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

pful point in the theological task of interpreting the realities of the church, not only understanding its strengths, but also seeing its weaknesses and challenges. Such recognition may help the church to avoid many slippery areas on the way of witness. As McClendon emphasises, ‘Not every “church” is a front of Christian practice and faith, nor is every liturgy life-breathing, though 179 it be called Lord’s Supper” or Eucharist most holy.’”? Therefore, the church must 7® McClendon, “The Practice of Community Formation,” p 94. ” Ibid. 78 An extensive analysis of the Lord’s Supper as a powerful practice can be found in McClendon, “The Practice of Community Formation,” pp 91-93. See also Yoder, Body Politics, pp 14-27; and Campbell, The Word Before the Powers, pp 51-53. | can also relate my own experience of the Lord’s Supper in Russian Baptist Churches. Traditionally, the passage from 1 Corinthians 11 is read. However, only verses 23-30 are normally used, with a heavy emphasis on confession of sins and personal purification prior to the participation in a meal, including a warning that people should not drink and eat in an unworthy fashion, which is understood as a lack of meditation about the body and blood of Christ, as well as presence of any unrepentant sin in a person’s life. Such reading and the emphasis on purification and meditation/thinking about Christ’s sacrifice results in a very mystical understanding of the practice, which includes thinking or imagining scenes from Christ’s sufferings (this might be a caricature however, the caricature does reflect the truth), long prayers of repentance (believers’ prayers, not prayers of conversion) so that a person would not come to the Table with some sin (many people would spend a whole day before the Eucharist in fasting and prayer), and closed communion (as non-baptised people are not able to participate in a worthy fashion). Although spending time in prayer and trying to have a pure heart is something good, the worrying and grieving element of such view of communion is a lack of recognition of the Body, which is the assembly of the believers. Therefore, the practice becomes very inward looking, devoted to spiritual world of individual Christians, appearing as yet another call to strengthen individual relationships with God through extra time of prayer and fasting. However, since 183 continuously re-evaluate and re-examine its practices, being open to ‘have their understanding of the story constantly challenged by what others have discovered in their attempt to live faithful to that tradition,” hence it is an invitation for people to practice 731 the ‘rule of Paul’”” and a reminder for pastors to allow different voices, even critical ones to be heard and reviewed in a loving and caring community. Preaching as a powerful practice What is the place of preaching in this reflection on practices and power? First of all, preaching mu