Drawing on recent scholarship on the Pauline tradition within early Christianity, this book examines Paul's theology of baptism and highlights its practical application in ministry today.

It considers what the rite represented and effected, in the light of the social and cultural milieu in which his letters were written, and of his strategies for mission and the formation and nurture of new Christian communities.

The need to integrate recent scholarship with contemporary pastoral issues, and to do so in a theologically reflective way, is acute. Using a wide range of social scientific approaches to the ancient world and Christian origins, including identity, religious conversion, and ritual, the book explores the implications of this reconstruction for contemporary issues of baptismal practice, pastoral care and mission, aiming to bring the insights of specialists to those working on the frontline of pastoral practice.