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

le is not enough for the life of the church. She needs the Holy Spirit to interpret and reinterpret the story from the past into the story of the future, the story of the life of the church. In this way mere history turns into an open-ended eschatological narrative.®° Therefore, the “then is now” element makes baptistic tradition a living, developing tradition, constantly revising itself. Different views on baptism,®” diverse perspective on atonement,®® even dissimilar main baptistic principles (e.g. liberty or emphasis on Biblicism) highlighted at different times in variety of contexts — all may serve as examples of this reading strategy. They are all rooted in the Bible, but changing circumstances bring forward different insights; they are refashioned and retold to continue serving God’s people as living guidance for a particular time and space.®” Thus, this is a guiding vision marked by biblicism — the Bible as a story of the church, the book where the church finds itself and receives directions for the life today as well as goals for the future. The vision provides not only a way for baptistic believers to read and understand the Bible, but also a way that allows them to be followers of Jesus, since it is ‘marked by a textual immediacy — a sense that Christ is present and speaking to the assembly 790 through the scripture.’”- This vision shows ‘how a people’s identity is construed by means of narratives that while historically set in another time and place nevertheless 8° Parush R. Parushev, “Baptist and Society,” a lecture from the IBTS series on Baptistic identity and theology at the Post-graduate Seminar, Prague, IBTS, 24.10.2007. Unpublished paper available through the author. 8? Wright, Free Church, p 74. 88 See McClendon, Doctrine, Chapter 5. The Saving Cross: Atonement, pp 197-237. ” Speaking about atonement, about what Jesus has achieved, McClendon asks, ‘whether these facts Jesus’ life, crucifixion and resurrection] are to be seen as mere antiquities... or whether the Christian facts just cited are to be seen in vital developing continuity with the living witness of persons of our own time.’ (Biography as Theology (1974), p 176). This question re- emphasizes the role of the guiding vision, and the living role of the Bible, when the context is not neglected, remains relevant God’s Word for his people where they are. °° Hatchett, “The Hermeneutics of Conversion,” p 37. 162 display redemptive power in the present time and place.” Therefore, baptistic identity can be defined as a robust, clearly visible identity, which is ‘a baptistic or congregational way of being a Christian community. The baptistic vision works to keep the community centred not on the story alone, but on Christian discipleship in the world as a people whose lives are to reflect the life of those called to embody the Jesus way.’ Conclusion In conclusion, Biography and the Book are the two element