What Do Rituals ’Do,’ and What Makes a Ritual Sacred? (Ben Noonan)

Rituals aren't mechanistic activities that may or may not produce a direct, isolated result. Rather, rituals shape a person over time. What distinguishes mundane rituals such as brushing your teeth or drinking coffee from sacred rituals such as baptism?

In Scripture, sacred rituals are formative for particular purposes, separating God’s people from the rest of the world, while simultaneously providing people with a community.

Dr. Ben Noonan joins us to discuss rituals and practices: which ones from the Bible are meant for today, how they change us, and how the rituals we don’t necessarily practice today draw on principles that still can apply to our lives.

Show notes:

• 0:26 Significance of rituals to faith
• 2:16 One-time thing?
• 3:38 The formative aspect of rituals
• 8:05 Individual and corporate identity
• 10:21 Is Sabbath a ritual?
• 14:15 Rituals and sacraments
• 18:54 “We don’t do those rituals anymore!”
• 23:32 Can we start with Jesus?
• 25:16 Talking to those worried about rituals

Show Notes by Dominique LaCroix

Credits for the music used in TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.