Engages important issues faced by the Christian church in witness and ministry Renowned for his unique slant on ecclesial affiliation by his own confession "evangelical without being Protestant, catholic without being Roman, and orthodox without being Eastern" Lutheran theologian Carl E. Braaten has long been a respected voice in ecclesiological discourse. In Critical Issues in Ecclesiology eleven authors from a variety of church traditions come together to honor Braaten. The contributors share a common theological vision: the renewal of the church so that it may bear a clearer catholic evangelical witness to the apostolic faith. By stimulating fresh thinking on several critical issues, this volume will advance ecumenical dialogue concerning the restoration of unity and the renewal of a "passion for mission" within the Great Tradition. Contributors: James M. Childs, Gabriel Fackre, Alberto L. Garca, Timothy George, Robert W. Jenson, Joseph L. Mangina, Cheryl M. Peterson, Michael Root, Leopoldo A. Snchez M., Frank C. Senn, Susan K. Wood

More than one person has joked over the years that Evangelical believers do not have an ecclesiology. In one sense, that is absurd: Evangelical churches (especially if you include Pentecostals in that group) are some of the fastest-growing, most vibrant churches in the world. Evangelicals are proclaiming the gospel, praising the Lord, reading the Bible, and loving the poor. But there is a case to be made that the Evangelical devotion to the mission of the church has left Evangelicals with little time to reflect on the church itself. In this collection of essays, first given at annual meetings of the Evangelical Theological Society, the authors take time to reflect on the nature of the church in an Evangelical context, asking after the way in which it is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

Readers will discover that it is not possible to disengage John Howard Yoder’s practice of ecumenical dialogue from his vision of the church. Yoder’s approach to ecumenical dialogue correlates with his conception of the faithfulness of the church. His vision of the church poses challenges for Christians of all communions because he calls both for disciplined dialogue and for faithful servanthood that renders the confession of Jesus Christ’s lordship meaningful. This collection of 17 essays on themes ecclesiological and ecumenical is intended to demonstrate the substantial unity of Yoder’s work over the past four decades. Many of these essays are often cited by researchers but have been till now unobtainable. Three of these texts have never been published before. Editor Michael Cartwright has contributed a substantial introduction on the “Yoderian” project, and a select bibliography prepared by Mark Nation catalogs Yoder’s writings—published and unpublished—on ecclesiology and ecumenism.

Since her founding by Christ, the Church on earth has recognized and sought to preserve her identity as “one complex reality” (Lumen Gentium 8) formed of both the invisible and the visible, the charismatic and the institutional. Yet within modern Catholic life and theology the ordered unity of these dimensions is increasingly obscured and undermined by distortive tendencies toward democratization, bureaucratization, and secularization. Such contemporary errors threaten not only the Church’s self-understanding but also her mission to restore all things in Christ. In Unconformed to the Age, renowned Australian theologian Tracey Rowland addresses the theological and ecclesiological deviations underlying the present ecclesial disorder, including the prioritization of praxis over truth, the occlusion of the Cross from its central position in the Church’s life, and the substitution of a secular, corporate vision of the Church for its true construal as Christ’s Body and Bride—“Catholic Inc.” versus communio. Engaging especially with the thought and writings of Joseph Ratzinger as well as other twentieth-century theological luminaries, Rowland provides both insightful diagnosis of these current pathologies and a multifaceted illumination of the mystery of the Church, underscoring the Church’s divinely given vocation to bring all people into communion with the Trinity, imbuing human actions, lives, and cultures with the grace of the Incarnation.

This book contains easy to understand essays about some key aspects of Christianity.E Topics discussed are prophecy, the nature of Christ, the doctrine of the Church (Ecclesiology), and Church History.E This book discussed these topics from a Catholic perspective, and will be beneficial in helping you grow in your faith