Anyone involved with the rites of Christian initiation will want to read this wonderfully disturbing book, which brings together insights from the social sciences, theology, and pastoral care. Examining initiation through the neglected prism of infant baptism, the authors raise provocative questions, while inviting serious reader dialogue in an effort to develop parameters for the future agenda.
At a time when so much is being written about adult initiation, it is refreshing to read a treatment of the sacraments of initiation that concerns itself primarily with the baptism of infants. The theological interest of the book is further enhanced by its reflection on the data of the human sciences.
So often we speak about inculturation as a Third World phenomenon. These articles point out authentic ritual opportunities not addressed by the revised rites. The articles give a sense of how the RCIA can be "normative" in a thoroughgoing way for all processes of initiation into the Body of Christ.