Contemporary Practices of Baptist Worship (DL9421W)

Content

This unit explores contemporary practices of worship in the Baptist Church, engaging with the theological, cultural and linguistic diversity of its faith communities. Students will explore Baptist ecclesiologies, as well as theologies of worship and liturgy, which will ground practical elements of the unit. Attention will be given to how Baptist theological origins continue to impact contemporary practice in order to explore the question of what may be distinct about Baptist worship today.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

Foundational Field D unit required

Pedagogy

This unit will invite students to explore Baptist theology and practice of worship across a couple of streams of worship practice (music, liturgy, etc.). It will have a multicultural emphasis reflective of the Baptist Union of Victoria, inviting guest lectures from across the Union. It will be a highly interactive and practice-oriented unit, encouraging students to take their learning back to their church communities.

Indicative Bibliography

• Bawi Dua. “A Reinterpretation of Chin Christian Spirituality Beyond One Century in the Light Of Martin Luther's Freedom Of a Christian.” MTh thesis, Luther Seminary, 2019.
• Burns, Stephen and Bryan Cones (editors). Liturgy with a Difference: Beyond Inclusion in the Christian Assembly. SCM Press, 2019.
• Chan, Simon. Liturgical Theology: The Church as Worshiping Community. IVP Academic, 2006.
• Chuang, Esther Shin. The Beautiful Mosaic: Introducing Multicultural Worship to First Baptist Church of Park Ridge. Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies, 2019.
• Cross, Anthony R., and Philip E. Thompson eds., Baptist Sacramentalism. Vol. 5 of Studies in Baptist History and Thought. Paternoster, 2003.
• ​___, Baptist Sacramentalism 2. Vol 25 of Studies in Baptist History and Thought. Paternoster, 2008.
• Ellis, Christopher J. Gathering: A Theology and Spirituality of Worship in Free Church Tradition. SCM, 2004.
• Fiddes, Paul S., Brian Haymes and Richard Kidd. Baptists and the Communion of Saints: A Theology of Covenanted Disciples. Baylor University Press, 2014.
• Jackson, Darrell and Darren Cronshaw (editors). Cultural Diversity, Worship and Australian Baptist Church Life. Morling Press, 2016.
• Liu, Gerald C. And Khalia J. Williams. A Worship Workbook: A Practical Guide for Extraordinary Liturgy. Abingdon Press, 2021.
• Newman, Elizabeth. Living the Liturgy: Enlarging the Baptist Vision. Baylor University Press, 2024.
• Williams, Khalia J. and Mark A. Lamport (editors). Theological Foundations of Worship: Biblical, Systematic, and Practical Perspectives. Baker Academic, 2021.

Assessment