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The Priesthood of All Believers in Ecclesiological Development
Batdorf, Aaron David
Batdorf, Aaron David
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Abstract
The thesis of this dissertation asserts that the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is an ontological status grounded in union with Christ that serves as the necessary foundation for ecclesiological development. Rather than functioning as an anthropological warrant for individual autonomy, the doctrine constitutes the church as a corporate temple of adopted sons, enabling direct access to the Father and charging the congregation with shared ecclesial responsibilities. To demonstrate this, the study establishes the necessity of an ontological method and provides a biblical-theological canonical survey tracing the priestly trajectory from Adam's Edenic vocation to the Melchizedekian priesthood of Jesus Christ. Building on this canonical foundation, the dissertation constructs a systematic theology of the new covenant priesthood, arguing that believers participate derivatively in Christ's unique priesthood through the soteriological mechanism of adoption. This corporate, Christological reality directly critiques E. Y. Mullins’s paradigm of “soul competency,” demonstrating that replacing the biblical priesthood with an anthropocentric framework of individual rights inadvertently fostered ecclesial fragmentation, interpretive subjectivism, and the erosion of congregational authority within the Southern Baptist Convention. In response, the dissertation’s constructive proposal argues for an ontological ordering of ecclesiology that proceeds strictly from identity to privilege, duty, and polity. Grounded in their union with Christ, the priestly congregation exercises declarative authority through the keys of the kingdom, rendering congregational confession, regenerate membership, and corrective discipline as inescapable theological mandates, ultimately providing a comprehensive reassertion of the doctrine’s foundational significance for contemporary Baptist church life.
Description
Ph.D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2026
Date
2026-05
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The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary