Církev jako relikt minulosti, nebo součást evangelijního příběhu [The Church: Relic of the Past or Part of the Gospel Story?]

Černý, Pavel (2015) Církev jako relikt minulosti, nebo součást evangelijního příběhu [The Church: Relic of the Past or Part of the Gospel Story?]. Theologia vitae: časopis Sdružení evangelikálních teologů, 5 (1). pp. 11-29.

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Abstract

This article is a practical-theological discourse about the appearance and the importance of the Church. For many who are interested in Christianity, there are different obstacles in the form of the institutional Church and organised religion. We cannot avoid the fact that the Church does not have a favourable reputation in our society. Not just for people watching her from the outside, but even the mere existence of the Church sometimes creates a problem for our individualistic society. This trend was fostered in the 1960s and ‘70s when the Church was overlooked and rejected by theologians of various Christian traditions, including for example adherents of Liberation Theology. The Church was sometimes understood as a deformed expression of a certain entity that should in reality be the Kingdom of God. However, the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels gives the Church quite an important role, and the focus of the New Testament Epistles is church planting and building. In spite of all critical comments and distortions of the past and the present, I will argue that Christianity cannot exist without the Church. The Church is not a relic of the past but a substantial part of the gospel. We are allowed to seek a contextualised expression of the Church, but not to avoid her altogether. She is not an invention of Christians; she is the beloved bride of Christ that plays an important role in the plan of salvation and a crucial role in interpreting the Scriptures.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: also appears in Evangelical Journal of Theology 2019
Subjects: B Mission theology/theory > Missional ecclesiology
B Mission theology/theory > Contextualization/Inculturation
G Christian traditions/Denominations > Evangelical
Divisions: Central Europe > Czech Republic
Depositing User: Katharina Penner
Date Deposited: 30 Oct 2021 11:34
Last Modified: 30 Oct 2021 11:34
URI: https://ceeamsprints.osims.org/id/eprint/2208

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