Sacramental Teaching and Practice in the Reformation Churches

by Geoffrey William Bromiley

“In the present study we shall be primarily concerned with sacramental practice and interpretation as they are to be found in the Reformation churches and especially those which took the Reformed rather than the Lutheran path. But this does not mean that we shall be committed merely to an historical survey. / “The main interest of the Reformers themselves was to be true to the teachings of Holy Scripture itself, and we shall be most loyal to them if, along with the general lines of their tradition, we attempt a biblical rather than an historical statement. This will have a threefold advantage. It will submit the Reformed interpretation itself to its own biblical standard. It will bring us into fruitful contact with other views in which over-emphases or distortions conceal positive elements of truth. And it will give to our discussion a living relevance for Christians of the present day, for whom the sacraments may never be regarded merely as objects of scientific enquiry, but must always be gratefully used as divinely ordained means of blessing.”— Geoffrey W. Bromiley (from the introduction)

Genres: Theology

111 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to think when I picked up this little volume. I don't know too much about Bromiley, but I know he is responsible for translating a whole library of books into English, including works from Karl Barth, Wolfhart Pannenberg, and (if I'm not mistaken) even some Rudolf Bultmann. I therefore had my doubts about Bromiley's ability to fairly reproduce a summary of the sacramental teaching and practice in the reformation churches. I have found in my studies of the theology of John Calvin that many interpreters who are influenced by so-called Neo-Orthodoxy have a tendency to recast Calvin in their own image. I feared that maybe Bromiley might be cut from that unsavory cloth.

I was happily surprised, then, to find that Bromiley's handling of the topic was quite faithful to what I have come to understand as Reformation teaching. Now, I'll own that I didn't read this book with scrupulous care. (I largely read it at the side of a pool during the kids' swimming lessons.) Even so, I found the book edifying and informative. It was well-organized and brief, making it an easy entrance into an admittedly difficult subject.

One thing that I thought was odd is that Bromiley essentially did not quote the Reformers. My recollection is that all the footnotes were references to Scripture. In other words, this little work was very much Bromiley's condensation of Reformation teaching. This book is his summary, and it is a good summary.

[Adam Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

The advantages of Bromiley's little book on the sacraments in Reformed thought is that it gives you the breadth and depth of the sweep of the entire tradition without bogging you down in footnotes. Simple to understand, and historically and theologically accurate.