Who cares? This is a good questions and I'm glad you asked. A great number of disagreements about church life and practices emerge out of a misunderstanding (or lack of understanding) of the theology of that tradition. Why is the priest placed on a pedestal (metaphorical and literal)? Why does the minister wear a robe? Why doesn't the minister wear a robe? Do I have to be baptized to take communion? When we don't know our theology our answers become pragmatic and usually the theology becomes watered down and vapid. Or a conflict emerges within the church because of the lack of theological acuity. So it is important to understand what it is that your tradition practices and then to decide if it is something you can ascribe to.
The other reason it is important for Charley and I to talk about the differences between Sacraments and Ordinances is that is makes us sound smart.
Here are the books referenced in the podcast:
Systematic Theology: Roman Catholic Perspectives. Francis Schussler Fiorenza and John Galvin eds.
Doors to the Sacred by Joseph Martos
A Baptist Manual of Polity and Practice by Norman Maring and Winthrop Hudson
Baptist Sacramentalism, Anthony Cross and Philip Thompson, eds.
Promise and Presence by John Colwell
From Watcha' Reading
Activate by Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas
Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
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