Criswell College has been training believers for service in Christ’s kingdom since its inception in 1971. A large part of its success in this endeavor has been its faculty who have been committed to rigorous scholarship and gospel ministry. One of the best examples of such devotion has been Criswell’s own Professor of New Testament, Dr. Leroy Metts, who recently retired after teaching for over forty years. In honor of his service to multitudes of students, this volume of CTR is a tribute to his heritage. Each article is authored by either a colleague or former student who is now pursuing (or has pursued) further academic endeavors in biblical and theological studies.
Our lead article is by R. Alan Streett who serves as Senior Research Professor of Biblical Theology at Criswell College. His essay is a small taste of his larger work on baptism, entitled Caesar and Sacrament. He argues that the early Christian movement’s adaptation of baptism as a religious sacramentum was done to demonstrate allegiance to Jesus and his kingdom as well as disavow any loyalty to Roman imperial power.