Morrison, Ruth Helen Bell (2016) A study of the Special Commission on Baptism (1953-63) and developments in baptismal doctrine and practice in the Church of Scotland since 1963. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7276/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] A Study of the Special Commission on Baptism (1953-63) and developments in baptismal doctrine and practice in the Church of Scotland since 1963 Ruth Helen Bell Morrison MA BD Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Critical Studies College of Arts University of Glasgow January 2016 Abstract In 1953 a Special Commission on Baptism was appointed by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, under the convenorship of The Very Rev Dr Thomas F. Torrance, to carry out a fresh examination of the Doctrine of Baptism, in order to lead the Church to theological agreement and uniform practice. The Commission had emerged after years of disagreement related to the meaning of baptism and its administration, especially in light of infant baptism. What followed was seven years of Interim Reports and the production of a Biblical Doctrine of Baptism. Since then, Act XVII (1963) pertaining to Baptism has been revisited on several occasions. It is the contention of this thesis that Torrance greatly influenced the work of the Commission and shaped substantially the doctrine that emerged. The result was an understanding of baptism that whilst rooted in the Reformed tradition, departed from it. By suggesting that baptisma was closely aligned to Christ’s vicarious death, and that the sanctifying nature of the incarnation was the primary justification for the baptism of infants, a different trajectory was proposed. This created a tension between two differing paradigms, one that led to discriminate baptism and another, that could have led to indiscriminate baptism. The result was confusion in the General Assembly, and failure to unify doctrine and practice. In light of this, this thesis will explore the baptismal theology of Thomas F. Torrance. It will then examine the reports of the Special Commission, the minutes of their meetings, and the verbatim minutes of the General Assembly during that period, in order to establish Torrance’s influence upon the Commission and the reception of the reports within the church. Identifying that the main areas of tension lay in sacramental and covenantal theology, it will then offer an overview of both the Reformed tradition and the Special Commission to see points of agreement and disagreement, in order to assess the extent to which the Special Commission departed from Reformed principles. Finally, it will explore the influence of the Special Commission’s work on the Church of Scotland since 1963, highlighting the watershed in baptismal theology that occurred in 2003, with the acknowledgement that believers’ baptism, and not infant baptism, was the theological norm. 2 3 Table of Contents Abstract 2 Acknowledgement 5 Author’s Declaration 6 Introduction 7 Chapter One – Thomas F. Torrance and his baptismal theology 14 Chapter Two – The Reports of the Special Commission and their reception 39 Chapter Three – Sacramental and covenantal theology according to the Reformed tradition and the Special Commission 116 Chapter Four – The influence of the Special Commission on baptismal theology and practice in the Church of Scotland and developments since 1963 158 Conclusion 189 Bibliography 191 4 Acknowledgements My thanks, first and foremost, must go to the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) who made the decision to proceed with this PhD financially viable and possible. Gratitude is also expressed to Prof. Werner Jeanrond (Oxford) who invited me to consider undertaking a doctorate whilst he was Chair of Divinity at Glasgow University in 2008. Whilst at times I have wondered if it was such a good idea, under his initial supervision, I enjoyed the freedom to explore a wide range of topics and benefitted greatly from his encouragement to participate in the theological seminars and conferences that proved so worthwhile. It was during this time that I chatted on a number of occasions with Dr Doug Gay (Glasgow), and it is thanks to him that my thesis focuses so heavily upon the Scottish church context, and, in particular, the work of the Special Commission on Baptism. During Prof. Jeanrond’s period of sabbatical and subsequent move to Oxford University, I appreciated the advice of Prof. David Jasper (Glasgow), and valued the many discussions and occasional coffee meetings with fellow researchers in No.1 The Square. It was at this time that Dr Charlotte Methuen (Glasgow) agreed to supervise the remainder of my PhD, and a better supervisor I could not have hoped for. I am very grateful for her wide-ranging knowledge of ecclesiastical history, her constructive criticism, her attention to detail, her willingness to be available and mark things right to the wire, and most of all for her grace and patience, which time and time again, have been tested to the limit. I cannot say thank you enough. Thanks must also be expressed to the library staff at Glasgow and Edinburgh University who helped with my research enquiries, as well as the Presbytery Clerk’s who replied to my e-mails regarding the Special Commission on Baptism. Dr John Scott for allowing me to read his thesis before it was published and for his offer of support. The staff in the Principal Clerk’s Office in 121 George Street, who were very hospitable and helpful when I was reading the verbatim minutes, and the congregations of Clydebank: Abbotsford linked with Dalmuir Barclay, many of whom have enquired after my progress and have been very encouraging. Last and by no means least, thanks must go to my wonderful parents, Mary and Alan Bell, who have always been my greatest encouragers and support, my family and friends, and, of course, my lovely husband, Steven, who has been a tower of strength. My sincerest thanks to you all for believing that I would get there in the end. 5 Author’s Declaration I declare that, except where explicit reference is made to the contribution of others, that this thesis is the result of my own work and has not be submitted for any other degree at the University of Glasgow or any other institution. Ruth H B Morrison 6 Introduction I did not set off with the intention of writing about baptism. I had begun by exploring the question of soteriology, asking not so much why have we been saved, but rather, what have we been saved for? It did not take me too long to discover that my research topic would have to be much more focussed, and so, having highlighted the theme of hope, and having always had an interest in sacramental theology, I began to read about eschatology. This included: Surprised by Hope by Tom Wright, What Dare We Hope? By Gerhard Sauter, The God of Hope and the End of the World by John Polkinghore, Hope against Hope: Christian Eschatology in Contemporary Context by Richard Bauckham and Trevor Hart, The Christian Hope by Brian Hebblethwaite, What are we waiting for? Christian Hope and Contemporary Culture edited by Stephen Holmes and Russell Rook, Eschatology and Hope by Anthony Kelly and Eucharist and Eschatology by Geoffrey Wainwright. What emerged was the realisation that whilst a great deal had been written about the relationship between the eschatological feast of heaven and the Lord’s Supper, very little research had been undertaken in relation to the connection between baptism and eschatology. This surprised me. As my research developed, I realised that the historical elements and discussions of baptismal practice had been well researched. This conclusion was reached after reading many books, not least: Baptism in the Early Church by Everett Ferguson, Early and Medieval Rituals and Theologies of Baptism and Reformation and Modern Rituals and Theologies of Baptism by Bryan Spinks, The Rites of Christian Initiation by Maxwell Johnson, Early Christian Baptism and Catechumenate: Italy, North Africa, and Egypt and Early Christian Baptism and Catechumenate: West and East Syria by Thomas Finn, and most recently, the monumental work, Ablution, Initiation, and Baptism, edited by David Hellholm, Tor Vegge, Øyvind Norderval and Christer Hellhom. Acknowledging that a broad historical overview was not going to be fruitful, I began to consider my work as a parish minister and reckoned that questions relating to the doctrine and practice of baptism within the Church of Scotland might prove interesting. After reading the chapter “Baptismal Theology and Practice in the Church of Scotland” by Paul Nimmo, in Worship and Liturgy in Context (edited by Duncan Forrester and Doug Gay), I suspected that no in depth or systematic study of the work of the Special Commission on Baptism, which met in the 1950s, had ever been undertaken. Indeed, as I began to explore the archives in Edinburgh University and the reports of the various Boards and Committee’s of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, I realised 7 that the theological waters of baptism were extremely muddy, and an exploration of the baptismal theology of the Church of Scotland, centred on the Special Commission, might prove worthwhile.