The necessity of social just-ness for a postmodern ecclesi-odicy
Going to “all nations” to share the salvific message of Jesus Christ (Matt 28:19) means that the Christian gospel needs to resonate with the social and existential concerns of the current people of God as well as with changing culture and emerging generations. When the world changes, ecclesial praxi...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage Publ.
2015
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| In: |
Theology today
Year: 2015, Volume: 72, Issue: 1, Pages: 84-99 |
| Further subjects: | B
new paradigm church
B postmodern hermeneutic B Social Justice B Ecclesiology B ecclesi-odicy B Missiology |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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| Summary: | Going to “all nations” to share the salvific message of Jesus Christ (Matt 28:19) means that the Christian gospel needs to resonate with the social and existential concerns of the current people of God as well as with changing culture and emerging generations. When the world changes, ecclesial praxis needs to change along with it if the church's missional emphasis is to be consistently relevant. When the church ignores the world, why should (or would) the world pay attention to the church? The church must rethink its ecclesiology through the hermeneutical lens of postmodernity and its interests in acts of (social) justice.1 This article proposes that a defense or apologetic of the postmodern ecclesia—an “ecclesi-odicy”— is best defended by a renewing of the church's original missional intent and the implementation of the church's (social) ethic. Ecclesi-odicy brings together “ecclesial” and “theodicy” and is an apologetic for the church itself. Ecclesi-odicy is not justification for the church to critique others; rather to critique itself. Deconstructed, ecclesi-odicy becomes a defense of the ecclesia in its interface with the social injustices caused by evil and suffering. |
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| ISSN: | 2044-2556 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Theology today
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0040573614563529 |