is foremost a devotional reading for Christians desiring a deeper spiritual understanding of their baptisms. However, the relaxed style does not betray the author's excellent work in presenting the historical and traditional understanding of baptism. This understanding is in contrast with the reductive and overly emphasized Enlightenment and Pietist perspectives of the modern American church. As the historical and confessional viewpoint of baptism is presented by the author, it gently refreshes one from the stifling heat of the self-help and human-conditioned theology held in many of today's churches. "Remember Who You Are" helps the reader rediscover the beautiful and sacred truth about the baptism rite. The book's first printing precedes almost by a decade the church's current growing realization that it needs to examine its historical formation in order to be relevant and transforming to the world. Willimon aids this trend by providing a very honest and non-sectarian look at the baptism sacrament. He makes evident that an excellent starting place to define Christians is the baptismal sacrament, and thus they will be able to remember who they are.

A group educational guide is included in the back of "Remember Who You Are". This creative and interactive guide helps provide practical applications of the material in a communal setting.