Sean the Baptist

Later this summer I will be attending the conference "Baptists Doing Theology in Context: A Continuing Consultation" here at Luther King House from 29th August - 1st September.  I have just heard that my paper proposal has been accepted.  Here it is:

 “Ambiguous Genitives, Pauline Baptism and Roman Insulae: Exegetical Resources in Romans to Support Pushing the Boundaries of Unity”

The recent report of the Baptist-Church of England Conversations, Pushing the Boundaries of Unity was recently criticised by some members of the Baptist Union Council for pushing a Baptist understanding of the place and function of baptism beyond acceptable scriptural boundaries.

In this paper I argue that such criticisms fail not only at the level of theology and history, but also at the level of exegesis.  I offer a reading of aspects of Paul’s letter to the Romans, which draws attention to the following features:

•    the ambiguity inherent in the key phrases δικαιοσυνη θεου and πιστις Χριστου suggesting that the focus of Paul’s theological presentation in the letter is on God’s objective work of salvation through Christ’s own faithfulness prior to and not dependent upon the nature of the human response to that work.

•    the understanding of Baptism found in Romans 6, which is best interpreted by those who broadly affirm a “Baptist Sacramentalism”.

•    the exhortation to reciprocity and mutual welcome among the divided house churches in Rome, found in Romans 14-15.

Thus the concern to push the boundaries of unity on the issue of baptism should be seen not only as a response to the present ecumenical paradigm, or a recovery of aspects of our own Baptist history and tradition, but also as an attempt to do justice to neglected elements within the biblical texts that have traditionally formed the basis for central Baptist convictions.