Exploring Ecclesiology

Brad Harper, Louis Metzger Paul

Description

In this introduction to ecclesiology, respected scholars Brad Harper and Paul Louis Metzger offer a solidly evangelical yet ecumenical survey of the church in mission and doctrine. Combining biblical, historical, and cultural analysis, this comprehensive text explores the church as a Trinitarian, eschatological, worshiping, sacramental, serving, ordered, cultural, and missional community. It also offers practical application, addressing contemporary church life issues such as women in ministry, evangelism, social action, consumerism in church growth trends, ecumenism, and the church in postmodern culture. The book will appeal to all who are interested in church doctrine, particularly undergraduates and seminarians.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian theology

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441212924
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 2009 by Brad Harper and Paul Louis Metzger
Published by Brazos Press
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.brazospress.com
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-1292-4
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
A version of chapter 13 appeared as “Christ, Culture, and the Sermon on the Mount Community” by Paul Louis Metzger in ExAuditu’s An International Journal for the Theological Interpretation of Scripture , 23 (2008): 22–26.
Unless otherwise indicated, scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Soceity. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture marked NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture marked NKJV is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked TNIV is taken from the Holy Bible, Today’s New Internation Version™. Copyright © 2001 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.
“The authors offer a series of soundings toward an ecclesiology that can be both evangelical and ecumenical, both robust and contemporary. The book is especially important for the way it engages ecclesiology in a dialogue between the church’s gospel-shaped identity and the cultural circumstances in which it lives its witness to the gospel.”
George R. Hunsberger , Western Theological Seminary
“We live in an era when there seems to be confusion about the character, nature, purpose, and relevance of the church. Exploring Ecclesiology calls for a deeper understanding of the role of the church. Harper and Metzger provide a helpful resource for theologians, pastors, and lay leaders to engage in this much-needed dialogue.”
Soong-Chan Rah , North Park Theological Seminary; author of The Next Evangelicalism
“A thoughtful introduction to ecclesiology that is biblically grounded, historically informed, ecumenically engaged, and culturally relevant. It is a worthy textbook for introducing and furthering current discussion about the church and does so in a way that is accessible, broad-ranging, and practical. Exploring Ecclesiology marks an important milestone in the renewal of interest in the doctrine of the church within evangelicalism.”
Kimlyn J. Bender , University of Sioux Falls
“Harper and Metzger unpack some of the most vexing questions and important issues regarding the nature and purpose of the Church. Their clear commitment to speak in an unapologetic manner into the particular ethos of evangelical Christianity will challenge and at times provoke their readers. Theirs is a challenge which needs to be taken seriously as it is grounded in reference to and appreciation of theologians from a wide variety of backgrounds and eras.”
Rev. Dr. Peter M. B. Robinson , Wycliffe College, University of Toronto
“The church harlot or mother? Experienced as the first by many, this impressive work seeks to encourage the latter judgment by providing an extensive and constructive evangelical theology of the church. Finally, we have an ecclesiology that is not reactionary, separatist, denominationally narrow, impractical, or out of touch with the postmodern world.”
Barry L. Callen , Anderson University
To Mariko, my best friend and precious bride,
With gratitude for the mystery of heart-to-heart life with you,
And to our children, Christopher and Julianne,
For raising me to be a child of God.

Paul





To Robin, Drew, Breegan, and Corey,
For teaching me what it means to love and to live in grace.

Brad
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Endorsements
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction

1. The Church as a Trinitarian Community: The Being -Driven Church
2. The Trinitarian Church Confronts American Individualism
3. The Church as an Eschatological Community
4. Eschatology, the Church, and Ecology
5. The Church as a Worshipping Community
6. The Worshipping Church Engages Culture
7. The Church as a Sacramental Community
8. Sacraments and the Search for the Holy Grail
9. The Church as a Serving Community
10. Church Discipline The Lost Element of Service
11. The Church as an Ordered Community
12. The Role of Women in the Ordered Community
13. The Church as a Cultural Community: Christ, Culture, and the Sermon on the Mount Community
14. Getting Past the Ghettoizing of the Gospel in Today’s Culture
15. The Church as a Missional Community: The Being- Driven Church
16. From Building Programs to Building God’s Missional Kingdom

A Postmodern Postscript
Recommended Readings
Appendix: Types of Ecclesiology
Notes
Subject Index
Scripture Index
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge Multnomah University and Seminary for giving them the time and space to work on this project, the students in their ecclesiology classes for engaging their ideas and helping to refine them, and Rodney Clapp and his team at Brazos Press for consistent counsel and encouragement. Special thanks goes to Halden Doerge, Will Thompson, and James Tucker for their research assistance, helpful suggestions regarding sources and references, and for keen insights on the theology of the church.
Paul wishes to acknowledge Professors Philip Lueck and John Zizioulas and the late Harold O. J. Brown and Colin Gunton for their commitment to being theologians of the church and for their influence on his intellectual development as a churchman; Pastors Samuel Mall, Ron Mancini, Rick McKinley, Barry Morrison, Peter Robinson, Murray Trim, John Wenrich, and the late Roy Jenson and LeRoy Koepke, for the pastoral and missional impressions they have made on his life and thought; and the evangelical Prophet John M. Perkins for his vision of community development centered in Christ’s kingdom community. Paul is indebted to his parents and grandparents for raising him in God’s household, and to his whole family for sharing life as a household of faith with him.
Brad wishes to thank Pastor Marvin Francine, his spiritual father, for teaching him to hear the voice of Christ in the church; Pastor Michael Andrus, colleague, pastoral mentor, and friend for teaching him that the church, in the midst of all its brokenness, is the place where God most loves to reveal himself; and Pastor Matt Hannan for his leadership in fostering a community of grace where hurting people find hope in the Savior and among his people.
Introduction
People are into “Jesus” and “spirituality” today, but not “religion” and “church.” [1] Many are disillusioned by what they see and hear in church or on television: an obsession with attendance, buildings, and collections; [2] spectacles of prosperity gospel preachers stealing from the poor to get rich; and scandalous reports of priests molesting little children. Christ’s church often plays the harlot, just as Israel played the harlot in Hosea’s day (see Hos. 1:1–2).
But we must never forget that the church is also our mother. Without the church, we would not have Jesus and the Bible. While the Bible shapes the church’s life, the church also birthed the Bible under the guidance of the Spirit. While we are “born again” as children of God through personal relationship with Jesus, those who are born again are born into the church. [3] John Calvin speaks of the church’s significance as our mother in the following statement on the visible nature of the church:
But because it is now our intention to discuss the visible church, let us learn even from the simple title “mother” how useful, indeed how necessary, it is that we should know her. For there is no other way to enter into life unless this mother conceive us in her womb, give us birth, nourish us at her breast, and lastly, unless she keep us under her care and guidance until, putting off mortal flesh, we become like the angels [Matt. 22:30]. Our weakness does not allow us to be dismissed from her school until we have been pupils all our lives. Furthermore, away from her bosom one cannot hope for any forgiveness of sins or any salvation, as Isaiah [Isa. 37:32] and Joel [Joel 2:32] testify. Ezekiel agrees with them when he declares that those whom God rejects from heavenly life will not be enrolled among God’s people [Ez. 13:9]. On the other hand, those who turn to the cultivation of true godliness are said to inscribe their names among the citizens of Jerusalem [cf. Isa. 56:5; Ps. 87:6]. For this reason, it is said in another psalm: “Remember me, O Jehovah, with favor toward thy people; visit me with salvation: that I may see the well-doing of thy chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the joy of thy nation, that I may be glad with thine inheritance” [Ps. 106:4–5; cf. Ps. 105:4, Vg., etc.]. By these words God’s fatherly favor and the especial witness of spiritual life are limited to his flock, so that it is always disastrous to leave the church. [4]
So, while it is often the case that we can’t live with the church (given its blemishes and brokenness), we can’t live without the church either.
Not only is the church our mother, but we as the church are also Christ’s bride, a point brought home by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:25–32, and the apostle John in Revelation 19:6–9. Luther claimed that the believer is simultaneously blemished and faithless as a harlot on the one hand, and spotless as Christ’s bride on the othe