浸礼、主餐与生命的转化：浸信宗神学家麦干顿的观点

Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the Transformation of Life: James Wm. McClendon, a Baptist Theologian View

Andres S. TANG

This paper introduces the Baptist, James Wm. McClendon's interpretation of baptism and the Lord's Supper. McClendon differentiates his viewpoint from those of the Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed (including Zwingli) by understanding the two sacraments in terms of John Austin's Speech-Act-Theory . As efficacious signs these sacraments are performance-utterance with ethical, transformational effects. In baptism the believer is called by God and responds to God in conversion and following of Jesus Christ. In this way, the believer's life is united to that of Jesus Christ with the effect that the believer is not his/her own master any more but has to be led by God on the way toward the cross. In the Lord's Supper the believers are gathered to reunite with Jesus Christ. The practice of eating and drinking is no mere symbol but, rather, a kind of performance-act that brings about solidarity with Christ and with one another, accepting the forgiveness of Christ and forgiving one another, remembering Christ with one's whole heart with thanksgiving, and anticipating one's path of suffering with the view of the imminent appearance of God's Kingdom. McClendon's interpretation of baptism and the Lord's Supper illustrates a way of doing Baptist theology that is different from Catholic and mainstream Protestant.