Testing the Waters

CONTENTS:

Abbreviations vii

Introduction — A Worldwide Reformed Family 1

Doing Intercultural Theology – A Methodological Introduction 13

Infant Baptism in the RPCI in North India 27

Infant Baptism in CCAP Nkhoma Synod, Central Malawi 59

Infant Baptism in the RCN, the Netherlands 93

Infant Baptism in Calvin’s Geneva: An Historical Voice 125

Intercultural Conversation on Infant Baptism 145

Lessons for Doing Reformed Theology Interculturally 177

Bibliography 187

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jos Colijn (1959) has served as a lecturer in theological education in Hungary, Transylvania, Ukraine and other places for twenty years. Since 2013, he has been working at the Theological University Utrecht (the Netherlands), where he teaches Intercultural Theology and coordinates the Master of Intercultural Reformed Theology. He is married to Marlies and they are blessed with four children and four grandchildren.

How can doing intercultural theology stimulate and enrich Christians from different cultures and contexts? How can an intercultural conversation serve the reflection on doing Reformed theology today? What can we learn from the actual appropriations of the Reformed tradition by believers in North India, Malawi and the Netherlands? To
explore these questions this research analyses fresh appropriations of infant baptism in various Reformed churches and asks how they relate to and enrich the fabric of Reformed theology and tradition.

Although Reformed theology is shared by many families of churches around the world, hardly are specific liturgical practices which are central to the Reformed ecclesial identity interculturally examined. Jos Colijn’s work addresses this omission by examining infant baptism among Reformed Christians in North India, Malawi and the Netherlands. By arguing that the meanings attributed to infant baptism are incredibly diverse, Colijn’s findings invite critical intercultural theology observers to consider how aspects of Reformed theology are contextualized to meet local aspirations of congregants around the world.
Dr Bosco Bangura, Assistant Professor of Missiology, Protestant Theological University, Utrecht, Netherlands and Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven, Belgium

Theologizing is both a science and an art. Considering the biblical language, original context, and meaning of biblical texts relevant to theological concepts is paramount. However, it's equally important to pay attention to the context in which they are presented or applied. This is important, especially when dealing with a controversial topic like infant baptism. In this regard, we salute the rigorous and culturally sensitive study of Dr. Colijn. It is an essential contribution to cross-cultural theology. This book is an excellent source of inspiration for theologians and non-theologians alike as it provides tools to theologize interculturally within and outside the Reformed Church on this and similar issues.
Moussa Bongoyok, Professor of Intercultural Studies and International Development at Institut Universitaire de Développement International (IUDI)/Cameroon

Testing the Waters is a meaningful intercultural theological reflection on infant baptism from within the Reformed tradition. Here we have a model for a living theology that will speak to Christians worldwide.
Dr. Mohan Chacko, Principal Emeritus, Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Dehradun, India