The baptist Vision: Narrative Theology and Baptist Identity in the Thought of James Wm. McClendon, Jr. by Spencer Miles Boersma A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Wycliffe College and the Theology Department of the Toronto School of Theology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Theology awarded by Wycliffe College and the University of Toronto © Copyright by Spencer Miles Boersma, 2017 The baptist Vision: Narrative Theology and Baptist Identity in the Thought of James Wm. McClendon, Jr. Spencer Miles Boersma Doctor of Theology Wycliffe College and University of Toronto 2017 Abstract This dissertation will investigate the many forms the baptist vision takes in McClendon’s work. The baptist vision is a comprehensive theme in McClendon’s work and is summarized in the short phrases, “this is that, then is now” in Scripture, and “the church now is the primitive church and the church on judgment day” (I, 30). It is a typological dynamic, where the biblical text speaks today. The baptist vision is an employment of narrative theology, bringing a set of literary insights such as typology, narratology, catachresis, picture-thinking, grammar, and speech-acts to bear on doctrinal problems and biblical texts. The baptist vision is also a prescription to address problems in baptist identity, such as certain doctrinal issues, as well as questions of origin, unity, and catholicity. In the baptist vision, narrative theology and baptist identity interrelate, mutually enriching each other as the biblical narrative is viewed from a baptist perspective and the baptist identity is re-examined by the biblical narrative. The baptist vision refers to both the way that the biblical narrative is meaningful today and a particular way baptists have identified themselves in that story. These two aspects, while distinct, are mutually dependent and enriching in McClendon’s theology. ii Acknowledgements Few people are able to shepherd both the mind and the soul, and my director, Dr. Ephraim Radner, is one of these. He always gave shrewd advice, extra time, and warm encouragement, and for that I am grateful. This project seeks to understand God’s Word while lamenting the fragmentation of Christ’s body. From Ephraim, I have learned both. I began pastoring First Baptist Church of Sudbury shortly after proposing this thesis in the fall of 2013, and I am grateful for the study days and support they gave me to complete this project. As we gathered weekly for Bible study and prayer, I was pleased to find that McClendon’s vision was already in practice there. I have realized that I am a theologian not an editor, and so, I am grateful for the gifts of my editor, Matthew Forrest Lowe, who did excellent work preparing this thesis. Also, I am thankful for my friend, David Fuller, who interned with me each summer over these two years of writing and gave valuable feedback. Any remaining errors are of course my own. Finally I am thankful for my amazing wife, Meagan. She listened to me when I mused abstractly; she put the kids to bed when I was working late; she read and edited, giving her time and energy, caring simply because she knew I cared about this. Through this I am constantly reminded that she is my perfect partner in life and the greatest gift God has given me. With thanksgiving, Spencer Miles Boersma Sudbury, January 2016 iii Table of Contents Page 1. Introduction………………………………………………………………...1 1.1 Who Was James Wm. McClendon, Jr.? ………………………… 2 1.2 What Is Narrative Theology? ……………………………….…… 5 1.3 Who are the “baptists”? ………………………………………….10 1.4 Thesis and Chapter Summary……………………………………12 2. Beginning with Biography………………………………………………. 16 2.1 What Is a Biography? …………………………………………... 17 2.2 The Context and Key Terms……………………………………. 23 2.3 Criteria for Biographical Theology……………………………...26 2.4 Biography and the baptist Vision……………………………….. 39 2.5 Conclusion……………………………………………………….48 3. The baptist Vision as Typological Practice………………………………50 3.1 “This is That, Then is Now” as Typology……………………….51 3.2 Rules for Reading………………………………………………..53 3.3 What Is “baptist” about the baptist Vision?…………………….. 61 3.4 Conclusion……………………………………………………….78 4. A Three-Strand Story……………………………………………………. 80 4.1 The Danger of Narrative Theology without a Metaphysic………81 4.2 A Narrative Pragmatist…………………………………………..84 4.3 Three Strands: Bodily, Social, and Anastatic……………………88 4.4 The Nature of Narrative as the Foundation of an Ontology……..93 4.5 Theological and Narrative Elements of the Three Strands………97 4.6 Conclusion……………………………………………………...108 5. Storied Systematics……………………………………………………...109 5.1 Knowing Christ through Narrative……………………………..110 5.2 Two-Narrative Christology……………………………………. 120 5.3 The Trinitarian Code…………………………………………... 129 5.4 Conclusion……………………………………………………...140 6. Signs of the Times………………………………………………………141 6.1 Historic, Providential, and Remembering Signs………………. 141 6.2 The Remembering Signs………………………………………. 144 6.3 Time Configured………………………………………………. 146 6.4 Doctrines Configured………………………………………….. 151 6.5 Conclusion……………………………………………………...160 iv 7. Text as Metaphor, Catachresis, and Picture-Thinking…………………. 161 7.1 Metaphor and Catachresis……………………………………... 162 7.1.1 Salvation……………………………………………. 165 7.1.2 Atonement………………………………………….. 170 7.1.3 Creation…………………………………………….. 176 7.2 Picture-Thinking and Eschatology…………………………….. 182 7.3 Conclusion……………………………………………………...191 8. Doctrine as Grammar and Speech-Acts………………………………...192 8.1 Doctrine as Grammar………………………………………….. 193 8.1.1 The Influence of Ludwig Wittgenstein……………...194 8.1.2 The Influence of George Lindbeck………………… 196 8.1.3 Grammatical Theology……………………………... 203 8.2 Doctrine as Speech-Act………………………………………... 208 8.3 Conclusion…………………………………………………….. 218 9. Did It Happen?…………………………………………………………. 219 9.1 History, History-Like, and Unlikely History………………….. 221 9.2 From Past Reference to Present Speech……………………….. 232 9.3 Conclusion……………………………………………………...240 10. What is a “baptist” Anyway? ………………………………………… 242 10.1 The “baptist” Type: The Proposal……………………………. 244 10.2 The “Baptifesto” Controversy: The Problem Surfaces………. 253 10.3 Concerns………………………………………………………261 10.4 Conclusion…………………………………………………… 263 11. Isn’t “Baptist-Catholicity” an Oxymoron?…………………………… 266 11.1 What Is “Catholicity”?……………………………………….. 267 11.2 What Is “baptist Catholicity”?……………………………….. 274 11.3 A baptist Theology of Tradition………………………………282 11.4 Conclusion…………………………………………………….287 12. Conclusion……………………………………………………………..289 12.1 Chapter Review………………………………………………. 290 12.2 Positive Contributions of McClendon’s Work………………..294 12.3 Problematic Areas of McClendon’s Work…………………… 296 12.4 Conclusion…………………………………………………….297 Appendix One: A Tribute to an Old Catfish………………………………………. 299 Appendix Two: The Anabaptist Connection……………………………………….316 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………330 v Chapter 1: Introduction “Theology has a right to the forward look and to the fire of religious vision.” - Walter Rauschenbusch1 James Wm. McClendon, Jr.’s work in recent theology has been grossly underappreciated. Yet, William Brackney stated, “All concur that James McClendon is the preeminent progressive Baptist theologian of his era. His work is fresh, compelling, and sometimes theologically mischievous.” In fact, Stanley Hauerwas once hoped that people would “look back on this book [McClendon’s Systematic Theology] as the turning point in modern theology.”2 This research project attempts to answer the question, “What is the baptist vision in James McClendon’s thought?” So, this project will explore the contributions James Wm. McClendon, Jr., made to narrative theology and baptist identity, which are the two aspects of the baptist vision. The baptist vision is summarized in the short phrases that “this is that, then is now” in Scripture, and “the church now is the primitive church and the church on judgment day” (I, 30). The baptist vision refers to both the way that the biblical narrative is meaningful today and a particular way baptists have identified themselves in that story. These two aspects, while distinct, are mutually dependent and enriching in McClendon’s theology. This research project will study the “baptist vision” of James McClendon by examining a range of elements that constitute his unique and complex understanding of Scripture and the Christian community. A summary outline of this study concludes the present chapter. However, to understand its scope, three aspects must be properly introduced: Who was James Wm. McClendon, Jr.? What is narrative theology? And who are the “baptists”? Upon answering these, we will see how they all converge in our topic of study, the “baptist vision.” 1 Walter Rauschenbusch, A Theology for the Social Gospel (Toronto: Macmillan, 1918), 22. 2 I: back cover recommendation (see note on abbreviated citations in bibliography) 1 2 1.1 Who Was James Wm. McClendon, Jr.? In keeping with the biographical emphasis of McClendon’s theology, a full theological biography of McClendon’s life will be offered as an appendix at the end of this project,3 bringing together several autobiographical works, written memoirs on him by his colleagues and friends, and interviews this researcher conducted. The significance of McClendon’s life can be expressed in several shifts in his life, and these reveal, as we will see, that his was a life devoted to Christ no matter the consequences. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1924, McClendon grew up immersed in Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) life. He grew up in a culture with racial