Recent trends in Baptist worship have revealed an interest in Liturgical forms and some movement toward more thoughtful worship content and order in what has historically been a free church worship tradition. The fields of liturgical theology and liturgical anthropology have produced research that indicates that there is validity to this interest and that the order of worship elements can be instructive as is the content of worship. When both are oriented around the gospel's shape and truth (e.g., the gospel of the glory of Christ), the worshiper is pointed to Christ who is the object of faith and the facilitator of spiritual formation through the Holy Spirit. The result is a worshiper who becomes like the one he holds in view in worship. This survey of representative churches in North American Baptist history (ca. 1650-1910) reveals that there has always been some evidence regarding the gospel's presence in Baptist worship. This has not always been due to deliberate thought and planning, but because the gospel controls its forms. Where a church has held the gospel, its worship has reflected that conviction. Where the gospel has been lost, worship is at least reflective of that, if not partially the precipitator. These churches reflect varying degrees of gospel-content and form. The historical trend demonstrates that overall, Baptists have held the gospel, often in the face of stiff opposition. This grip on grace has been reflected consistently in their worship and likely is at least one of the reasons that they have continued to grow. Their growth is at least partially, in direct correlation to their worshiping in light of the cross. They have not just sung of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, but they have engaged it in corporate worship and reflected the effects of this encounter with Christlikeness in their daily lives of worship.

This dissertation seeks to answer the question, what light does the ministry of William T. Brantly shed for understanding the breakup of the Triennial Convention? The dissertation argues that Brantly's longtime mission of uniting Christians in useful effort for a moral revolution exemplified the early vision of the Triennial Convention and that his inability as a Southerner to maintain this mission nationally among Baptists indicated grave disunity within the Convention as early as 1837. After chapter I introduces Brantly in light of current historiography, the dissertation consists of three parts--early history, theology, and later history. In the first part, encompassing the chapters 2 through 4, Brantly's personal mission is defined in the early South, illustrated in his first two Southern ministries, and climaxes in his efforts in Philadelphia. Two mentors and the death of his first wife influenced his personal mission. Two pastorates illustrated his twofold goal of organizing Baptists for missions and ministerial education. In Philadelphia, Brantly attained peace at First Baptist Church and then embodied his ideals in the formation of the Central Union Association. The formation of this new association in contradistinction to the venerable Philadelphia Association raises the question of heresy in doctrine and innovation in practice. These concerns lead into the second part--a theological examination of Brantly's thought. Chapters 5 and 6 examine his views on Calvinism and the authority of Scripture. Chapters 7 and 8 explore his justification of revivalistic new measures and benevolent societies. Chapters 9 and 10 demonstrate that Brandy's idea of evangelical unity possessed a denominational identity, a doctrinal boundary, and an even greater emphasis on active benevolence. The third part examines Brantly within the Triennial Convention. Chapter 11 discusses the Convention's transitional period (1826-1835), when sectionalism risked disunity, but compromise and silence nullified political strife and British interference. Chapters 12 and 13 examine the sectional and sectarian causes behind the visible disunity of the great Bible Convention of 1837. Brantly's stand for evangelical unity and subsequent defeat indicated grave disunity eight years before the Convention broke up. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

In 1976, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted its Bold New Thrusts in Foreign Missions with the overarching goal of sharing the gospel with every person in the world by the year 2000. The formation of Cooperative Services International (CSI) in 1985 and the assigning of the first nonresidential missionary (NRM) in 1987 demonstrated the Foreign Mission Board's commitment to take the gospel message to countries that restricted traditional missionary presence and to people groups identified as having little or no access to the gospel. This thesis traces the historical development of the NRM paradigm along with an analysis of the key components of the paradigm and its impact on the Board's missiology. Chapter 1 presents on overview of the thesis, outlining the primary research question addressed by this thesis and the rationale for this research. Chapter 2 focuses on the key events, persons and concepts that directly and indirectly influenced the leadership of the FMB in the development of this new missiological paradigm. Chapter 3 outlines the events leading up to the launching of CSI and the NRM program, the unique contributions of key Board leaders, and the initial growth of the NRM paradigm. Chapter 4 examines the years of growth and maturity of the NRM paradigm under the leadership of Mike Stroope. During this time, the nomenclature changed from NRM to Strategy Coordinator (SC). Chapter 5 seeks to demonstrate the impact of the NRM/SC paradigm on the Board's reorganization in 1997 called New Directions. Chapter 6 explores the CPM phenomenon and its impact on the SC paradigm, giving special attention to the reductionism that occurred as the Board sought to define and describe these movements. Chapter 7 revisits the major objective of this research as expressed in the introductory chapter and offers suggestions for further research. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th.

Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

In 1976, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted its Bold New Thrusts in Foreign Missions with the overarching goal of sharing the gospel with every person in the world by the year 2000. The formation of Cooperative Services International (CSI) in 1985 and the assigning of the first nonresidential missionary (NRM) in 1987 demonstrated the Foreign Mission Board's commitment to take the gospel message to countries that restricted traditional missionary presence and to people groups identified as having little or no access to the gospel. This thesis traces the historical development of the NRM paradigm along with an analysis of the key components of the paradigm and its impact on the Board's missiology. Chapter 1 presents on overview of the thesis, outlining the primary research question addressed by this thesis and the rationale for this research. Chapter 2 focuses on the key events, persons and concepts that directly and indirectly influenced the leadership of the FMB in the development of this new missiological paradigm. Chapter 3 outlines the events leading up to the launching of CSI and the NRM program, the unique contributions of key Board leaders, and the initial growth of the NRM paradigm. Chapter 4 examines the years of growth and maturity of the NRM paradigm under the leadership of Mike Stroope. During this time, the nomenclature changed from NRM to Strategy Coordinator (SC). Chapter 5 seeks to demonstrate the impact of the NRM/SC paradigm on the Board's reorganization in 1997 called New Directions. Chapter 6 explores the CPM phenomenon and its impact on the SC paradigm, giving special attention to the reductionism that occurred as the Board sought to define and describe these movements. Chapter 7 revisits the major objective of this research as expressed in the introductory chapter and offers suggestions for further research. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th.

Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)