Daniel B. Stevick is a featured instructor and contributor at Worship Training.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Anglicans retained the Catholic understanding of baptism as a sacramental washing away of sin. As the evangelical party emerged out of the Wesleyan revivals of the eighteenth century, some nineteenth-century Angl
Anglican/Episcopal worship has always been guided by The Book of Common Prayer. The Revised Rites of 1976 introduced the liturgical forms and styles of renewal. Many churches have also incorporated charismatic elements of worship. "In Corporate Worship, we uni
Planning for the renewal of baptism must be undertaken with the need of the local worshiping community in mind. This article reflects on this service of renewal and proposes guidelines for the worship planning process. Participants and Setting In most churches
The separation of confirmation from baptism in the West has left an enduring legacy of unease among paedobaptist Christian theologians. If baptism is indeed the full and complete rite of initiation into the church, what is the role of confirmation, whether as
Baptism was understood as a pledge, vow, covenant, or contract early in the history of the Christian church. The very term sacrament meant an oath in Roman culture. When children of Christian parents were baptized, whether as part of the households mentioned i
In today's churches the theology and practice of baptism continues to be shaped by the debates begun during the Protestant Reformation. Theological discussions continue about the nature of baptism and appropriate candidates for baptism. Liturgical discussions
The following article presents guidelines for planning a confirmation service, based on theological, pastoral, and liturgical rationale. The Occasion It is desirable that the service of confirmation be planned to coincide with one of the great, evangelically s
The actions of Christian initiation seem to be growing toward an ecumenical shape as some major traditions shift their traditional baptismal customs and do so along broadly similar lines. History By the time of the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, the
Large dioceses in northern Europe during the early Middle Ages made it difficult for bishops to be present at the baptism of infants. Gradually a two-part initiation process emerged spanning the period from infancy to late childhood. With increased emphasis on
A number of relatively clear theological assumptions under gird the liturgies of confirmation used by a variety of churches. Baptism must be regarded as complete Christian initiation; it is not the first part of a staged-out action. By it, one becomes a Christ
