Practical Christologies in Two Boston American Baptist Churches
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Boston University OpenBU http://open.bu.edu Theses & Dissertations STH Theses and Dissertations 2011-01-14T17:07:19Z Living with Jesus: Practical Christologies in Two Boston American Baptist Churches https://hdl.handle.net/2144/1396 Boston University BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY Dissertation LIVING WITH JESUS: PRACTICAL CHRISTOLOGIES IN TWO BOSTON AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES by Julian R. Gotobed (B.A. University of Oxford, 1987; S.T.M. Boston University, 2003) Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2010 Copyright 2010 by Julian R. Gotobed CONTENTS TABLES..………………………………………………………………………………..vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………….viii ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………..xii CHAPTER I. THE STORY OF JESUS CHRIST AND OUR STORIES…………………………...1 Statement of the Problem………………………………………………………….1 Significance of the Study………………………………………………………….6 The Nature and Purpose of Christian Theology…………………………………15 Method…………………………………………………………………………...28 Methodological Note…………………………………………………………….32 Intended Audience……………………………………………………………….33 Location of the Researcher………………………………………………………35 II. THE VISIBLE CHURCH, EVERYDAY RELIGION, & CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE……..37 Overview……………………………………………………..………………….37 (1) The Sociological and Theological Significance of the Visible Church….......41 (2) Theoretical Perspectives.………......………………………………...………46 (3) Scholarship and Christology…………………………………………………77 Summary. ..……….…………………………………………………………….122 iv ! III. JESUS CHRIST IN THE THEOLOGY OF JAMES MCCLENDON…………...123 Biographical Sketch…………………………………………………………….123 Core Features of James McClendon’s Theology……………………………….135 McClendon’s Theological Method……………………………………………..147 Christological Convictions………………………………………......................152 Signposts………………………………………………………………………..172 IV. VARIETIES OF BAPTIST IN BOSTON…………………………………………178 Introduction……………………………………………………………………..178 First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain…………………………………………..179 Ruggles Baptist Church………………………………………………………...209 V. JESUS CHRIST IN CONGREGATIONAL WORSHIP AND MISSION………..238 Baptist Worship in the United States Today……………………………………238 Method of Studying Congregations…..………………………………………...241 Worship and Mission at First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain………………...242 Worship and Mission at Ruggles Baptist Church………………………………270 From Congregational Convictions to Everyday Convictions…………………..299 VI. LIVING WITH JESUS FROM DAY TO DAY…………………………………..302 Evangelical Christology…………………………………………………,……..311 Exemplarist Christology………………………………………………………..346 Prophetic Christology……………………………...…………………………...368 Embodied Christology: Practices of Faith……………………………………...374 v ! VII. FORWARD IN THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST………........................................383 Partners in a Conversation………….……………………………………….....383 Theological Dialogue………………………………………………………......389 Enchantment, Disenchantment, and Re-Enchantment…………………………410 Conclusion: Forward in the Fullness of Christ………………………………...424 APPENDICES Appendix A Interview Guide for Members in a Congregation………………...429 Appendix B Interview Guide for Ordained Ministers in Pastoral Charge……...431 Appendix C Invitation to Participate in a Research Project……………………433 Appendix D Informed Consent Form…………………………………………..434 Appendix E Comparison of Components of Worship………………………….436 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………437 vi ! TABLES Table Page 1. "#$%&'!()&'%*+,!-+.)!#/!0&11&*%2),!&34!-+.)!#/!-5)#'#6+77777777789:! 2. The racial profile of the population in Jamaica Plain (Zip Code 02130).…..198 3. The social characteristics of Jamaica Plain (Zip Code 02130)…………….. 198 4. Economic Characteristics of Jamaica Plain (Zip Code 02130)......................199 5. Distribution of Congregational and Everyday Christologies……………….386 6. McClendon’s Christological Questions – Practical Christological Convictions....……………………………….. 387 7. McClendon’s Christological Convictions – Practical Christological Convictions.…………………………………..388 vii ! ;<=0>?@ABCADA0-"! ! The writing of a dissertation is in many ways a focused and solitary process. An aspiring scholar must assume responsibility to research the project that he or she has proposed, reflect upon the findings in the light of relevant literature, and finally commit ideas and words to paper to be scrutinized by others. Yet, the writing of a dissertation is also a collaborative venture that benefits greatly from the support and interest of fellow travelers in the realm of academic study and from friends and family. Good company makes a huge difference to the outcome of a major writing project. “Living with Jesus” would not have been possible without the cooperation of First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain and Ruggles Baptist Church. I am grateful to Pastor Ashlee Wiest-Laird (First Baptist) and Pastor Larry Showalter (Ruggles) for their assistance and interest in the project, and to the members at both churches that agreed to be interviewed by me. I trust that these communities of faith find accurate portraits of their life and witness presented in the pages that follow. My hope is that “Living with Jesus” may stimulate creative and constructive reflection helpful to both congregations as they seek to follow Jesus Christ in worship, mission, and daily life. I wish to record my thanks to Rev. Dr. Bryan Stone and Dr. Nancy Ammerman for their patient stewardship of “Living with Jesus”. Writing an interdisciplinary dissertation has required the close attention of two scholars in the front rank of their respective fields of expertise. I am grateful for their insights, words of encouragement, prodding, and wise advice. The project now before the reader is immeasurably better viii ! than it otherwise would be, because of the enthusiastic and diligent labors of two conscientious and creative scholars. Since the Atlantic Ocean separated me from my advisors for the duration of the time I spent writing the project, apart from one brief visit to Boston in the spring of 2010, most of the conversation about this dissertation has been conducted by e-mail. Electronic mail is no substitute, in my opinion, for embodied conversation, but it does facilitate communication across large distances and disparate time zones. There is no doubt about its great value to a student working away from the educational institution to which he or she is accountable. James Ashdown and Alastair McKay took up the invitation to form a study group to exchange ideas, read papers, and talk over tea and cake in the autumn of 2007. Their company and critical reflection over the last three years have been stimulating and encouraging. I hope they feel the same way about me! A graduate student (or at least this particular graduate student) needs peace and quiet to think and write. I have never mastered the ability of writing with noise around me. Fortunately, for me, the London Mennonite Centre has provided an oasis of calm and hospitality in which to pursue “Living with Jesus”. In great measure, the atmosphere at the London Mennonite Centre is a reflection of the people who live and work in it. I am grateful for the warm welcome, hospitality, and conversation extended to me by Ed and Phyllis Shirk, Darrell and Barbara Jantz, Will Newcomb, Kim Broodie, Sam Moyer, Kathy, Vic, and Janelle Theissen. ix ! Special thanks are due to my immediate family. I am blessed with parents, Jim and Christine Gotobed, who are a constant source of love, wisdom, patience, and encouragement in all seasons of life. Finally, my wife, Rosemarie, and daughters, Jasmine, Isobel, and Imogen have been more patient with me than I deserve. I am looking forward to seeing more of them in the days ahead. No words can adequately express my gratitude to them for agreeing to share in an American adventure and giving me time and space on our return to England to see this project through to its conclusion. x ! LIVING WITH JESUS: PRACTICAL CHRISTOLOGIES IN TWO BOSTON AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES (Order No. ) Julian R. Gotobed Doctor of Philosophy Boston University School of Theology Major Professor: Bryan P. Stone, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism ABSTRACT This dissertation, an exercise in practical theology, undertakes two tasks. First, it examines how the story of Jesus is appropriated and embodied in the corporate practices of worship and mission (congregational christology) and in the daily lives of ordinary believers (everyday christology) at First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain and Ruggles Baptist Church in Boston, Massachusetts. Second, it places these practical christologies in dialogue with the academic christology of James McClendon to see what creative and critical insights emerge. A key assumption of the study is that doctrinal reflection is precipitated when the story of Jesus interacts with human stories in both autobiographical and public domains. “Living with Jesus” contends that the understandings of Jesus present in the everyday lives of believers and in a congregation’s worship and mission merit the attention of scholars in the disciplines of sociology and theology. xi! This dissertation demonstrates that scholarly research on the visible church, everyday religion, and Christian doctrine pays limited attention to the theologies operative in the everyday lives of believers and congregational practices. A gap exists in scholarly knowledge, which “Living with Jesus” attempts to redress. The empirical results of qualitative research fieldwork are set in the context of historical overviews and contemporary