Worship in New Zealand Baptist Church Life: Dynamic Centre or Means to an End?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31046/aka80r55Keywords:
Baptists--History, Baptists--Liturgy, Evangelistic work, North, J. J. (John James), 1871-1950, Kemp, Joseph W, 1872-1933, Fundamentalism--Christianity, Driver, H. H. (Harry Herbert), 1858-1943, Busfield, Leonard Bailey (L. B), 1891-1937Abstract
This is the first of two articles that investigate the theology and
practice of New Zealand Baptists at worship from 1880-2001.
This first article looks at the period up until 1960. H.H. Driver
and L. B. Busfield are early critics of the New Zealand Baptist
practice of worship. The arrival of J.W. Kemp to be the pastor
of the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle reinforced a popular
pre-millennial, fundamentalist and evangelical theology
which encouraged the Baptist family of churches to prioritise
evangelism over worship, with the result that worship services
came to resemble evangelistic meetings. J.J. North’s Baptist
Theological College trained men for ministry in this
theological climate and henceforth ministers trained at BTC
gave scant attention to the place of worship in the life of the
church. In the 1950’s voices were again heard, echoing Driver
and Busfield in calling for the centrality of worship in the life
of the church.
