[M]any baptists/Baptists have forgotten their own theology of the sacraments/ordinances and have practiced them inconsistently with our history and theology. – Roger Olson
I have found this article by Dr. Olson, professor of theology at Baylor University, most interesting. It is specifically limited to his fellow Baptists, but has much to commend it to a broader audience. Dr. Olson’s insights into receiving Holy Communion are particularly useful. He correctly shows that there is no biblical warrant to demand baptism prior to receiving Communion.
Olson’s main thrust is about the decline in Baptist churches to remain true to their theology of the sacraments and either not think about the issue, or think about it sloppily. Let me reinforce the point with my own observations as I have witnessed a variety Baptist or “non-denominational” (ex-Baptists) churches do baptism. One church in particular really stunned me when the minister immersed the teen aspirant, but said no words, as in the classic Trinitarian formula, or even the United Pentecostal “Onto the name of Jesus.” Nothing. That is an extreme case, but points to what Olson complains about. I hope many people read Olson’s article and give more thought to their sacramental ministry.
Roger E. Olson, The Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity and Diversity, Second Edition (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2016), 396 pages. Roger Olson was raised Pentecostal and now writes as an evangelical within the Baptist tradition. Although Baptist, he is neither a fundamentalist nor a Calvinist. Rather, he is one of the…
What does Spirit-filled education look like around the world? The principal of Filadelphia Bible College, Finny Philip, tells us about this ministry training center in Udaipur City in Rajasthan, India. Part of the Pentecostal Theological Education Around the World series from PneumaReview.com. PneumaReview.com: How readily available is theological education for Pentecostals in India? Finny Philip:…
John Chryssavgis, Bartholomew: Apostle and Visionary (Nashville, TN: W. Publishing Group, an imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2016), 272 pages, ISBN 9780718086893. My journey with Orthodox brothers and sisters started with Brighton ’91. With assistance from Monsignor Peter Hocken, I put together this first global conference for Pentecostal scholars. The keynote speaker was Professor Jürgen Moltmann…
Pastor Daniel Brown says that when it comes to organizing a local congregation, “structure” should be a verb, not a noun. Sometimes the most obvious truths escape our attention until we find ourselves in a new setting. For instance, even though I had been taught the truth of God’s word from boyhood, it was not…
Evangelical leaders from around the world gathered at Calvin Theological Seminary from Thursday, August 24 through Saturday, August 26 to discuss Christian-Muslim relations. This was a private consultation and I invite you to read what participants have written about this. Tony Richie: Consultation on American Evangelicals and Islam Antipas Harris: How Can Christians and Muslims…
Leland Ryken, A Complete Handbook of Literary Forms in the Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 220 pages. Leland Ryken, past professor of English at Wheaton College (Illinois), has spent a significant amount of his career helping readers improve their interpretation and appreciation of the literary character of the Bible. A Complete Handbook of Literary Forms…
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