What is the church? This can be a very deep question, or a rather simple one depending on one’s context, theology, and general understanding of Scripture and faith. From my personal experience, most members of the congregations I grew up in if asked this question would point to the church building or sanctuary. This is not that surprising in my opinion when we consider the gorgeous monuments we have built as houses for God. As a child, I would have answered the exact same way as most people in a congregation, and it was not until later in my adulthood that I came to understand “the church” not as a physical building, but as much more. A very common response to this question has been that the church is “the people of God” or even “God’s chosen people.” I, however, prefer the definition of the church as “the community of Christian faith,” a much more inclusive definition than the previous mentioned definitions. In the second chapter of his work titled An Introduction to Ecclesiology, theologian Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen discusses the idea of “The Church as the People of God”, a Roman Catholic ecclesiology. Kärkkäinen writes about the contention between a Christ-centered and a Spirit-centered ecclesiology that was present in early and later ecclesiologies of the Roman Catholic Church. He goes on to mention a problematic reason for a Spirit-centered ecclesiology when he identifies that, “In the New Testament, the church is never called the ‘body of the Spirit,’ but rather the body of Christ.” If we understand “the body of Christ” to be the group of people who believe in the salvation through Christ, then this would support my understanding of what the church is. The potential trouble with this goes to context and content. How one interp... ... middle of paper ... ... the same or else the church could not claim itself to be the body of Christ. And as the body of Christ, the church should be an inclusive community of Christian faith, or else it again is in conflict with the mission of Jesus Christ. Works Cited Green, Chris E. "'The Body of Christ, the Spirit of Communion': Re-Visioning Pentecostal Ecclesiology in Conversation with Robert Jenson." Journal of Pentecostal Theology 20, no. 1 (2011): 15-26. Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti. An Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical. Amazon Kindle edition ed. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2009. Rainey, David. "The Established Church and Evangelical Theology: John Wesley's Ecclesiology." International Journal of Systematic Theology 12, no. 4 (2010): 420-434. Williams, Joseph L. "The New Ecclesiology and the Post-Modern Age." Review & Expositor 107, no. 1 (2010): 33-40.
Webber, Christopher. Welcome to the Episcopal Church: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Pub., 1999. Print.
Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 19(1), 69-84. Heim, D. (1996). The 'Standard'. Phil Jackson, Seeker in Sneakers. Christian Century, 133(20), 654-656.
The church or Ecclesia, as it is called in the original Greek language, regardless of size, are the called out ones who assemble to represent the Body and life of Jesus Christ. They engage in meetings of praise, worship, and listening to the Word of God, which is taken from their manual called the Holy Bible, or the Scriptures; those bringing the message are considered to be the mouthpieces for God, and are typically called preachers (KJV, Eph 5.23-32). According to the Bible, the church, which includes the preachers, is to strive to exemplify the type of life that Jesu...
Jenkins, Phillips. The Lost History of Christianity. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008. Print. Phillips, Jonathan.
McManners, John. "The Oxford History of Christianity." The Oxford History of Christianity. New York: New York Oxford Press, 2002. 28.
"EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 & 2." EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
Otto, Rudolf. The Idea of the Holy. Trans. John W. Harvey. New York: Oxford UP, 1958. Print.
Rourke, Nancy. “Christianity Notes.” Religion 101 Notes Christianity. Entry posted April 14, 2011. https ://angel.canisius.edu/section/default.asp?id=43760%5FSpring2011 (accessed April 18, 2011).
Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. N.Y. 1999
Richardson, William E., and Dave Kidd. “Articles.” Pentecostal Evangel. General Council of the Assemblies of God. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.
Durkheim, Emile. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print.
The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved February 21, 2010 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org
Lane, T. (2006). A concise history of christian thought (Completely ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Westphal, M. (2009). Whose Community? Which Interpretation?: Philosophical Hermeneutics for the Church. Baker Academic. 107
Lutzer, Erwin. The Doctrines That Divide: a Fresh Look at the Historic Doctrines That Separate Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1998.