Dimensions of Baptism Biblical and Theological Studies

252 Dimensions of Baptism

not enough. Our ethic must come from the heart—from the liberating Spirit

of life, from the community of the Trinity, from messianic life, from soli-

darity and empathy with the oppressed. In the climate of western democ-

racy, the baptized are now able as never before to challenge the status quo

wherever it is pitched in favour of privilege and possession of power.

What is plain in all this is that the three topics chosen above for com-

parison between Moltmann and TertuUian do indeed expose some instincts

common to the two authors. And these are driven by profound concern for

the Church's authenticity and mission in the world. The durability of

TertuUian's concerns, even in the hands of a skilled son of modernity and

critical thought, surely suggests a persistence of idea, a shrewdness in

getting to the indispensable heart of the act of baptism. But it also surely

calls for greater attention ecumenically to baptism as initiation into disci-

pleship to the triune God (Mt. 28.18). This means baptism as a radical

decision of response to call (however that is managed in an infant-baptism

scheme) and as the beginning of new life, of a new relation to the public

world along with the whole community of believers. Ecumencial discus-

sions which have tended to focus on sacramental grace may need to gain

new inspiration by turning also to these continuities of the faith.