[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.
Sociology and the Spirit: a review of Peter Marina’s Getting the Holy Ghost by Joy Allan. Peter Marina, Getting the Holy Ghost: Urban Ethnography in a Brooklyn Pentecostal Tongue-Speaking Church (Lexington Books, 2014), 322 pages, ISBN 9781498503563. A snapshot: A young man sits alone in an office, adaptable, patient, ready to listen. He is aware…
C. Peter Wagner, Churchquake!: How the New Apostolic Reformation Is Shaking Up the Church As We Know It (Ventura, CA: Regal Publishers), 274 pages, ISBN 9780830719181. I started reading Peter Wagner’s books soon after he began to be published, and I took his class on ‘Signs and Wonders’ at Fuller Seminary. I recall some…
Gastón Espinosa, Latino Pentecostals in America: Faith and Politics in Action (Cambridge, MA, and London: Harvard University Press, 2014), xi + 505 pages. Daniel Ramírez, Migrating Faith: Pentecostalism in the United States and Mexico in the Twentieth Century (Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 2015), xix + 283 pages. Why should readers…
Mark Rutland, Courage to be Healed: Finding Hope to Restore Your Soul (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2019), 208 pages, ISBN 9781629996479. Dr. Mark Rutland is the president of a ministry called Global Servants, this ministry has a base in Africa and in Asia. He is also the president of the National Institute of Christian Leadership….
This year’s Charismatic Leaders Fellowship took place in Augusta, Georgia, and was hosted February 19-22 by the Alleluia Community of that city. The Alleluia Community is a predominantly Catholic (but ecumenical) covenant community where families live in close proximity to worship together and support each other. Like other covenant communities, the Alleluia Community attempts to…
Blaine Allen, When People Throw Stones: A Leader’s Guide to Fielding Personal Criticism (Kregel, 2005), 176 pages, ISBN 978-0825420146. Blaine Allen’s book, When People Throw Stones, is important and necessary. The ugly truth is that Christian service has downsides. All too often, the chief downside is criticism. The book is organized in ten chapters;…
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