Praying and Believing: Retrieving the Patristic Interdependence of Worship and Theology

Abstract

Patristic Christianity understood worship and theology as interdependent, inseparable practices. Worship was the primary bearer of the doctrinal tradition of the church, the essence of which was the liturgical narration of the Triune God's saving acts in Jesus Christ. The recovery of the patristic attention to worship as the primary means by which people are formed in deeply Christian faith and practice may contribute to the renewal of contemporary Baptist life. After a narrative interpretation of the manner in which worship and theology were interdependent in patristic Christianity and reflection on the extent to which this interdependence is already operative in Baptist worship, this article identifies specific theologically formative patterns and practices of worship that Baptists should consider retrieving from patristic Christianity and offers practical suggestions for the patient implementation of such patterns and practices in the weekly worship of Baptist congregations.