Unlike many scholarly works, the central thesis of Karen Spierling's new book is encapsulated neatly in its title. In fact, community formation is the larger topic and the topic of baptism in Calvin's Geneva merely provides the case study. This emphasis in no way diminishes her deep engagement with Reformed theology of “the other sacrament,” but it does underscore her conviction that the development of early Protestant teachings must always be considered within the relevant social context. Her interpretations are clearly influenced by practice theorists, such as Catherine Bell, who views ritual “as a vehicle for the construction of relationships of authority and submission,” as opposed to the simple expression of such authority (Ritual Perspectives and Dimensions [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997], 83), and especially by Margo Todd's innovative work on the formation of Reformed culture and communities in sixteenth-century Scotland.

Like Todd, Spierling sees new ecclesiastical communities evolving out of dialogue and negotiated compromises more than by clerical fiat. In the instance of baptism in Calvin's Geneva, that lengthy process involved the reformer himself, clerical and lay members of the consistory, city council members, and various parents and godparents of the city, not all of them citizens. Calvin's primary interest was in purging the ritual of baptism of papist trappings and at the same time asserting the authority of the consistory in proclaiming the Reformation. The motives of other involved individuals are harder to summarize, given the variety of issues and relationships described in the book's thorough analysis of consistory and other records. But that, to a large extent, is one of Spierling's main points: ecclesiastical traditions emerge as much from specific instances and disputes as from abstract exegesis. Only by analyzing and understanding those conversations and the compromises that often result can we likewise understand that community's teachings, rituals, and sense of identity.

Like marriage and death, birth—and thus baptism—lay at the nexus of a variety of social relationships. Calvin interpreted the ritual of baptism not as freeing an individual from the stain of original sin (which would diminish God's sovereignty) but as a sign of the Christian community's covenant with their creator, analogous to circumcision among male Jews. Given this communal focus from the start, it was not difficult for him to allow (with very weak scriptural support) the continuing practice of infant baptism, as long as it had been purged of exorcisms and other “theatrical pomp.” As a pastor, he knew that many people stilled feared for the souls of their children and remained wary of his assurances that “emergency baptisms” or any baptism for that matter was essential to salvation. Clearly many parents and midwives continued to defy the consistory's ban on private baptisms and fathers frequently refused to come to Church baptisms. Over time, however, such recalcitrance receded and a new tradition of infant baptism took hold.

Calvin's other attempts to elevate the congregation to the primary community in Geneva also required some compromises. One reform that put the consistory directly in conflict with many parents and godparents was the 1546 names decree, which promoted biblical names for newborns and outlawed those considered blasphemous (for example, Jesus), superstitious (all saints' names), or “ill sounding” (Allemand). Spierling recounts how many godparents resented that their charges could no longer bear their own name, an old tradition, and resisted in various ways. The locally popular name of Claude (a saint) posed particular problems, but again the consistory ultimately prevailed, and by the time of Calvin's death, the name had virtually disappeared from baptismal registers.

Spierling displays a clear mastery not only of the theological issues involved but also of the related areas of law, politics, and social history. She writes persuasively and achieves a successful balance of overview and significant or illustrative anecdotes. She is especially effective in conveying the perspectives of aggrieved parents and godparents. The final chapter on raising children in Reformed Geneva does not fit as well with the rest of the book but it does at least convey the relative absence of godparents in religious training. This paperback version of the 2005 book published by Ashgate should be welcomed by university and seminar instructors as well as by pastors and church reading groups.