Logo

 

Banner Image:   Baptist-Times-banner-2000x370-
Template Mode:   Baptist Times
Icon
    Post     Tweet

Blogging about baptism 

Baptist minister Andy Goodliff explains why he is sharing 40 different accounts of baptism on his blog throughout Lent 

Baptism 700

This Lent I’ve set myself the task of posting 40 Days of Baptism: each day I’m posting a story, a sermon, song, a sonnet, or similar around the theme of baptism. The aim was to help the church where I minister and any other interested readers think more deeply about baptism – what it means, how we celebrate it and remember our own.

Finding 40 different accounts of baptism has been a task, but an interesting and enjoyable one and I’ve found its put me on the path of discovering new thoughts and new things to read. Included are some stories of infant baptism, which some of us might exclaim, "But it’s not baptism!" I see this as an opportunity for some receptive ecumenism[1], to hear some stories that may challenge our views and give us pause for thought.

It feels appropriate to think about baptism during Lent because the season is a chance to immerse ourselves in story of Jesus’ journey, passion and death, which is what we do as we come to baptism.

Baptism, like the Lord’s supper, like the reading of Scripture, is a gift of God in which its meaning never gets exhausted. Hopefully the 40 days of baptism give us a glimpse of that.

They can be read here: http://andygoodliff.typepad.com/my_weblog/baptism/

Image: Open Church


[1] Receptive ecumenism says the first question we should ask is not what do other church traditions need to learn from us, but instead, what do we need to learn from them. For more on receptive ecumenism see here: https://www.dur.ac.uk/theology.religion/ccs/projects/receptiveecumenism/


Andy Goodliff is minister of Belle Vue Baptist Church, Southend-on-Sea



 
Baptist Times, 02/03/2016
    Post     Tweet
The challenge and opportunity of microchurch planting
'Resources (of people, finance and goodwill) are often hard to come by, metrics are not kind... but these experimental groups contain the seeds to our survival' Dave Criddle reports from a recent gathering focused on microchurch
The Boy at the Back of the Bus
Interview with Antoinette Brooks, Baptist church member and author of a new book documenting the childhood of Martin Luther King
Rediscovering the magic of Christmas
We can find a fresh perspective on the nativity story by considering some of the less familiar texts that point to and talk about the birth of the Saviour, writes John Hayward
Sharing the Christian story with your local schools
A presentation that has seen hundreds of thousands of pupils learn more about the Christian faith at Christmas and Easter marks its 30th anniversary next year – and it is hoped even more churches and schools could be involved
‘It will help you encounter Jesus in new and deeper ways’
Mosaic Creative has announced the release of a new book and audiobook of biblical monologues for churches called Following the Son by Jackie Mouradian
Different types of small church
The Small Church Connexion team is testing out different categories of small church, from a new plant to one that is choosing to close. These are imprecise categories which need to be fleshed out, but can help us strengthen the resource we offer
     The Baptist Times 
    Posted: 16/11/2024
    Posted: 11/09/2024
    Posted: 05/02/2024
    Posted: 16/12/2023
    Posted: 15/12/2023
    Posted: 06/12/2023
    Posted: 27/11/2023