Protestants Celebrating Palm Sunday

[lilypadrees]

It’s a surprise to see any Protestant denomination celebrating Palm Sunday with palms. When I was attending their churches, I remember they would have a sermon about Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey. But they never gave out palms anything like that.

There was never an observance of Holy Week, the Easter Triduum, no washing of feet on Holy Thursday. Good Friday wasn’t observed. No Stations of the Cross.

After church on Palm Sunday, the pastor would remind everyone that there would be a Sunrise Service on Easter Sunday and to be at the specified location at a certain time. Sometimes, there would be a picnic. Other times, not. But definitely nothing like the Catholic Church.

 

[GKMotley]

When one starts trying to wrap Anglicans (generically, if that is what you refer to) into what is the common RC image of protestant (a thing I markedly never do), one runs into these taxonomic/praxis conundrums.

 

[JonNC]

This thread is another testament to the reality that using the term “Protestant” as related to theology and practice is folly.

 

[Angannas]

I was referring to protestant churches generally. The Church I go to, that celebrated the Annunciation and Palm Sunday on the same day is actually an evangelical Church

 

[GKMotley]

That’ll teach me to (semi-) jump to conclusions.

Still, a true observations, re: Anglicans.

 

[exnihilo]

I think the key to your experience is Southen Baptist. They come from a tradition that wanted to reject anything that hinted of Catholic practice. Reform movements are, by nature, rejecting something of the practice they come out of. The first Baptists came out of a tradition that had already rejected elements of Catholicism. Their restoration wasn’t to Catholicism but some invention of their own with even less Catholicism.

As time goes by the initial need to reject even more Catholicism becomes
less relevant. The group is then able to graft back on elements of the Faith because they make sense. Those practices of course always made sense but they had to reject them in order to distinguish themselves.

Also, as time goes by members of the denomination are less firmly committed to the particular dogmas of their group. They may encounter opposing views and at least see how they could make sense. So again they are more free to take back on the various sensible practices of Catholicism.

 

[Grey]

Each Baptist church is ultimately independent, even if it’s part of an association, such as the Southern Baptist Convention. So whether an individual congregation observes Palm Sunday/Holy Week is up to that congregation. I was raised Southern Baptist, and I’ve been in congregations that had palms and processions and such, and others that didn’t mention it. Many Baptist churches that I’ve experienced give the palms to the children and have them process in singing a joyful hymn like “For the Beauty of the Earth” and then read the account of the entry into Jerusalem as the children wave the palms and chant “Hosanna to the Son of God!” I participated in it myself as a child, and it was a very joyful experience.

 

[Augustinian]

They come from a tradition that wanted to reject anything that hinted of Catholic practice

Our Baptist friends actually broke away from the Anglicans and not the Catholic Church.

I think any particular antagonism they might have against Catholics is more rooted in politics and nativism, than religion.