The massive blogging crowds which frequent my site have spoken, and I will do all that I can to post more often. I cannot offer anything brilliant, since I am now out of the Chautauqua scene, drinking normal, Philly water and breathing in the same air that all of the common folk are breathing in, but I will endeavor to do my best.
I have started working on the third chapter of my dissertation (with much rejoicing). So far, the basic outline of this chapter will look something like this:
1. A question of Baptist sacramentalism, i.e. if there is a place for a sacramental consciousness in Baptist life
2. A consideration of the term "Sacramental Consciousness" - borrowed from the Catholics
3. A consideration of a sacramental understanding of ordination
4. Possible applications of such consideration
This is very basic, but I am just starting the research. I have been combing and rereading some of the chapters from the book Baptist Sacramentalism - I think the title speaks for itself. The authors are all making an argument that one can find a sacramental thread in Baptist life, especially in the beginning of the movement. It is an historical movement. A couple of the authors have mentioned that the current reaction against sacramentalism today is because of changes over time, the influence of the enlightmentment and an anti-catholic rhetoric. I have not seen I good current study of today's Baptists and their view of sacraments, but I would imagine most would be against it (either you're 'fer it or a'gin it). So here is my question. Just because we used to have a place for sacraments in our history, does that mean we should reintroduce historical and possibly anachronistic concepts? Or does it mean that we may still have, embedded within our historical DNA (what does that mean? Hah! I'll never tell!) the possibility for a current understanding or appreciation of the sacraments. Historical flashbacks can be dangerous or they can be liberating.
3 comments:
I'm not sure about 'sacramentalism' exactly. I do know that in rhode island a good number of our church members were once catholic and although they appreciate the polity and the preaching, they often miss the sense of mystery and the holy that they experienced at the eucharist. Lately i have been experimenting with slightly more liturgical language, from other traditions, during communion.
I'm not exactly sure about the implications of calling this 'sacramental'. I don't think the people at my church would want a rigid kind of structure like the RC expectations around eucharist which does not include anyone outside the Catholic tradition but I do know that increasingly the members of my church are increasingly seeking a sense of the mysterious and the holy.
Hi Jonathan--I've looked a bit at your blog in the last few weeks. I'm pastor of an ABC church in Exton, pursuing my PhD in Liturgical Studies from Drew in northern NJ.
First, let me invite you if you're interested, there is a small group of ABC pastors and former pastors discussing some of these issues in West Chester, PA. Shoot me an e-mail at pastormike@extonbaptist.org if you're interested.
Second, my wife is from Westfield, NY (near Chautauqua); beautiful country, never been to the Institute though (except for a Mary Chapin Carpenter concert once). Hope you had a good week there.
Third, my dissertation is on Charles Finney; so you'd expect me to say that revivalism has an awful lot to do with the drastic change in Baptist sacramental consciousness. If you look at Baptist confessions of faith (ie Lumpkin), it's incredible how many pre-1830 confessions are straight Calvinist on the sacraments, and how many after that (starting with the NH confession in 1833) refer to sacraments merely as "emblems."
Our churches today bear the hallmarks and scars of revivalism, including a tremendous reliance on written words and suspicion of symbols. I understand this suspicion as a fault, and so I say, "Bring back the word sacrament!"
Anyway, my $.02. Hope to connect with you sometime--
MJ
Excellent point Michael. I can't hang with all your baptist historical references, but I think that you are right about Baptist 'Liturgy' focusing on words. Lately I have been growing weary of always talking in worship and encouraging people to do something symbolic, an action which stirs the spirit and hopefully encourages an experience with mystery.
I think I would get fired if I used the word 'sacrament' but still, symbolic actions stir the spirit in a way that words cannot.
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