Baptism and the Unity of the Church is the first comprehensive study of the meaning of baptism for church unity to be written by an ecumenical group of theologians-Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Baptist. These essays explore such themes as how baptism relates to the communion shared by the churches and the relationship of baptism and church unity as found in the New Testament, in the ecumenical dialogues, and in the liturgies of the churches.

"A significant challenge to all Christians who care about the ecumenical movement.... Michael Root and Risto Saarinen's book is easy to digest. Indeed, it is one of the best collections of this sort I have ever read." - Christian Century