Ecclesiology

Feminism and the Emerging Church By Xochitl Alvizo

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

What is emerging in the emerging church will not be faithful, liberative, or just if it continues to perpetuate the... more What is emerging in the emerging church will not be faithful, liberative, or just if it continues to perpetuate the erasure of women’s herstory.

There has been on ongoing conversation among Christian identified people for about 20-30 years now. It originally started in the U.K. and Australia before making its impact in the U.S.  It has its roots in evangelical Christianity but has since extended more broadly to Christians of all stripes including Catholic ones. This conversation is often referred to as the Emerging Church, the emerging church movement, or, as preferred by many, the Emerging Conversation. Phyllis Tickle has written a book, The Great Emergence, suggesting that this movement represents a much larger historical transformation of Christianity that occurs about every 500 years prompting a kind of house cleaning and rummage sale of the church.

Intro to Quakering Theology

by David Johns

This is a draft of the Introduction to my book, Quakering Theology, that will be published by Ashgate Publishing.

The Formation of Godly Community: Old Testament Hermeneutics in the Presence of the Other

by Carolyn Sharp

Sola Sermo?: Towards a Theology of Proclamation Through Word, Sacrament, and Witness

by David Feiser

Proposal for Doctoral Dissertation

This thesis explores a theology of a three-fold form of proclamation of the Word of God, in which... more This thesis explores a theology of a three-fold form of proclamation of the Word of God, in which "proclamation" is both direct (i.e., sermon and sacraments) and indirect (i.e., witness in acts of love and mission), and seeks to identify whether the life of the Church, thanks to its communicative union with Christ, is a true form of proclamation. Simply stated, communicative union is the shorthand term for the Church's and the individual believer's participation in the proclamation of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.  This project reclaims Calvin as a resource for establishing a fitting and appropriate ecclesiology that naturally participates in proclamation through union with Christ, moving from worship to the missio Dei.

Notes on The Ministry of Oversight Document

by Doru Costache

yet unpublished

Comments I presented on 1 March 2012 for the Executive of the National Council of Churches in Australia (St Stephen's... more Comments I presented on 1 March 2012 for the Executive of the National Council of Churches in Australia (St Stephen's Uniting Church, Macquarie Street, Sydney)

From theology, critically discuss how we should understand the nature of the Church and how we should understand her mission in the world today.

by Paul Ede

Leadership in a Dispersed Network

by Paul Ede

A study in the leadership skills required to formulate fresh vision with colleagues in The Scottish Network Churches,... more A study in the leadership skills required to formulate fresh vision with colleagues in The Scottish Network Churches, and to secure maximum agreement in its practical outworking.

The Role of English-Speaking Churches In South Africa: A Critical Historical Analysis and Theological Evaluation With Special Reference to the Church of …

by James R. Cochrane

Towards a narrative theological orientation in a global village from a postmodern urban South African perspective

by Johann-Albrecht Meylahn

Verbum et Ecclesia volume 25(2) 2004, University of Pretoria. p.568-583

This article was motivated by two of the major challenges which I believe congregations are facing within the context... more This article was motivated by two of the major challenges which I believe congregations are facing within the context of ministry, namely postmodernity and globalization. After seeking a fuller description of these two challenges I sought a theological orientation within such a context (postmodern global village) as well as an ecclesiological praxis that could be transformative and redemptive within such a context. I believe to have found in the narrative orientation an appropriate way for doing theology in the postmodern context.
The climax of this journey (story) is in the fusion of horizons between the theory-laden questions of descriptive theology and the historical texts of the Christian faith within the narrative orientation. I discovered that truly transformative and redemptive praxis is only possible within language communities (narrative communities). These narrative communities cannot exist in isolation, but are continuously confronted and relativised by the stories of other communities in the global village and therefore these language communities need to be open to the fragmentation and pluralism of the global village, otherwise they will not be able to respond to the reality of the globalization and postmodernity.
The narrative communities needed a story (sacred story) that did not deny the reality of fragmentation and pluralism, but could incorporate this reality into its story. I found this story in the story of the cross and therefore refer to the narrative communities as communities of and under the cross of Christ. These ideas formed the basis for a transformative praxis within a specific congregation, namely Pastoral Redemptive Communities. These narrative communities are not an answer to the postmodern global village, but they do offer a way of proclaiming Christ crucified and allowing the deconstruction of the cross to create a community which is a redemptive alternative to the reality of the postmodern global village.
This journey was a critical journey in dialogue with other disciplines (economics, philosophy, psychology and sociology) thereby opening it up for further dialogue within these other sciences as well as dialogue with other religious communities.

The "Tenting" God and the Tenacity of Hope by Sheila E. McGinn

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion Project

Easter Sunday 2010 marked the last Mass at Historic Saint Peter Church in Cleveland, Ohio. After over 150 years of... more Easter Sunday 2010 marked the last Mass at Historic Saint Peter Church in Cleveland, Ohio. After over 150 years of continuous use, the oaken doors of this sacred space on 17th and Superior were closed and locked. In rich irony, the building that once had been the womb of a vibrant inner-city Catholic community closed like a tomb on the very day when the Christian church around the world celebrated the feast of Christ breaking the bonds of death and rising triumphant from the grave. The official ecclesiastical act of “suppression” that closed the church building was intended likewise to roll the stone across the grave of the vibrant parish community that inhabited that domus ecclesiae. But Christians know that Resurrection happens. Easter cannot be stopped, not even by bishops.

Almost before he set foot in the door of the Chancery in Cleveland, Bishop Richard Lennon announced his intention to close one-third of the 180+ parishes in the diocese. Sixty-three parishes were to be selected for elimination based on the criteria of declining membership and financial dependency. Not surprisingly, many of the faithful were quite disturbed at this announcement. The diocesan spokesman sought to reassure them: “We don’t close parishes; we close empty buildings.” “Alright,” I thought, “maybe this won’t be so bad as it sounds.” And at first, that looked to be the case.

Continue reading: http://feminismandreligion.com/2012/01/08/the-tenting-god-and-the-tenacity-of-hope-by-sheila-e-mcginn-ph-d/

Justice inquisitoire et construction de la souveraineté : le modèle ecclésial (XIIe-XIVe siècles). Normes, pratiques, diffusion

by Julien Théry

Paru dans "Annuaire de l'EHESS. Compte rendus des cours et conférences 2004-2005, Paris : EHESS, 2006, p. 593-594

Présentation dans ses grandes lignes d'une recherche orientée selon trois hypothèses : les pratiques d'enquête de... more Présentation dans ses grandes lignes d'une recherche orientée selon trois hypothèses : les pratiques d'enquête de vérité ont été au fondement d'un régime de relations de pouvoir original caractérisable comme une première forme de gouvernementalité souveraine ; le modèle ecclésial et sa procédure " romano-canonique " ont eu un rôle central pour la mise en place de ce nouveau régime ; l'enquête de vérité était constitutive de deux registres inhérents à cette gouvernementalité souveraine, celui de la "fama" et celui des "enormia". L'étude porte sur une longue série de procès menés par la papauté des XIIe-XIVe s., contre des prélats accusés d'" excès " ou " crimes " souvent dits " énormes ". Ces enquêtes ont constitué un domaine d'expérimentation, un laboratoire de l'inquisitoire canonique. La réflexion concerne ici principalement sur le rôle de la "fama", qui permettait la capillarité et la centralisation des relations de pouvoir organisées par l'enquête, tout en instaurant une problématique de vérité au cœur de ces relations. La "fama"donnait aux faits concernés un statut de vérité incertaine, à vérifier par l'enquête que seules pouvaient mener les autorités compétentes, c'est-à-dire les institutions souveraines

"Excès" des prélats et gouvernement de l'Église au temps de la monarchie pontificale (vers 1150-vers 1350) : "dilapidation", "simonie", "incontinence", "dissolution"

by Julien Théry

Paru dans "Annuaire de l'EHESS. Compte rendus des cours et des conférences 2010-2011", Paris : EHESS, 2012

Présentation rapide des accusations avancées dans les procédures criminelles de la papauté contre les membres de la... more Présentation rapide des accusations avancées dans les procédures criminelles de la papauté contre les membres de la haute hiérarchie ecclésiastique. Ces affaires devinrent fréquentes à partir du pontificat d'Innocent III (1198-1216), au cours duquel fut achevée pour l'essentiel la mise au point d'un "mode inquisitoire" dont la genèse s'était accélérée au temps d'Alexandre III (1159-1181). Pour désigner les fautes reprochées aux chefs d'églises, les papes utilisaient trois mots à peu près interchangeables : "excessus", "crimen", "enormitas". Le premier était le plus usité. L'analyse d'environ 400 procédures recensées pour la période 1198-1314 montre que la "dilapidation" était le reproche le plus courant, la simonie et l'incontinence étant aussi des "excès" très fréquemment invoqués. Des dynamiques d'accumulation des griefs sont identifiées, parmi lesquelles l'association structurelle entre gouvernement de soi et gouvernement des autres. En l'absence d'un régime administratif des relations entre la papauté et les membres de la hiérarchie, les procédures criminelles visaient à faire peser toute la "plénitude de puissance" du vicaire du Christ sur ceux que la Curie tenait désormais pour les agents de son gouvernement centralisé.

Creating a Culture of Equality as Witness to the Truth: A Philosophical Response to Gender Difference [GALLEY PROOF]

by David Cramer

Pricilla Papers 24 no. 3 (Summer 2010): 18–22. [Note: The attached document is only a draft and differs slightly from the published version, including differing pagination. Please refer to the published version in Priscilla Papers for any citations.]

This paper applies the epistemology of philosopher Alvin Plantinga to the debate over gender roles in the church,... more This paper applies the epistemology of philosopher Alvin Plantinga to the debate over gender roles in the church, arguing that exegetical arguments alone may underdetermine one's view on gender roles. Instead, this paper calls for the church to embody egalitarian practices as a witness to the truth of gender equality. [Note: The attached document is only a draft and differs slightly from the published version, including differing pagination. Please refer to the published version in Priscilla Papers for any citations.]

Nicht nur als Wurzel! Der Ort des Judentums in der innerchristlichen Ökumene

by Thomas Fornet-Ponse

published in: Catholica 65 (2011) 195-210

Although they are not very numerous, there are some voices who plead for recurring to Judaism as the root of... more Although they are not very numerous, there are some voices who plead for recurring to Judaism as the root of Christianity for overcoming the differences between the churches. While this normally is limited to rabbinic Judaism, others go even further and argue for integrating contemporary Judaism in innerchristian ecumenics. This approach takes seriously the intimate relationship between Christianity and Judaism (especially with regard to the understanding of the people of God) and is shown in this article to offer valuable insights into some of the most controversially discussed ecumenical subjects like the relationship of primacy and synodality and the understanding of the papacy. It not only strongly supports existing proposals like a perichoretic view of the relationship of universal church and local churches or of Petrine ministry as serving the unity of the church understood as dialogue of different perspectives. It also modifies and contours them, especially by an epistemic understanding of authority and the value of discourse combined with it.

Eastern Orthodox Ecclesiologies in the Era of Confessionalism

by David Heith-Stade

Published in 'Theoforum' 41:3 (2010): pp. 373-385.

Mission-driven Pentecostal Ecclesiology

by Andy Lord

published in International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church, 11:4, pp.279-287

Pentecostal ecclesiology is shaped by its missionary drive and hence is global in scope. However, most studies have... more Pentecostal ecclesiology is shaped by its missionary drive and hence is global in scope. However, most studies have concentrated on a Pentecostal understanding of local churches and assumed a congregational model of the church. In this article I suggest a Pentecostal ecclesiology based on trinitarian mission fellowships. This develops some of the existing studies, drawing together themes of community, context, mission, Scripture, Christology, Spirit baptism and holiness within a trinitarian framework. In addition, the article proposes that a global and catholic aspect of Pentecostal ecclesiology can be seen in network structures. Networks form flexible structures that are neither congregational nor hierarchical and have been naturally formed as a part of Pentecostal mission. Such an ecclesiology brings together the work of the Holy Spirit with the story of the growing church in Acts and is suggestive of a fresh approach to catholicity.

The Nature of the Church: Ecclesiology & Trinity

by Dean Marco Funk

I wrote this paper in a course on Ecclesiology, after studying Ratzinger and Zizioulas' thought on the nature of the... more I wrote this paper in a course on Ecclesiology, after studying Ratzinger and Zizioulas' thought on the nature of the Church. I examine their work and then make my own suggestions in conversation with their work and my own Anabaptist perspective.

Yoder and the Missional Church

by Dean Marco Funk

I identify a problem in Missional Church theology by way of John H. Yoder's ecclesiology. I identify a problem in Missional Church theology by way of John H. Yoder's ecclesiology.

"The Challenge of Evangelical Ecclesiology'' Reading Essay

by Pablo Rivas Perea

A one page reading essay for the article entitled "The Challenge of Evangelical Ecclesiology" by George Vandervelde

Woman without Envy: Toward Reconceiving the Immaculate Conception

by John Dadosky

Woman Without Envy: Toward Re-conceiving the Immaculate Conception,”
Theological Studies, 72/1 March (2011): 15-40.