Baptists, Catholics Discuss Baptism and Virgin Mary
The fourth two-day informal consultation between the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and the Roman Catholic Church was held in Washington D.C., Dec. 10-11. The gathering focused on two themes, each relating to the theological cornerstones of the respective groups: ¡°Baptism, Entrance to the Church,¡± and ¡°Mary in the Life of the Church.¡±
According to BWA news, representatives from the two groups delivered papers relating to the themes in both the Baptist and Catholic perspective.
Papers on the theme of ¡°Baptism: Entrance to the Church¡± were delivered by Dr. Barry Morrison of Canadian Baptist Ministries, and from Sister Susan Wood of St. John¡¯s (catholic) University. Papers on the theme of ¡°Mary in the Life of the Church¡± were addressed by the Baptist Dr. Timothy L. George of the Beeson Divinity School and Sister Sara Butler. Butler delivered two presentations, entitled: ¡°The Blessed Virgin Mary, God Bearer, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church,¡± and ¡°Dogmas of Mary¡¯s Immaculate Conception and Glorious Assumption Catholic Bishops.¡± Dr. George spoke of ¡°The Blessed Virgin Mary in Evangelical Perspective¡±
The consultation marked the fourth time the BWA and the Catholic Church¡¯s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPU) gathered for ecumenical talks. The first consultation took place in 200 in Rome, Italy; the second consultiation was held in 2001 in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the third meeting was held in 2003 at the office of the PCPCU in Rome.
Baptists attending the latest consultation included: Dr. James Leo Garrett, Dr. Mark Heim,Dr. Daniel Carro, Dr. D¡¯Otis Roberts, Dr. Alan Stanford, Dr. David Goatley, Dr. Tarmo Toom, and Dr. Stephanie Ford. Catholics participants were: Monsignor John Strynkowski,Rev. Arthur Kennedy,Brother Jeffrey Gros, Dr. Peter Caserella, Dr. Dennis McManus, and Monsignor John Radano.
