Towards Baptist Catholicity contents

Foreword by Paul Avis • xvii
Preface • ix
Abbreviations • xxiii

Chapter 1, ‘Catholic Baptists’ and the New Horizon of Tradition in Baptist Theology • 1
Baptist Theology and the Horizon of Tradition • 3
The New Horizon of Tradition and the Emergence of ‘Catholic Baptist’ Theologians • 6
Tradition as Source of Authority • 7
Place for Creeds in Liturgy and Catechesis • 8
Liturgy as Context for Formation by Tradition • 10
Community as Locus of Authority • 11
Sacramental Theology • 13
Constructive Retrieval of Tradition • 15
Thick Ecumenism • 16
Towards Baptist Catholicity: Seeking a Place for Tradition in the Baptist Vision • 17

Chapter 2, Baptist Understandings of Theological Authority: A North American Perspective • 23
The Baptist Ecclesial Location of the Perspective • 25
Ultimate Authority: The Triune God • 27
Derivative Authority: The Supremacy of the Scriptures • 28
Divergent Understandings of Biblical Authority • 29
Other Sources of Authority? • 32
Baptists, Tradition, and Creeds • 34
Towards a Baptist Rethinking of Authority • 36

Chapter 3, The Authority of the Community (of All the Saints): Towards a Postmodern Baptist Hermeneutic of Tradition • 39
The Hermeneutics of Suspicion and Baptist Suspicion of Tradition • 40
Reevaluating the A-Traditional Baptist ‘Tradition’ • 43
Paradigms for Postmodern Retrieval of Tradition: Some Non-Baptist Dialogue Partners • 46
Thomas Oden: Postmodern Paleo-Orthodoxy • 47
Karl Barth: Beginning with the Community of Faith • 49
La Nouvelle Théologie: Renewal through Ressourcement • 51
Alasdair MacIntyre: Tradition, Community, and Rationality • 53
Paul Ricoeur: Tradition in the Second Naïvité • 55
John Milbank, Catherine Pickstock, and Company: Radical Orthodoxy • 56
Leonardo Boff and Catherine Mowry LaCugna: Traditional Resources for Liberation • 58
Geoffrey Wainwright: The Liturgical Locus of Tradition • 59
George Lindbeck and the ‘New Yale Theology’: Tradition as Communal Narrative • 61
A Postmodern Baptist Hermeneutic of Tradition • 63
The Normative Function of Tradition: The Authority of the Community (of All the Saints) • 63
The Vehicle of Tradition: The Story of the Community • 65
The Critical Function of Tradition: The Argument of the Community • 66

Chapter 4, Baptist Confessions of Faith and the Patristic Tradition • 71
Vestiges of the Patristic Tradition in Baptist Confessions • 72
First Historical Thesis • 72
Second Historical Thesis • 77
Third Historical Thesis • 80
Constructive Proposals for Interaction with the Patristic Tradition in Future Baptist Confessions • 81
First Constructive Proposal • 81
Second Constructive Proposal • 83
Third Constructive Proposal • 86

Chapter 5, From Triadic Narrative to Narrating the Triune God: Towards a Baptist Appreciation of Trinitarian Catholicity • 89
The Economic Legacy of the Triadic Narrative: Ignatius of Antioch • 91
The Trinity in the New Testament Traditions • 92
The Trinity in the Ignatian Correspondence • 95
Narrating the Triune God: Ecclesial Shaping of the Story • 100
Explaining the Narrative to Outsiders: The Greek Apologists • 101
Problematic Versions of the Narrative: Monarchianism and Its Opponents • 102
Contesting the Plot: The Arian Controversy • 104
Refining Liturgical Narration: The Pneumatomachian Controversy • 106
Character Development: The Clarification of Trinitarian Relations • 108

Chapter 6, Hebrews in Patristic Perspective: Benefits of Catholicity for Baptist Biblical Interpretation • 111
Patristic Homilies and Commentaries on Hebrews • 115
The Place of Hebrews in the Development of Patristic Theology • 117
Alexandrian Christology • 118
Antiochene Christology • 118
Hebrews 2.10-18 and the Suffering of Christ • 118
Patristic Resources for Teaching and Preaching Hebrews Today • 121
Hebrews 6.1-8 and Apostasy • 122
Patristic Exegesis and Baptist Proclamation of Hebrews • 127

Chapter 7, Hearing the Voice of the Community: Karl Barth’s Conversation with the Fathers as a Paradigm for Baptist and Evangelical Ressourcement • 129
Biographical Evidence of Barth’s Interest in the Fathers • 132
The Shape of Patristic Retrieval in the Church Dogmatics • 137
Patristic Conversation Partners • 137
Augustine of Hippo • 138
Eastern Conversation Partners • 139
Communal Expressions of Patristic Theology • 140
Doctrinal Loci of the Conversation • 141
Agenda of the Conversation • 141
Barthian Possibilities for Baptist and Evangelical Retrieval of Patristic Theology • 142
Returning Ad Fontes • 142
Collaborating in the Conversation • 144
Discerning the Voice of the Community • 144
Baptist Systematic Theology and Patristic Retrieval • 146
Listening Eastwards and Westwards • 147
Catholicity Beyond Trinitarian and Christological Orthodoxy • 148
Listening Critically • 149

Chapter 8, Praying and Believing: Retrieving the Patristic Interdependence of Worship and Theology • 151
The Interdependence of Worship and Theology in Patristic Practice: A Narrative Interpretation • 153
Rehearsal of the Divine Story in Typical Baptist Worship • 157
Theologically Formative Patterns and Practices from Patristic Worship: Resources for Retrieval • 159
Calendar • 159
Lectionary • 161
Word and Table • 162
Creed • 163
Prayer • 165
Confession and Pardon • 168
Passing of the Peace • 169
Lives of the Saints • 170
Hymns • 171
Implementing Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi in Baptist Congregations • 172

Chapter 9, Contesting Our Story: Catholicity and Communal Conflict in Baptist Higher Education • 179
Sources of Communal Conflict over Faith-and-Learning Proposals • 181
Theological Controversies • 181
Political Polarization • 181
Mutual Suspicion • 183
Embracing Conflict as Contested Catholicity • 183
The Contested Character of the Christian Tradition • 184
The Narrative Shape of the Christian Tradition • 185
The Liturgical Locus of the Christian Tradition • 187
The Importance of Intra-Faculty Theological Education • 189

Chapter 10, ‘What Keeps You from Becoming a Catholic?’A Personal Epilogue • 193
Precedents for ‘Conversion’ • 194
Why Not Rome, Constantinople, or Canterbury? • 198
Negligible Reservations • 198
Ecclesial and Ecumenical Responsibility • 201
A More Precise Definition of ‘Catholicity’ • 202
Precedents for Catholic Renewal within Protestant Denominations • 205
The Oxford Movement • 206
The Mercersburg Theology • 207
The Berneuchener Movement • 209
An Invitation to a Conversation • 211

Appendix 1: Re-Envisioning Baptist Identity: A Manifesto for Baptist Communities in North America • 215

Appendix 2: Confessing the Faith • 225

Bibliography • 231
Ancient Texts • 231
Modern Literature • 233
Index of Scripture References • 255
Index of Names • 257
Index of Subjects • 265

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