The Spirit-Baptized Church: A Dogmatic Inquiry

Frank D. Macchia argues that the Son of God baptized (and continues to baptize) humanity in the Spirit by pouring forth the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. All four Gospels and the book of Acts describe how the Son is sent of the Father and empowered by the Spirit to fulfil this mission; Macchia in turn claims that Christ succeeds by incorporating others into himself and into the love of the Father. The Spirit-Baptized Church proposes a richly pneumatological ecclesiology that is dominated by a Pentecostal confessional concern, while also open to a larger ecumenical conversation. The volume focuses not only on the dogmatic (Trinitarian) foundations and election processes of the Spirit-baptized church, but also on its marks and witnessing practices. As an exceptionally detailed study of the Spirit-baptismal metaphor, this volume is a valuable resource for scholars of ecclesiology, Pentecostalism, and systematic theology.