Living Under Water

Ron Rienstra in Interpretation
“Readers are immersed in a diverse array of compelling stories drawn from more than thirty years of pastoral experience. Some are funny, some are puzzling, some are deeply sad, many are immediately familiar—readers will recognize themselves in them and be grateful for the wisdom Adams squeezes from them. . . . An insightful reader, Adams deftly quotes everyone from Cyprian to Jemar Tisby (praise Eerdmans for footnotes rather than endnotes) and writes in a way that is both impressively smart and immediately accessible. I have read few theological books that I enjoyed as much as this one.”

“You wouldn’t necessarily think of a book on baptism as interesting—let alone fascinating. To me, this one is. . . . Living under Water is a stellar treatment of baptism. That you will learn from it is inevitable. That you will treasure it is entirely predictable.”
— Cornelius Plantinga
from the foreword

“I’ve been reading Kevin’s book during a time when it feels like we are coming apart at the seams in the United States, and perhaps globally as well. But as I read, I felt rooted and grounded, invited into a larger and more substantial reality than my shifting one. That’s the great gift of this book. As a long-time pastor and therapist, I would commend this as good therapy for those, like me, who sometimes feel tossed about the cultural waters.”
— Chuck DeGroat
professor of pastoral care and Christian spirituality at Western Theological Seminary

“This wonderful pastoral book encourages its readers to tune a keen listening ear to the stories of baptismal formation. So many discussions of baptism focus on points of contention; this one focuses on horizons of hope and healing. It displays the virtues of imagination, generosity, and anticipation as well as theological depth and biblical rootedness. Congregations who study this book will expand their horizons for the many ways that God is seeding shalom in communities of faith through the gift of baptism.”
— Leanne Van Dyk
president and professor of theology at Columbia Theological Seminary

“This is an insightful, exciting, carefully researched, and timely analysis of the gift of baptism that will energize Christian practice. Using diverse stories from many traditions and times of the Christian church, as well as from popular culture, Living under Water provides both an invitation and a tangible pathway to embracing an everyday baptismal identity of faith in action that gets beyond limited ideas of a magical naming ceremony or an expression of only personal piety. Well suited for individual and communal study, Living under Water is essential reading for theological education and preparation for ministry at every level.”
— Edwin David Aponte
executive director of the Louisville Institute

“Kevin Adams gently points us to the cataclysmic event that triggers new life in our baptism. Weaving diverse stories, from the historical church all the way to The Godfather, Kevin calls us to resignify and reimagine our lives by our identities as baptized siblings of Christ. Living under Water grounds this sort of life as tangible, real, and complex. This book is a warm invitation with a high challenge to put on our baptism and live out our baptism.”
— Angie Hong
cofounder of Kinship Commons

“Kevin Adams’s wise and winsome book is drenched in real-life stories, dripping with theological insight, and soaked in gospel hope. I couldn’t put it down.”
— Melanie C. Ross
associate professor of liturgical studies at Yale Divinity School

“Living under Water is a book of depth and range. It will take you to turns in history and provide revelations on recent discussions of race and politics. Through the prism of multiple stories, it shines the light of pastoral wisdom and God’s continued grace into the lives of people who may not even know that they are longing for baptismal identity. With a gift of words, an ear for cadences, and the sight to see God’s ongoing outpouring of grace, Living under Water nourishes the garden of our hearts where ‘hearts are still restless until they find their rest in Thee.’”
— Jul Medenblik
president of Calvin Theological Seminary

“Rooted in Scripture, and drawing from a range of traditions, Kevin Adams has given us a sparkling and personal apologia for baptism as both the essential Christian identity and an invitation to a renewed way of life.”
— Paul Weston
director of the Newbigin Centre for Gospel and Western Culture, Ridley Hall, Cambridge

“I’ve read many books about the biblical background and theological meaning of baptism, but here is a book about baptism that is immersed in real life. Fueled by years of pastoral experience and grounded in deep theological understanding, Kevin Adams illustrates the meaning of baptismal identity with stories of gut-wrenching, heart-warming power.”
— Leonard J. Vander Zee
author of Christ, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper