Ellis abstract

This essay takes Alexander Schmemann’s liturgical theology as a guide, and approaches questions of Baptist identity by examining Baptist worship. Worship is revelatory of the convictions at the heart of a faith community. The focus is chiefly upon British Baptist life. There is first a broad sketch of the patterns of Baptist worship from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries. Next, the principal characteristics of Baptist worship are delineated: attention to Scripture; devotion; community; and eschatology. In light of these, the “presiding conviction” of Baptist worship and life, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” is articulated and applied to worship. The essay concludes with a definition of worship drawn from the cumulative Baptist witness.