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

USION ossscicastaccetics cies datdaaetiad acti dalaccetaas aie cdatsanetuacacctcdasacceninc acct sdafaenietee sc nctiidatasuests 240 BID MORAY maces iecaccacttecates catcne cad catia iancancieatia came cad catia caacdanceitia canincdadeiatia datuacdaatnias 248 Books:and-monograpns iseeeestsrcetevecds etn He eeeeh esis teks ie as 248 Articles in magazines, newspapers and electronic SOUMCES ...........:ceseeeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 267 Dissertations, thesis, and Unpublished Papel .............cccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 275 Personal interviews, lCtters ........ccccccccecccceccscecsceesseeuceseeeseueuceseeseuuusseeaeusueuseneneseues 277 APPendls Vita ccnenttnncanmecniekinninecin een ieee: 278 Abstract The aim of this research is to consider the communities that belong to the movement of the Evangelical Christians — Baptists in Russia. In recent years, this religious group has attracted a significant amount of interest from the academic community. However, the focus of the majority of the research projects has been centred around the history of the Baptist movement in Russia, rather than its contemporary ecclesial realities. This thesis concentrates on the practice of proclamation in today’s Baptist churches. | have attempted to identify the various convictions of these churches, which are related to the way preaching is practiced and understood. An analysis of the historical development of preaching and various external factors, that have influenced Baptist communities as well as their practices, have highlighted the need to approach preaching as a social practice. It must be recognised that as a practice, preaching has the potential to ‘fall,’ thus underlining its formative, as well as destructive potential, for the Baptist identity. A particular understanding of the theological centre of Baptist identity - as a hermeneutical principle, when the reading community sees itself inherently present in the biblical narrative, but at the same time is examined and transformed by it, indicates that a solution to the damaging potential of the practice of proclamation must be seen in the renewed emphasis on the communal hermeneutics, thus placing preaching into a cluster of practices of reading the Bible within a community. This thesis does not aim to offer any instant fixes to the current situation in Russian Baptist communities. Instead, | suggest turning to the educational institutions, which are involved in the process of ministerial formation, in order to stimulate further dialogue and reflection on the nature of preaching and hermeneutics, taking into consideration its cultural and theological peculiarities. vi Acknowledgements As | finish writing the last remaining pages of my thesis, and look back over the past nine years, | start realising the number of people that have contributed to the completion of this work. | want to express deep gratitude to everyone who has assisted me, th