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    by Robert W. Jenson

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    The Return to Baptism

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    by Robert W. Jenson

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    35 views5 pages

    The Return To Baptism

    Uploaded by

    akimel
    by Robert W. Jenson

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 5
    Encorine wl Luthd, Ciapay, al Eate W. Gatsth BO + May ta £7 ety lg Me 9 Gyr fhe Rr 1, Leni WS Sh Saas nyt 5b oe Ent Rr oni tee ere N08 Svs me ie Ste of Agus Here (New Yuk The New Ameren SEN tm lng 09110 Pa), FS tty 9498 eA iMate, Te Pats hi: Fr Pr, 10, p38 EAE Beer etn 45, 008 arsine dt eek Ch ah Sieh amsoty Tee Rew Batam 27 The Return to Baptism ‘Romar W. Jenson ‘Nartare” and “Formation” Ashaheen customary for some years thisthislo,Tamassigned total ‘onthe theme ofthe conference, "Baptism and Chistian Fornaio,” not aa lscusson of Lather but asa dscusion of hapten and Christian formation, Inspired by Lather. And that is what | propose todo. ‘Thete fsa word that I rather prefer to formation,” “nurture,” Both are ‘metaphors. “Nurture” isa more agricultural metaphor; one thinks of digging shout something. dng, watering, ad sooth. “Formation isa one horticultural metaphor, ave thinks of pring 4 plat int shape, Nurture is providing the objective conditions the earth, the water, the the mutrients—for Ife to grow, to grow not inthe sense of becoming, ‘continuously bigger but in a sense of emerging or appearing. The seed falls {ntothe earth and loses ise, then something tat was not there before comes Sith rom i That isthe character of eto live mens endlessly to give up the od and he born in sone sense anew, yet a the same Ie. Nurture the provisiofthe necesary though never sulicent condition lar this marvel to Formation presupposes thatthe marvelis occurring, sth the shrub isa Fit wi: thas tobe promed. Yet seu tobe prone arbitrary there let ier shape for an apple te, Just boone isan apple re, a the od Tarmer is the one who 50 cuts the toe that Itai ts own true shape What Kind of tafe? weare to talkof Christan nurture and Christin formation, manifest the Sit question we have toaskis which and what sortie do we have nd? 11 nurture rhododendron with allie fete. will ot prosper: and if with any shears farm an ape wader the pression at itis peracatha, ‘will do wel either. Whats this if tht we propose oor and nurture in the Cristian church? There ean be only one posible answer-—that ie tht ‘emerges fom the waters of apts. That the ony anew that anybody has ‘ever seriously given in the whole Tong history ofthe church ‘Naw notice the language | used: “emerges,” Fr baptism sitsel the casting ‘ofthe old into the waters and the appearance ofthe new. Nol jus in Lather bbutin the whol tradition, baptism as never been understood a merely the ginning of new lie. Baptism is that ending ofthe old and begoning of the new which se, and which here the pecfe new fe we wan om Th Christian fea baptism, as both previous speakers have isis eval the sane thing So aware ofthis was the New Testament church andthe ancient church, thatthe very occurrence of any ine after baptism was problem for them: Do we not emerge straight ro Ue water int te hig vaste of time in between? The ol ile ends when Waters andthe new self san xchitologel el aslfin the Kingdom sel the Spit. And thi ending and this egg, this ptm, are the hie of Gia’ saints, So how come all that spacer st of ts anyway betwee the hath and the kinglom? I there te space there, seems ee ont ‘wove on fom baptism to something else to apy it But what woul that something eae be? Wis nt too much osay that this question hasbeen the tormentiyestion ‘of western theological and lure history, the question at wih the seninses of western cvlzaton have beaten thet heads wnt a fcmcered, Later answered t, What we do between bupts ad Oe ky ‘dm. said Lather isnt to marchfrsard ron pt tos ‘rather again and again to return to ptm indeed, tree Once has heen si, i clea that thi the only aver sive. The ony thing tt one ea yt sexy the space between the bath fan the kingon, i that one lives the bath ane return to fe i history ater buptsand before ‘snot something intated by haps, nt something we move tm tof baptist thease of baptism, the enfoment af baptisms. 1s eventhough the word Is teeacherous—the repetition of mptism, Bat Lnthers terminology’ alter all the best. Life hetween baptism and the Kingda the move “hack int bap, ‘And that, ofcourse, also answersout main question shout Chistian mostre ‘Christan formation. Christan nurture x providing the objective cond "ions fir thisretuey-and Cristian formation means ving the shape of hi Penance Yet despite the necessity of these answers, we mst suspend some ‘hing mysterious shout them, Weare tospend our tine betwen baptism ae ‘he kingdom returning baptist. But hw do we data? We havea secon level version of Joseph Artatheas question: caaman enter ascend ting ‘nto the waters of baptism and be re-bors? And ow do we nurture and pane such a return? “The frst answers that fby thls question we mean, how do move myself backinto baptism, and how do nartare this return, an bw give my ie this shape, the answer is: I donot. God does.” But God does tha to me by ‘way of you. We are to one another God's hands and Gods mouth ta nurtare and to prune, And other ail the question: what d the saints dato each other to nurture the retura to baptism and to prune one anather tothe aptismal shape? For Lather himsal, the means of return were not quite so mysterious as they are for us. Lather lived in « chutch lie that was dominated by the The Reumw Bition 6 28 scrament of penance, which be indeed wanted radially to alter, but os, surely not to abolish, When in the Large Catechism Lathertalls about the ‘se of apt as Yereeping bck ito iif explctly and precisely to propery relormedsacamentof penance--and sacrament" nwhat heals ‘the this sarament”—that he refers The sacrament of penance had ently been horn a sort ofa second baptis for thove who blew the Rrst one; ‘ad init trial for itwasinfcta repetition af those parts of baptism that ‘on be repeated. In all te wists it had never lst tht sasoclaton ow dowe return to baptis? ABest answer thal Lather did wt ever have to make exit, rns ke this: give up your past Meagan to the judgment af God, as vu dd when you frst gave p yourelto the waters. And ain wait Sor the blesingof Go's minister, a when you ist waited to hear im ay, the text of Luther's own baptismal oder?"The almighty and merefl God, who as begotten you again by water andthe Spit and as forgiven al your sins, strengthen and preserve you, ‘Two vital points an now be made. One wil ound ot this more analytical ‘bartof ny lecture The second will be the springboard for more argument {ive and perhaps controversial prt Point one. When Luther ssid that Christan lie the return to baptin, ud when he said that out Lord intends the whol ie of believers to be one ‘ast sacrament of penance theintention—we can now sees the same, And we consider Lather’s second way of speaking we nay discern in li ‘entity withthe bapismal way of speaking, general interpretation of (Clvstian ie: Christan Ife, 38 a whole and as any of ts peces. has the before-andater, the death-and-new-birth, of taptism, a6 Its strcture ‘We inay look at the fe ofthe believer as one whole event that so-andso lives Then we can quite literally say that so-and-so emerges rom the mater of Fhptisn strat nto the kingdom, and that al the tine between simply the cenerging, Orwe may lok atan experience ora period or part of so-and-so life Then we wil have the same pattern to Jeerbe. In every event of brlievingife, there the same pater: the death of the ut and the bith of the new ‘The Sacramentaliy of Nurture Point to. The retun to baptism occurs fundamentally as penance: ‘oes toa fellow believer and wait or the sound of his vce and —in my teaton—the pressure ois hand upon ny head. This suggests proposition but nurture and formation, which will old even Lather turns ot ot ‘Christan nurtore and Christian formation ave fandamentallysaraent, sind ithe itera sense. Christan nurtare—providing to one another the objective conditions for the return to baptism fist and oremest that the saints provide to one another sacramental acts that fc perform this return ‘san event in therlives. And Catia formation that the sant provide 0 ‘one another sacramental acts that shape life to the baptismal patter, that ‘20 + Raber W.Jesson pane and discipline to that way indeed baptism i both the reality and the contining shape of Cl if, then the ie we are concerned to nurture and frm nthe cure Seomalloter ile none decsve respec: the new thingthat ee ‘kd as not there before Tho mighty oak that comes ron he in the acorn all the thne,"potentaly.” as we say. The good student that tsmergestrom the apparent dunce wis there all the tim. eo she was ate bloomer,” we say. What aceurs is only blooming the bd was there, Fr the ‘emergence ofthe cakand the student, we use the paired concepts often and development. The student is potentially leared-—we keep telling burselveseven tact learned what rele sat this potent yshalbe actualized. As that happens, wesay, "Ab, Sith filly develo Forthe kind oflifein which the new that emerges wasn the lll the tie we use the paired concepts of potentiality and development. Just so hone ‘cncepts do ot it buptisal ie tall Fr in the ease of bptsinal death that intervenes betwee the old self and the new. eis Christ’ death that at all rats mean eschatological new sel tists death, therefore, that fallow him tomy ew elf And te det that baptism sacramentlly anticipates, And so ts deuth that the pivot of each expert re or part of ie that has baptisn's pattern. Lama fer al, quote Lather fone mote time. "What does such baptsn with water ea?” That the old ‘Adan witha his sinsand ev sts shall be drowned and pt to dtl day Sorrow and repentance, and thatthe new man nay daly emerge and be resurrected...” Thus baptism does nt draw out potential pew set that ‘was there all the tne. It rings the new sel The new Jenson mat her all, the time asa potential. He is Brought to and ina the ol Jenson “Thais why the new sels birth accomplihed by «sacramental at, by teaer-bapis, a wt jst by spe or word-baptisn, The ew self a tptisn ts self chat grasps God's word of promise, And this word U promise that listen tin baptism andin baptismal i, und emainsa word fave tocar, word Ihave to stent, that each ime is speen to me ‘outside me, with assurances Ieannot grant to myaell In the providence of Gout isto secure this externality ofthe word, that the word bind isl to ‘incompromisingly extemal acts om bath with water, to meal wi Dread snd cup, ot toa gestured sgn ofthe ere. Because the ospel-ward binds ‘tselto baptisms bath, Tam prevented from persuading myself that ave the ‘gospel my head, and dnt need tohear anymore. For therefsno wey lam ‘oingtogetthat bof water into my head. By being the wordih that wate, ‘the Baptismal promise secure tel gainst my inveterate wget neorgorte ‘versthinginto myselfand pretend steam ot of meal the time, preted that the new selfborn ofthe wordisuselfthat I brought forth, that Iwas potentially int all the tine ‘Therefore, baptism is water baptism and haeto be water-baptism tbe any otal The a heady axe star 1h te patent de la et Ronee on hie i eRe wf oa ae a cml" ron Fo a i ee of death and rebirth, ‘se ™ The Lows of Nurturing Sacraments re ofthe return to Baptisen mens tha it would have had tobe ‘sacramental someliow. In ct, the church's life has thvugh mon ofits sory Drovided two sacraments ofnurtare and formation penance aatcenpetand ‘iret enactment ofthe return from the old self tthe new and the Supper os the veal experience ofthe new slltowhichwe ten: Whee thoes tay {he Gonfessons putt “admistered in accord with the gone" mora Sormaton cannot go far wrong. Where they ae not ning cise wl ny Perhaps now we can explain the fatty and desperation of ur more recent attempts at nurture and formation. Why, afterall are these suddenly the topic of every conference inthe American Christian church? Decaune we Dereeive how manifestly we have fale in them. And we have fated beesre ‘we have abolished penance ad removed the Suppet om mort new Chats Hans, that, tom those who most need it Penance fist. Coufession of in “iret to God,” as we say. fr our resent concern entirely beside the pont. For what we mean whet wey ne are ming to confess “direct” to: Gad, i that we ate going to Bypass ‘raments. But whatever may be the use of such unmediated aproch to God, the value of confession and forgiveness fr murture and formation, ‘depends omits sacramental character: that, on the physi presonce a the

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