Theology of Participation

DANIEL G. OPREAN received his PhD from the University of Wales, Cardiff, UK, in 2014 and is currently a senior lecturer at Evangelical Theological Seminary, Osijek, Croatia. He serves as the Movement Coordinator for Langham Preaching in Romania, as well as a pastor with the Baptist Union in Romania. He is the author of Communion and Participation: Theological Reflections on the Spiritual Dimension of Existence (Excelsior Art, 2011) and editor of The Dialogue between Exegesis and Theology in Bible Preaching (Editura de Vest, 2018).

Baptists in Romania have developed a practice of suspicion when it comes to religious dialogue, especially with the Romanian Orthodox tradition, due to a history that is characterized by oppression. In this detailed study Dr Daniel Oprean paves the way for positive dialogue between the two traditions, highlighting that much can be gained and learned by acknowledging similarities and differences in key aspects of theology.Dr Oprean explores how existing theological resources can be used to enhance theological discourse between Baptist and Orthodox traditions in Romania through in-depth analysis of the thought of British Baptist theologian, Professor Paul Fiddes, and Romanian Orthodox theologian, Father Dumitru St¿niloae. Oprean in particular looks at their understanding of trinitarian and human participation through perichoresis, the Eucharist, Christian spirituality, and baptism and chrismation. Presented as a conversation between the two traditions this study is a model for how theological and religious dialogue can facilitate reconciliation, not just in the church but also in wider society.