Church: God's Polycentric Experimental Community (DA2011P)

Content

This unit explores the roots of the Christian community in the messianic ministry of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ and the sending of the Spirit. It highlights the diverse embodiments of the church found in the New Testament and presents them as evidence of the ferment and de facto experimentation which characterised the formation and self-understandings of early Christianity. The ecclesiologies built around the classic marks of the church will be surveyed, but this survey will demonstrate that such ecclesiologies often obscure the experimentation which properly belongs to reflections on the Christian community. The Reformation's disruption of the Western church, the modern missionary and ecumenical movements, the emergence of the 'global church,' and ecclesiastical scandals and corruption all provide the background to the contemporary recognition of ecclesiological ferment and recent discussions about the polycentricity of Christianity. This ferment will be framed Christologically and pneumatologically in ways that provide theological foundations for experimental reflection on the church's mission, structures, and sacramental practices. The unit will include some focus on the relevance of these issues to the vocation of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Learning outcomes

Indicative Bibliography

Recommended Reading:

• Bediako, Kwame. Christianity in Africa: The Renewal of a non-Western Religion. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1995.
• Bradbury, John. Perpetually Reforming: A Theology of Church Reform and Renewal. London: Bloomsbury, 2013.
• Carnes, Natalie. "Gender and Ecclesiology." In The T&T Clark Handbook to Ecclesiology, edited by Kimlyn Bender and Stephen D. Long, 375-390. London: T&T Clark, 2020.
• Flett, John G. Apostlicity: The Ecumenical Question in World Christian Perspective. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2016.
• Houlden, Lesslie. The Public Face of the Gospel: New Testament Ideas of the Church. London: SCM 1997.
• Irvin, Dale T. “From One Story to Many: An Ecumenical Reappraisal of Church History.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 28, no. 4 (1991): 537–54.
• Miller, Vincent J. “Where Is the Church? Globalization and Catholicity.” Theological Studies 69, no. 2 (2008): 412–32.
• Sanneh, Lamin O. Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2009.
• Watson, Natalie. Introducting Feminist Ecclesiology. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 1996.
• World Council of Churches. *The Church: Towards a Common Vision. *Geneva: World Council of Churches, 2013.

Assessment