I would like to say in my own defense that I do not encourage prayers for the dead. That was, as you can imagine, the most difficult section of Part II to write, since it is such a thorny issue. But I also had to be fair to the theology of the BCP which, quite contrary to Mr. Yates’ comment, does in fact encourage prayer on behalf of the dead in some of its forms for prayer and even envisions their continued development in discipleship post-mortem. In that subsection on prayers for the deceased, I lay out three ways in which the BCP invites our engagement with those who have gone before us — direct intercession (with the implication that we can intercede and affect the outcome), commendation to God’s final will (with the implication that we cannot affect the outcome, but it remains in God’s hands to decide as God will), and commemoration (holding in memory, hopefully for the encouragement of our own faith). My own practice lies in the second and third categories, but I would belie the book about which I wrote to avoid exploring the first.

As for “left-leaning” views, I have to say I feel pretty moderate, even right-leaning most of the time. After all, are not my primary publishers IVP, Baker, and Eerdmans? But I do distinguish between absolute, timeless rulings and unfinished trajectories in Scripture. Dealing with patriarchy is, in my reading of the NT, an unfinished trajectory, left for us to pursue more fully (like the dismantling of the systems that maintained the benefit of the free at the cost of the slave, or the status of the Jew to the theological/ideological exclusion of the non-proselyte Gentile). But I would not move in that direction if I did not find in Scripture signs of God’s desire that this is an area in which to move forward toward our full freedom as God’s sons and daughters. I am absolutely committed to the authority of Scripture in the church and the life of the disciple, and in that regard I do not resonate with being “left-leaning.”

Can’t help the disagreement about Baptism. That’s perhaps the primary reason I’m not teaching at Baylor right now.

Best wishes for a renewing Advent and joyous Christmas,
David