Baptist Catholicism
Building Reformation Catholicism
There are an alarming number of people knocking about with no idea that their “mere Christianity” is thoroughly Baptist. This is because of the powerful simplicity of the Baptist tradition, reflected in its taste for stark, unadorned places of worship. Although sometimes mocked by traditional denominations for planting churches in strip malls and failed gyms, the sheer tenacity of the Baptist way should be admired, like a dandelion emerging from solid concrete. In my two years at a wonderful Baptist church, I would identify the following as its core practices:
Service composed of three or four hymns, a 45-minute exegetical sermon, one more hymn, and fellowship time over coffee, bagels, or even a meal.
Biblical memorization and education.
Discipleship of the youth.
Hospitality to newcomers.
Focus on evangelism.
Communal identity and congregational buy-in.
My proposal for bringing these gifts into the Catholic fold is to create an evening service in which an entire Baptist Sunday morning could take place, with one key modification: it happens in the context of Adoration. The music and preaching can remain, moved into their proper context of lauding the Lord’s immediate presence on earth.
The biggest problem in Baptist theology is God’s withdrawal from the physical world. Having the weakest sacramentology of all Christians save perhaps Anabaptists (no relation), Christ is only present by the mediation of mental activities, such as preaching or prayer. Although prayer is indeed rich intimacy with the Lord, it happens solely in our spiritual and not our physical life. Not to say that our spiritual nature is in any way inferior to our physical nature. Spiritual life is the reason that, barring artistic license, angels and humans can praise God while lions cannot. The remedy for this is the Eucharist. Baptists are highly Christocentric—it is a natural conclusion that if Christ really is physically present in the Blessed Sacrament, then it ought to be the center of all Christian practice. In fact, the idea that Christ would deign to bodily visit a worship service would be a blessing almost too overwhelming to comprehend.
These evenings would be very approachable for other Protestants curious about the new and controversial Baptist Catholics in town, providing an entry point for those intimidated by the totally foreign nature of the Mass. Hosting these services in the evening would also allow Protestants to visit and start considering Catholicism without having to immediately give up their current Sunday morning church.
This does not require any liturgical innovation. Baptist pastors could be ordained as permanent deacons, giving them the right to preach the Word during the Mass and these evening services. Parishes hosting Baptist Catholics (they couldn’t be a distinct Baptist Ordinariate since they would just attend a normal Latin Rite Mass on Sundays) could offer the option for parishioners to dedicate part of their giving to a salary for such Baptist deacons, who would share to whatever extent is appropriate in the ministries of preaching and community formation. This would allow a majority of the financial burden to be borne by those in the parish participating in the life of Baptist Catholicism. Let it not be thought, however, that such participation would form two distinct congregations. Baptist deacons would be under strict instructions to see themselves as complementing the Mass, rather than supplementing it. They would not be any more distinct than the Knights of Columbus, intended to leaven a flock rather than partition it.
The most substantial innovation would be deciding how to place the monstrance for both reverence and practicality. Baptist Catholics will likely want to stand during worship, so the monstrance will have to be tall enough to be seen from all parts of the room while congregants stand. The elevated “stage” where the altar normally is should make this simple, but it may require a taller than usual monstrance in some cases. The really interesting puzzle is where to put the preacher. Putting him to the side means having to look back and forth from him to the Eucharist, which is undesirable, and more importantly risks the kind outsized power wielded by a charismatic preacher that has been the source of so much trouble in Baptist churches. My counsel, then, is either to put the preacher off stage entirely, perhaps even at the back of the room (where I would always put the musicians if given the choice), so that the only object of visual attention up front is Jesus, or otherwise behind the monstrance so that the preacher can be seen without competing for attention with Christ. Since the Host will have to be elevated enough to be seen while standing, the preacher will at least have a relatively narrow post in front of him rather than the Host itself, which would block his whole head. Although with the egos of some contemporary pastors, perhaps his head will be big enough for everyone to see just fine.
It may prove a challenge to secure enough Baptist deacons to administer this project. If the Church sees fit, perhaps some of these men could be sent to seminary and admitted to the priesthood, marriage and all. Otherwise, perhaps the formation of a new religious order tasked with embodying the best aspects of the Baptist tradition would be prudent. Religious stationed in parishes around the country, and eventually the world, could live in rectories under a vow of poverty, making Baptist Catholicism financially feasible for parishes to host without sacrificing the integrity of the project.
Whether it’s through Baptist deacons or friars, Baptist Catholics could also develop a rich devotional life characterized by hosting evangelistic events like Alpha, and prayer books oriented towards the memorization of rotating Scripture passages and featuring prayers from great Baptist theologians such as Charles Spurgeon. They could also take responsibility for greeting folks on their way into Mass each Sunday and hosting fellowship afterward. They would seek to strengthen the bonds of love and community within parishes, which would be a welcome solution to families bolting out of church immediately after Mass.
Baptists deserve their reputation for great preaching, zeal, and enthusiasm for God’s Word. As with all the Reformation Catholicism sketches that follow, these initial thoughts are only the shell of what would have to be filled with the best of Baptist vocabulary, disposition, and culture.