The Presbyterian Doctrine of Children in the Covenant: An Historical Study of the Significance of Infant Baptism in the Presbyterian Church

This classic treatment of infant baptism, first published in 1940, rearticulates the historic Presbyterian view. With many Presbyterians neglecting infant baptism or emptying it of meaning, Lewis Bevens Schenck makes a compelling case for the doctrine of children in the covenant.

The author also identifies factors in the church’s history that have affected this doctrine, reveals that a divergent conception of this doctrine has surfaced, and demonstrates that this conception involves a different idea of the church, the covenant, and children’s place in the covenant.

Frank A. James III, professor of historical theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, has contributed an introduction to this reprint edition. The book was originally published by Yale University Press.

"We heartily recommend this splendid work. Dr. Schenck has rendered us a great service. . . . We hope that through it the Presbyterian Churches may once more acquire a true insight into the real meaning of the covenant and into the significance of infant baptism."—Louis Berkhof (1940)