Shawn O. Strout is Assistant Professor of Worship and Associate Dean of Chapel at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. He holds a Ph.D. from the Catholic University of America in liturgical studies and sacramental theology. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles for journals such as Worship, The Anglican Theological Review, Studia Liturgica, and Anglican and Episcopal History. He is the author of three books, including "Of Thine Own Have We Given Thee": A Liturgical Theology of the Offertory in Anglicanism, Shepherding Souls: A Handbook for the Pastoral Offices, and Bound Together: Baptism, Eucharist, and the Church. Strout has been ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church for over ten years. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

"For all those who feel that the words 'hospitality' and 'inclusivity' are a sufficient justification for 'communion without baptism,' the Rev. Dr. Shawn Strout's book is a must read. All the bases are covered—biblical, historical, ecumenical—and the case is utterly persuasive. He shows that theological coherence requires that we keep the bond and order between baptism and the Eucharist. Elegantly written, thorough in research, Dr. Strout now joins the ranks of the leading Episcopal and Anglican theologians ready to provide deep counsel on contentious questions of the leadership of the church."—Ian S. Markham, Ph.D., Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary

"Shawn Strout offers fresh perspectives on the vexed question of communion before baptism. With deep respect for those advocating for a change in historical practice, he invites his readers to consider scripture, history, and liturgy, connecting baptism and Eucharist to the Church. This book broadens our horizons, as Strout helps us see how understandings of baptism have changed over the centuries and encourages Episcopalians to embrace the rich baptismal images in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer as foundational for the Eucharist and for the Church as the Body of Christ."—Ruth Meyers, Hodges Haynes Professor of Liturgics at Church Divinity School of the Pacific, and a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty of the Graduate Theological union in Berkeley, California

"Theology matters! And how we summarize what we believe matters. Theology and belief statements shift and change, of course, often because a deeper dive into how the building blocks of the topic at hand shift to inform each other. In this introductory text on the theology of church, Shawn Strout helpfully joins together scripture, history, liturgical theology, ecclesiology, and ecumenism to stress how baptism and eucharist are bound together to form what he calls the 'baptismal-eucharistic ecclesiology' of the Episcopal Church (and the hyphen is essential). All who are interested in the relationship between baptism, eucharist, and the Church will want to begin here. Each chapter builds on the previous articulations to create a solid foundation for understanding how changing the cohesion and unity of baptism before communion changes the very theology of the Church."—Lizette Larson-Miller, Canon Precentor, Diocese of Huron, Professor of Liturgy and Sacramental Theology, Bexley Seabury Seminary