Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Living with a giant

Over the next 8 months or so of my life on this earth I am going to be spending much time in the theory and practice of Richard Baxter in regard to church discipline. I hope to post much of my findings but here is a taste of why I am going to undertake this endeavour...

"Either we must have Churches without the Discipline of Christ," wrote Baxter, "or else we must utterly undo our people, body and Soul forever, and plunge them into a desperate state, and make all our following labours in vaine to multitudes of them." Or else," he determined, "we must take another course, than to admit all our Parishes to Adult Church-membership, as was formerly done, without preparation, and fitness for such a state"

Quoted in J. William Black, From Martin Bucer to Richard Baxter: "Discipline" and Reformation in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century England page 662.

2 comments:

Marc Lloyd said...

So are you two betting on? How's living together going?

Paul M. Kerry said...

We are, we are. He struggled in the oppening years of his faith with the move from doubt to assurance, that's helpful, I think I'm there