Dying and Rising with Christ: Sacraments, Church Unity, and Faith Formation

Drawing on three streams of recent work—the writings of N. T. Wright, the Faith Formation Committee of the Christian Reformed Church, and recent work in Reformed-Roman Catholic dialogue—this seminar will focus on three key themes: How can we most faithfully and fruitfully “picture” what the sacraments are about? How can we more faithfully understand the role (and potential role) of the sacraments in faith formation for people of all ages? How should we respond to the way that the sacraments have caused not union, but division in the body of Christ?

We anticipate leaving this seminar with gratitude for faithful and fruitful work being done by contemporary theologians, new insights to deepen our own participation in the sacraments, and several practical suggestions for enriching the practices of local congregations.

Presented at the 2012 Calvin Symposium on Worship.