Towards Understanding of the Practice of Proclamation: The Core Element of Russian Baptist Worship, Timofey Cheprasov, 2015

rarely hesitate using such arguments in their teaching and preaching as ‘obedience is better than sacrifice,’ ‘this is accepted practice in the brotherhood,’ ‘you simply need to listen.’ People who dare to disagree or criticise the practices or theology of such leaders are called ‘heretics’, or labelled as ‘traitors’. Sipko concludes that such pastors have usurped the right of the whole Church to read, understand, and interpret biblical truth.”° The notion of the preacher’s authority is extensively developed by David M. Brown in Transformational Preaching: Theory and Practice. Adapting Max Weber’s concept of authority having ‘charismatic,’ ‘rational,’ and ‘traditional’ causes,*’ Brown presents three sources of preacher’s authority. First is ‘anointed authority,’ which comes ‘from outside the institution and resides in the character of the individual.’ This is where the preacher may speak about the divine calling for their ministry. Second is ‘attributed authority,’ which is ‘attributed or granted, by the institution,’ for instance, 3 vuri K. Sipko, “Zhit’ po Biblii ili po “pon’iatiiam”?” [“To Live According to the Bible or According to ‘unwritten laws’?”], accessed on 17.02.2015 from http: 24 Max Weber, The Theory of Social and Economic Organizations (A.M. Henderson & T. Parsons, Trans.; Glencoe, IL, The Free Press, 1947), pp 324-423. 120 a local church or a denomination appoints someone for a particular ministry. The third type of authority is what Brown calls ‘assumed,’ which is ‘authority that emerges from within the preaching event itself. It resides fully in the person who is fulfilling the role, but only while in that role.’ Brown emphasises that for preaching to be persuasive and motivating, preachers have to be recognised by their listeners as those having authority to speak, particularly if preaching is understood as a prophetic ministry. Nonetheless, he points out a number of potential dangers in dealing with the issue of authority in preaching. A preacher’s personal and spiritual integrity becomes extremely important, as ‘strong Christian character’ serves as a guarantee against a threat of preaching being used as a tool to manipulate the listeners and gain control over them. In this sense, the prominence given to preachers’ ethics and spirituality in Russian Baptist communities appears as a much needed response. On the other hand, together with preachers’ integrity, Brown highlights another vital element of a healthy understanding of authority — educated listeners, who provide the necessary accountability factor for the people in the pulpit. Brown says, Clearly, the preacher is known by his or her proclamation. The true disciple, of course has fruit that can be seen in his or her lifestyle and language, and this is true for the person who preaches. But when we talk about the act of preaching, there is only one real fruit, and that is the proclamation. Given no other evidence