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

week), with their number going up to six or seven on special occasions, such as Christmas Eve or Easter Sunday. One of the questions | could never find an answer to was ‘why preaching?’ What was the value of people listening to sermons, and, in particular, to so many sermons? The traditionally accepted answer, that ‘preaching was the Word of God,’ could not satisfy me, as | could not believe God’s Word could have been so boring, unclear, and, often, rather meaningless.” To a certain degree, this thesis is an attempt to answer that question from my childhood. The thesis examines the practice of proclamation in Russian Baptist communities, and the question of Baptist identity. The aim of the dissertation is to develop a critical analytical tool, which could be used by, first of all, educational institutions in Russia, but also the local churches, involved in the reflection and development of various church practices, and particularly, the practice of preaching. In my research, | have primarily focused on preaching as a social practice in a MacIntyrean sense. The content of preaching is mostly omitted, which is intentional, as, | believe, it deserves another dedicated study, which | hope may grow out of this research. Despite the prominent place that preaching holds in Russian Baptist life, there is almost nothing written on this subject. Apart from a few publications in the Bratskii Vestnik, which aim at helping its readers to start preaching (or improve their preaching skills), | have found only two brief articles, attempting to study the practice of * Please, note that this is neither a criticism of Russian preaching, nor my current position on the role of preaching in the church. This paragraph refers to some of my childhood memories. 240 proclamation in Russia. However, one of these articles deals specifically with the question of preparation of preachers,” and the other one lacks any academic depth, thus possessing little (if any) value.* Therefore, the new contribution offered in this thesis is that it is the very first attempt to analyse the practice of preaching in Russian Baptist communities, various historical, cultural and theological influences that have contributed to the shaping of this practice, and its connection to the formation of Russian Baptist identity. The first five chapters of the thesis are an inquiry into the question of Russian Baptist ecclesial identity, with preaching playing an important role in the forming and passing on of this identity. Most of the material in these chapters is a historical overview, which identifies various internal and external factors that have significantly influenced the development of Russian Baptist communities and their worship practices. | am employing the theological method of James McClendon, who argued that the material that theology works with is convictions, expressed in a particular way of life. Thus, | focus on the history (or