Elizabeth Newman

My work focuses on two interrelated themes: 1) building up the unity of the church and 2) extending the visibility of Christ’s body in the face of various cultural challenges. Regarding the first theme, I am particularly interested in how Baptists can understand themselves more fully as part of the church catholic in a way that enhances the whole body of Christ. My interest in the church’s visibility has led me critically to examine which liturgies are actually forming (or distorting) our lives and how “life together,” as Bonhoeffer emphasized, might display more fully liturgy as a way of life. Both of these interests come together in my most recent book: Living the Liturgy: Enlarging the Baptist Vision (Baylor University Press, 2024).

I began my teaching career at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN (1990-2002) before joining the faculty of the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (2002-2019) where I served as the Eula Mae and John Baugh Professor of Theology and Ethics. I currently teach in The Baptist House of Studies, Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, VA, USA, and am adjunct professor of theology at Duke University Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina, USA. I serve as chair of the Baptist World Alliance Commission on Baptist Doctrine and Christian Unity and am co-chair of the Baptist World Alliance Delegation for Theological Conversations with the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.