Ritual Process and Christian Discipling: Contextualizing a Buddhist Rite of Passage

Abstract

The study of ritual process has shown that the liminal phase of a typical rite of passage suspends social structures and provides an anti-structure or sense of community in which formation is facilitated or effected. One such rite accompanying the passage from childhood to adulthood effects this “bonding to meaning” in a particularly striking way. As such it represents a ritual structure particularly useful for the discipling of new or immature believers, particularly, though not exclusively, those from traditional religious backgrounds. The Buddhist Shin Byu ceremony in which Burmese children are formed into adult Buddhists by following the Buddha's own transition from wealth to enlightenment provides a test case for critical contextualization. Can a similarly structured rite of passage for Christian discipling be modeled after some inaugural events in the life of Jesus?

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