What do you think?
Rate this book
An Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical & Global Perspectives
What is the church?What makes the church church?In this volume, theologian Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen provides an up-to-date survey and analysis of the major ecclesiological traditions, the most important theologians, and a number of contextual approaches that attempt to answer these essential questions.Drawing on his international experience, global research and ecumenical awareness, Kärkkäinen presents an overview of both traditional and contemporary expressions of the Christian church. An Introduction to Ecclesiology will richly reward the student, pastor or layperson who is looking for a comprehensive and insightful overview of the unity and diversity of understandings and practices within the one church of Jesus Christ.
229 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 31, 2002
30 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen
58 books28 followersVeli-Matti Käkkäinen is professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He has published numerous articles in international journals of theology.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
October 5, 2009
Kärkkäinen a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary has lived in Europe, Asia and North America; is fluent in several languages and a prolific author. He is a member of three working groups of the World Council of Churches and some of his areas of expertise include Pneumatology, Ecclesiology, Pannenberg, Luther, and Pentecostal-Charismatic theologies.
Part I – Ecclesiological Traditions
Chapter 1: Eastern Orthodox ecclesiology sees the church as an icon of the trinity. God’s grace is both “mediated and experienced by and through the sacraments” (19) and there is a balance of hierarchy and charisms in the structure.
Chapter 2: Roman Catholic ecclesiology, after Vatican II, sees the church as the people of God, “pilgrim people on the way to the heavenly city” (28). It is sacramental, communal, pneumatological, hierarchal, and under the papacy.
Chapter 3: Lutheran ecclesiology sees the church as the gathering of the just and sinful people; it is non-institutional, and a hospital for the sick. The Holy Spirit works through the word and sacraments to make people holy.
Chapter 4: Reformed ecclesiology sees the church as a graced covenant community. There is a stress on “believing the church” instead of “believing in the church” (51). There are various tensions within the reformed camp.
Chapter 5: Free Church ecclesiology sees the church as the fellowship of believers, and includes groups like Anabaptist, Baptist, Methodist and Quakers. Unmediated access to God and the priesthood of all believers are strong values.
Chapter 6: Pentecostal/Charismatic ecclesiology sees the church as a charismatic fellowship empowered by the Holy Spirit. There is sometimes an unhealthy opposition between charism and institution. God’s presence is vital.
Chapter 7: The Ecumenical Movement is trying to live out the reality of being “one, holy, catholic and apostolic church”. There are different understandings and prescriptions for unity.
Part II – Leading Contemporary Ecclesiologist
Chapter 8: John Zizioulas an Easter Orthodox bishop with a communion ecclesiology. The Eucharist is the foundational act of the church. The church is “instituted by Christ and constituted by the Spirit” (99).
Chapter 9: Hans Küng a catholic with a charismatic ecclesiology sees the church as the people of God, on a pilgrimage. He favors a charismatic structure where each person is gifted to edify, serve and unify the body of Christ.
Chapter 10: Wolfhart Pannenberg a Lutheran with a universal ecclesiology sees the church as anticipation “and a sign of the unity of all people under one God” (115). The church is a sign and tool of the coming kingdom for all humanity.
Chapter 11: Jürgen Moltmann with a messianic, eschatological, charismatic, trinitarian ecclesiology views the church as a communion of equals that exists for the world. He advocates a broader view of the Spirits work, in all of creation.
Chapter 12: Miroslav Volf a free church theologian with a trinitarian, participatory ecclesiology. He has an emphasis on the priesthood of all believers and sees the sacraments as necessary, but ordained ministers helpful but unnecessary.
Chapter 13: James McClendon Jr. a Baptist theologian calls the church a narrative community that is future oriented, gift-created and a people of peoples. He emphasizes the rule of God, centrality of Christ and the fellowship of the Spirit.
Chapter 14: Lesslie Newbigin an Anglican with a missionary ecclesiology emphasizes the visible witness of the church - bearing and witnessing the truth.
Part III – Contextual Ecclesiologies
Chapter 15: The Non-Church Movement in Asia founded by Uchimura from Japan is anti-institutional, emphasizing gospel by faith alone and priesthood of all.
Chapter 16: The Church from below in Latin America lead by Leonardo Boff champions freedom and liberation. It is a grassroots movement of the poor.
Chapter 17: The Feminist Church is shaped by various women and influenced by liberation theology. Leadership in the round and ecofeminism are strong values.
Chapter 18: African Independent Churches are local and autonomous. There is a strong emphasis on communal living as well as the Holy Spirit who is savior, healer, protector, bringer of justice, liberation and inspires caring for the earth.
Chapter 19: The Shepherding Movement was founded many including Bob Mumford. With a heart for discipleship in all of life, it became spiritually abusive.
Chapter 20: The World Church advocated by Vincent Donavan is a church for all people and all creation. Sacraments relate more to the world than inner-church.
Chapter 21: The Post-Christian Church advocated by Barry Harvey sees the church as “another city.” He calls the church to a holy madness for the world’s sake.
I appreciated getting a wide-angle view of ecclesiology. I was familiar with the basic traditions and all of the contemporary ecclesiologists, aside from Zizioulas. I was familiar with the contextual ecclesiologies, aside from the non-church movement. I found the material helpful in thinking through the various issues that every church needs to consider and address. Some of those include the marks of the church, the essence of the church, the metaphors of the church and the functions of the church. Churches need to consider their view on sacraments, structure, leadership, ecumenicalism, the priesthood of all believers and how the Trinity informs our ecclesiology. I appreciated reviewing ecclesiology through the traditions, current ecclesiologists as well as the contextual ecclesiologies.
After reading this book, I was inspired to read some books by Hans Küng, Wolfhart Pannenberg, Jürgen Moltmann, John Zizioulas, Vincent Donovan, Leonardo Boff and Barry Harvey. I had already given a lot of thought to marks of a church, primary metaphors and functions of a church. I have also given much thought lately to leadership, structure and how the Trinity ought to inform our ecclesiology. Besides wetting my appetite for more reading in ecclesiology, this book caused me to want to clarify my thoughts on the sacraments and how the Holy Spirit informs structure. This book will inform my current writing on Re-Sketching the Church and help me to consider what the church might look like in the future in light of her past.
Part I – Ecclesiological Traditions
Chapter 1: Eastern Orthodox ecclesiology sees the church as an icon of the trinity. God’s grace is both “mediated and experienced by and through the sacraments” (19) and there is a balance of hierarchy and charisms in the structure.
Chapter 2: Roman Catholic ecclesiology, after Vatican II, sees the church as the people of God, “pilgrim people on the way to the heavenly city” (28). It is sacramental, communal, pneumatological, hierarchal, and under the papacy.
Chapter 3: Lutheran ecclesiology sees the church as the gathering of the just and sinful people; it is non-institutional, and a hospital for the sick. The Holy Spirit works through the word and sacraments to make people holy.
Chapter 4: Reformed ecclesiology sees the church as a graced covenant community. There is a stress on “believing the church” instead of “believing in the church” (51). There are various tensions within the reformed camp.
Chapter 5: Free Church ecclesiology sees the church as the fellowship of believers, and includes groups like Anabaptist, Baptist, Methodist and Quakers. Unmediated access to God and the priesthood of all believers are strong values.
Chapter 6: Pentecostal/Charismatic ecclesiology sees the church as a charismatic fellowship empowered by the Holy Spirit. There is sometimes an unhealthy opposition between charism and institution. God’s presence is vital.
Chapter 7: The Ecumenical Movement is trying to live out the reality of being “one, holy, catholic and apostolic church”. There are different understandings and prescriptions for unity.
Part II – Leading Contemporary Ecclesiologist
Chapter 8: John Zizioulas an Easter Orthodox bishop with a communion ecclesiology. The Eucharist is the foundational act of the church. The church is “instituted by Christ and constituted by the Spirit” (99).
Chapter 9: Hans Küng a catholic with a charismatic ecclesiology sees the church as the people of God, on a pilgrimage. He favors a charismatic structure where each person is gifted to edify, serve and unify the body of Christ.
Chapter 10: Wolfhart Pannenberg a Lutheran with a universal ecclesiology sees the church as anticipation “and a sign of the unity of all people under one God” (115). The church is a sign and tool of the coming kingdom for all humanity.
Chapter 11: Jürgen Moltmann with a messianic, eschatological, charismatic, trinitarian ecclesiology views the church as a communion of equals that exists for the world. He advocates a broader view of the Spirits work, in all of creation.
Chapter 12: Miroslav Volf a free church theologian with a trinitarian, participatory ecclesiology. He has an emphasis on the priesthood of all believers and sees the sacraments as necessary, but ordained ministers helpful but unnecessary.
Chapter 13: James McClendon Jr. a Baptist theologian calls the church a narrative community that is future oriented, gift-created and a people of peoples. He emphasizes the rule of God, centrality of Christ and the fellowship of the Spirit.
Chapter 14: Lesslie Newbigin an Anglican with a missionary ecclesiology emphasizes the visible witness of the church - bearing and witnessing the truth.
Part III – Contextual Ecclesiologies
Chapter 15: The Non-Church Movement in Asia founded by Uchimura from Japan is anti-institutional, emphasizing gospel by faith alone and priesthood of all.
Chapter 16: The Church from below in Latin America lead by Leonardo Boff champions freedom and liberation. It is a grassroots movement of the poor.
Chapter 17: The Feminist Church is shaped by various women and influenced by liberation theology. Leadership in the round and ecofeminism are strong values.
Chapter 18: African Independent Churches are local and autonomous. There is a strong emphasis on communal living as well as the Holy Spirit who is savior, healer, protector, bringer of justice, liberation and inspires caring for the earth.
Chapter 19: The Shepherding Movement was founded many including Bob Mumford. With a heart for discipleship in all of life, it became spiritually abusive.
Chapter 20: The World Church advocated by Vincent Donavan is a church for all people and all creation. Sacraments relate more to the world than inner-church.
Chapter 21: The Post-Christian Church advocated by Barry Harvey sees the church as “another city.” He calls the church to a holy madness for the world’s sake.
I appreciated getting a wide-angle view of ecclesiology. I was familiar with the basic traditions and all of the contemporary ecclesiologists, aside from Zizioulas. I was familiar with the contextual ecclesiologies, aside from the non-church movement. I found the material helpful in thinking through the various issues that every church needs to consider and address. Some of those include the marks of the church, the essence of the church, the metaphors of the church and the functions of the church. Churches need to consider their view on sacraments, structure, leadership, ecumenicalism, the priesthood of all believers and how the Trinity informs our ecclesiology. I appreciated reviewing ecclesiology through the traditions, current ecclesiologists as well as the contextual ecclesiologies.
After reading this book, I was inspired to read some books by Hans Küng, Wolfhart Pannenberg, Jürgen Moltmann, John Zizioulas, Vincent Donovan, Leonardo Boff and Barry Harvey. I had already given a lot of thought to marks of a church, primary metaphors and functions of a church. I have also given much thought lately to leadership, structure and how the Trinity ought to inform our ecclesiology. Besides wetting my appetite for more reading in ecclesiology, this book caused me to want to clarify my thoughts on the sacraments and how the Holy Spirit informs structure. This book will inform my current writing on Re-Sketching the Church and help me to consider what the church might look like in the future in light of her past.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2025
Both an educational but also a thought provoking book! The main point of it is to ask the questions: What is the church, What are the conditions for being a church, and What does unity look like? Even though those can seem like obvious questions, the more in depth you go, the harder it gets to have a straight forward answer.
“What complicates and challenges the ecumenical work is the fact that, understandably, Christians and churches introduce into the ecumenical movement their own specific understanding of the church and the kind of unity they find theologically and ecclesiastically correct.”
We’re so heavily biased and it’s good to question our own biases and opinions often, even the ones we’re the most stubborn about. Sadly despite Jesus’ calling for unity in the church, church history is just evidence to the lack of love and humility that Christians can have.
“What complicates and challenges the ecumenical work is the fact that, understandably, Christians and churches introduce into the ecumenical movement their own specific understanding of the church and the kind of unity they find theologically and ecclesiastically correct.”
We’re so heavily biased and it’s good to question our own biases and opinions often, even the ones we’re the most stubborn about. Sadly despite Jesus’ calling for unity in the church, church history is just evidence to the lack of love and humility that Christians can have.
September 29, 2021
Summary: An introduction to different historical theologies of the church, contemporary theologies from throughout the world, the mission and practices of the church, and the church and other religious communities.
At one time, an introduction to ecclesiology would be complete with parts one and three of this work. It would be sufficient to discuss the historical theologies of the church from the major church traditions, and the liturgy, sacraments or ordinances of the church and the mission of the church from the West, from where these theologies arose, to the rest of the world. The changes, even from an earlier edition of this work, reflect the growth of indigenously led Christianity on every continent engaged in the theological task as well as the increasing awareness of Christianity’s intersection with, points of contact and difference with, and need to engage the other major religious communities of the world. These latter two form parts two and four of the present work.
Part one then discusses the major traditions of the church and what these have meant by confessing one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. A chapter each is devoted to six major traditions, featuring a representative theologian and a key theme. In order, they are:
1. Eastern Orthodoxy, “The Church as an Icon of the Trinity” (John Zizioulos)
2. Roman Catholic, “The Church as the People of God” (Hans Kung)
3. Lutheran, “The Church Around the Word and Sacraments, Part One” (Wolfhart Pannenberg)
4. Reformed, “The Church Around the Word and Sacraments, Part Two” (Jurgen Moltmann)
5. Free Church, “The Church as Fellowship of Believers” (James William McClendon, Jr.)
6. Pentecostal/Charismatic, “The Church in the Power of the Spirit” (no representative theologian)
It is surprising that no separate chapters address Anglicanism and its Wesleyan offshoots and that German theologians are representative of three of these traditions. Might not Herman Bavinck or Abraham Kuyper be more representative of the Reformed movement?
Part two turns to global theologies. Latin American theology turns to theologies of liberation and the idea of base communities. Africa has a long church history from early Christianity, to Catholic and colonial missions efforts , and the rise of the African Initiated Churches, the latter with a significant emphasis on the Spirit in the churches. The chapter on Asian ecclesiology was surprisingly short, focusing on “church-less” Christianity and Pentecostal and indigenous churches. Greater attention is given to global feminist ecclesiologies, particularly the confrontation of patriarchy, womanist black theology, and mujerista Latina theology. The North American church is treated as a mosaic of historic traditions, the Black church, immigrant communities and emergent churches.
Liturgy, order, and mission are the focus of part three. It traces a development of a multi-dimensional focus on mission shared by the whole church as a response to colonialism Subsequent chapters outline different understandings of ministry, liturgy and worship, and the sacraments or ordinances. The final chapter focuses on what the unity of the church can mean amid such diversity and various ecumenical efforts as well as the resistance to such. On this last, I would like to have seen more discussion of this in a global context as the predominance of the church has shifted from Europe and North America to the rest of the world.
The last part consider Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism with regard to community among these religions. Probably most significant for me are the connections of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam as people of the book, as well as the Sangha communities of Buddhism. I felt this section somewhat cursory, addressed much better in texts on world or comparative religions. Still, to consider the counterparts to the communal nature of Christianity, and even what the individualistic West might learn from these counterparts is worthwhile.
This is an introductory text that doesn’t attempt to formulate a distinctive ecclesiology but rather survey how theologians have understood the nature of the church through history and around the world. It’s useful as part of a doctrine or theological survey course and points people to the contributions of key theologians in the field. It is written with clarity and concision, and if in some place, one may want more coverage, in no place will one want less.
____________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
At one time, an introduction to ecclesiology would be complete with parts one and three of this work. It would be sufficient to discuss the historical theologies of the church from the major church traditions, and the liturgy, sacraments or ordinances of the church and the mission of the church from the West, from where these theologies arose, to the rest of the world. The changes, even from an earlier edition of this work, reflect the growth of indigenously led Christianity on every continent engaged in the theological task as well as the increasing awareness of Christianity’s intersection with, points of contact and difference with, and need to engage the other major religious communities of the world. These latter two form parts two and four of the present work.
Part one then discusses the major traditions of the church and what these have meant by confessing one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. A chapter each is devoted to six major traditions, featuring a representative theologian and a key theme. In order, they are:
1. Eastern Orthodoxy, “The Church as an Icon of the Trinity” (John Zizioulos)
2. Roman Catholic, “The Church as the People of God” (Hans Kung)
3. Lutheran, “The Church Around the Word and Sacraments, Part One” (Wolfhart Pannenberg)
4. Reformed, “The Church Around the Word and Sacraments, Part Two” (Jurgen Moltmann)
5. Free Church, “The Church as Fellowship of Believers” (James William McClendon, Jr.)
6. Pentecostal/Charismatic, “The Church in the Power of the Spirit” (no representative theologian)
It is surprising that no separate chapters address Anglicanism and its Wesleyan offshoots and that German theologians are representative of three of these traditions. Might not Herman Bavinck or Abraham Kuyper be more representative of the Reformed movement?
Part two turns to global theologies. Latin American theology turns to theologies of liberation and the idea of base communities. Africa has a long church history from early Christianity, to Catholic and colonial missions efforts , and the rise of the African Initiated Churches, the latter with a significant emphasis on the Spirit in the churches. The chapter on Asian ecclesiology was surprisingly short, focusing on “church-less” Christianity and Pentecostal and indigenous churches. Greater attention is given to global feminist ecclesiologies, particularly the confrontation of patriarchy, womanist black theology, and mujerista Latina theology. The North American church is treated as a mosaic of historic traditions, the Black church, immigrant communities and emergent churches.
Liturgy, order, and mission are the focus of part three. It traces a development of a multi-dimensional focus on mission shared by the whole church as a response to colonialism Subsequent chapters outline different understandings of ministry, liturgy and worship, and the sacraments or ordinances. The final chapter focuses on what the unity of the church can mean amid such diversity and various ecumenical efforts as well as the resistance to such. On this last, I would like to have seen more discussion of this in a global context as the predominance of the church has shifted from Europe and North America to the rest of the world.
The last part consider Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism with regard to community among these religions. Probably most significant for me are the connections of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam as people of the book, as well as the Sangha communities of Buddhism. I felt this section somewhat cursory, addressed much better in texts on world or comparative religions. Still, to consider the counterparts to the communal nature of Christianity, and even what the individualistic West might learn from these counterparts is worthwhile.
This is an introductory text that doesn’t attempt to formulate a distinctive ecclesiology but rather survey how theologians have understood the nature of the church through history and around the world. It’s useful as part of a doctrine or theological survey course and points people to the contributions of key theologians in the field. It is written with clarity and concision, and if in some place, one may want more coverage, in no place will one want less.
____________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
June 18, 2021
I found this book helpful in understanding what ecclesiology is and some of the different currents and tensions in contemporary theology. A good bit of it was beyond me because I am a true beginner on this topic. While it is an "introduction" I think that it is aimed more at students in an introductory course on ecclesiology in a seminary or graduate theology program, rather than someone encountering many of these terms for the first time.
I thought a strong point of the book was to widen the scope of the discussion beyond a simple Catholic/Protestant divide to include a variety of 'global' movements. As the author points out, maybe 25% of Christians today can be grouped under Pentecostal/charismatic churches that are often seen as fringe movements. If your interest is in a rigorous study of the historical and theological "architecture" of Catholicism and mainline Protestant movements as churches then this is not given a great deal of space, opting instead to quickly move into broader controversies and distinctions. But by skipping ahead to these problems it helped me at least get a sense of the terrain.
I thought a strong point of the book was to widen the scope of the discussion beyond a simple Catholic/Protestant divide to include a variety of 'global' movements. As the author points out, maybe 25% of Christians today can be grouped under Pentecostal/charismatic churches that are often seen as fringe movements. If your interest is in a rigorous study of the historical and theological "architecture" of Catholicism and mainline Protestant movements as churches then this is not given a great deal of space, opting instead to quickly move into broader controversies and distinctions. But by skipping ahead to these problems it helped me at least get a sense of the terrain.
February 6, 2020
Interesting introduction to ecclesiology - but quite quite complicated for someone with little background knowledge (like me).
October 10, 2025
A good, high level introduction to ecclesiology across many different perspectives, exactly what the book sets out to do. Appreciated the bent towards ecumenism as well.
July 4, 2021
I just finished "An Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical & Global Perspectives," by Veli Matti Karkkainen.
Just the high spots [Edit, I lied].
Karkkainen begins by stating that the two subsets of theology that have recently (2003) made a resurgence is pneumatology and Ecclesiology. He attributes this ecclesiastical focus on ecumenisms outsourcing from the 1948 WCC. Theology reports and makes sense of what is happening in the church and life, hence this book.
Karkankian begins with the Eastern Orthodox Church and its emphasis on Theosis (unity with God) before moving to the Roman Church, which he spends a bit more time on the second Charismatic wave then I would have thought. This expanded into the second Vatican councils appeal to be open to more Pneumatic experience. Surprising entry but quite good. Lutheran Ecclesiology it seems can be summed up by the following:
"The summa of the Christian life is to bear the burden of one's neighbor," p 47.
Reformed Ecclesiology has many similarities to Lutheran though Calvin pressed having a right faith and an upright life more than Marty. Also Calvin believed in the distinction of elders and ministers. All this Calvin and Zwingli difference to Luther fell apart with Barth who was a radical reformer in hiding.
The free church movement begins with the Anabaptists radical reformation, free because they were black market by this point, not affiliated with the state. Quakers can be lumped into this movement which eliminate any difference and separation of laity to God: all saved interpreted scripture without a priestly office of man involved. The Anabaptists operated as a communal body while other traditions grew individualistic. During this movement missions became a thing since membership was voluntary and for believers (credobaptism).
Next (though tangential to the above) are Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. This, the fastest growing Christian tradition, characterizes worship as being in the presence of God. Taking the magisterial reformation a step further, Pentecostalism affirms the prophethood of all believers.
The Ecumenical movement comes next in Karkkainen's analysis. The big debate here comes as unity vs uniformity.
The next part of the book deals with summarizing different scholars from various traditions in the realm of Ecclesiology.
John Zizioulas and the Eastern Orthodox traditions:
He grounds his Ecclesiology in the trinity so that we are to understand the import of the community, the plural over the singular. To him the church is primarily a eucharistic body of joined believers in the presence of a bishop (though all believers in the Orthodox Faith are seen as ordained).
Hans Kung and the Roman Church (Charismatic) tradition:
Kung holds that, similar to Luther, the church is a community of sinners. Similar to Zizioulas, Kung believes that--contra the free church traditions--there is no individual: at baptism (confirmation) one is united to the body of Christ. Similarity salvation is seen not as an individual affair but as a communal one. He does well expressing that the church is an eschatological people and that "the Spirit is the earthly presence of the glorified Lord in the church," p 109. After reading this I think Kung and I would be able to split a bottle of wine while agreeing on a ton of theological topics.
Representing for the Lutherans is Wolfhart Pannenberg:
Pannenberg's approach to Ecclesiology is in continuation with soteriology. Salvation ia not just an individual matter and need not be separated from the church. While the individual is saved it is in the context of the church. Election also is corporate. And the church acts as a eschatological pointer to the Kingdom while liturgically dwelling on the consummation side in the presence of the Spirit. I find a lot of Pannenberg's thought on the church resonates with me.
Standing in for modern Calvinism is Jurgen Moltmann:
Moltmanns Ecclesiology is Christological and eschatological. But his is also politically orientated. The church is the anticipation of the Kingdom whose job is not to spread the church but the Kingdom. Moltmanns Ecclesiology is heavily Pneumatic based on his dialogue with The Eastern churches concept of perichoresis.
For the free church movement, Miroslav Volf:
Village contends that the congregation not the ordained ministers constitutes the church. Volf believes that the framework for what and where the church is is by seeing it as God's eschatological new creation. It is in this new creation that baptism and the Lord's supper represent as a necessary condition a confession of faith. Also, that the local church is a real prolipsis or an anticipation of the eschatological gathering of thr people of God. The local represents the universal.
A bit of false advertising as James McClendon represents the "Baptists," (he means Anabaptists; he rides this horse at the beginning of his ST):
Mcclendon sees the congregation as the local assembly of disciples. His doctrine of the Church begins with the local, actual, physical meeting while stressing the catholic, nonindividualistic nature of the church. The coming together of the church is the way of living out the New Way of Christian discipleship. He places great stress on the import of the local congregation who is autonomous but has relationships with other autonomous congregations. The church acts like the church as it helps the world see itself as the world.
Next Leslie Newbigin takes on the missional/Ecumenical focus:
This was good but not my focus right now.
Karkankian third part of this work is Contextual Ecclesiologies.
The Non-Church movement (NCM) in Asia:
The founder of the NCM held a dualism (approaching, if not fully, Gnostic) on many things and wasn't adverse to saying the church is as invisible as is faith and the church is the Kingdom. Having such a spiritualized view of the church assisted the NCM in questioning anything from an institutionalized church. The NCM may have partaken of the sacraments they didn't consider themselves beholden to them.
Based ecclesial communities in Latin America, The feminist church, African Independent Churches, The Shepharding Movement, a World Church, and The Post Christian Church as "another city" are good reads but not what I was looking for at this point.
Pannenberg resonated so much with where I amq that I'm going to drop $100 and buy his ST.
I have tonl say that I love Karkkainen's books that are of a descriptive nature. He lays the world before you and allows you to critique. Another wonderful work by him.
#Ecclesiology #VeliMattiKarkkainen #Karkkainen #TheChurch
Just the high spots [Edit, I lied].
Karkkainen begins by stating that the two subsets of theology that have recently (2003) made a resurgence is pneumatology and Ecclesiology. He attributes this ecclesiastical focus on ecumenisms outsourcing from the 1948 WCC. Theology reports and makes sense of what is happening in the church and life, hence this book.
Karkankian begins with the Eastern Orthodox Church and its emphasis on Theosis (unity with God) before moving to the Roman Church, which he spends a bit more time on the second Charismatic wave then I would have thought. This expanded into the second Vatican councils appeal to be open to more Pneumatic experience. Surprising entry but quite good. Lutheran Ecclesiology it seems can be summed up by the following:
"The summa of the Christian life is to bear the burden of one's neighbor," p 47.
Reformed Ecclesiology has many similarities to Lutheran though Calvin pressed having a right faith and an upright life more than Marty. Also Calvin believed in the distinction of elders and ministers. All this Calvin and Zwingli difference to Luther fell apart with Barth who was a radical reformer in hiding.
The free church movement begins with the Anabaptists radical reformation, free because they were black market by this point, not affiliated with the state. Quakers can be lumped into this movement which eliminate any difference and separation of laity to God: all saved interpreted scripture without a priestly office of man involved. The Anabaptists operated as a communal body while other traditions grew individualistic. During this movement missions became a thing since membership was voluntary and for believers (credobaptism).
Next (though tangential to the above) are Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. This, the fastest growing Christian tradition, characterizes worship as being in the presence of God. Taking the magisterial reformation a step further, Pentecostalism affirms the prophethood of all believers.
The Ecumenical movement comes next in Karkkainen's analysis. The big debate here comes as unity vs uniformity.
The next part of the book deals with summarizing different scholars from various traditions in the realm of Ecclesiology.
John Zizioulas and the Eastern Orthodox traditions:
He grounds his Ecclesiology in the trinity so that we are to understand the import of the community, the plural over the singular. To him the church is primarily a eucharistic body of joined believers in the presence of a bishop (though all believers in the Orthodox Faith are seen as ordained).
Hans Kung and the Roman Church (Charismatic) tradition:
Kung holds that, similar to Luther, the church is a community of sinners. Similar to Zizioulas, Kung believes that--contra the free church traditions--there is no individual: at baptism (confirmation) one is united to the body of Christ. Similarity salvation is seen not as an individual affair but as a communal one. He does well expressing that the church is an eschatological people and that "the Spirit is the earthly presence of the glorified Lord in the church," p 109. After reading this I think Kung and I would be able to split a bottle of wine while agreeing on a ton of theological topics.
Representing for the Lutherans is Wolfhart Pannenberg:
Pannenberg's approach to Ecclesiology is in continuation with soteriology. Salvation ia not just an individual matter and need not be separated from the church. While the individual is saved it is in the context of the church. Election also is corporate. And the church acts as a eschatological pointer to the Kingdom while liturgically dwelling on the consummation side in the presence of the Spirit. I find a lot of Pannenberg's thought on the church resonates with me.
Standing in for modern Calvinism is Jurgen Moltmann:
Moltmanns Ecclesiology is Christological and eschatological. But his is also politically orientated. The church is the anticipation of the Kingdom whose job is not to spread the church but the Kingdom. Moltmanns Ecclesiology is heavily Pneumatic based on his dialogue with The Eastern churches concept of perichoresis.
For the free church movement, Miroslav Volf:
Village contends that the congregation not the ordained ministers constitutes the church. Volf believes that the framework for what and where the church is is by seeing it as God's eschatological new creation. It is in this new creation that baptism and the Lord's supper represent as a necessary condition a confession of faith. Also, that the local church is a real prolipsis or an anticipation of the eschatological gathering of thr people of God. The local represents the universal.
A bit of false advertising as James McClendon represents the "Baptists," (he means Anabaptists; he rides this horse at the beginning of his ST):
Mcclendon sees the congregation as the local assembly of disciples. His doctrine of the Church begins with the local, actual, physical meeting while stressing the catholic, nonindividualistic nature of the church. The coming together of the church is the way of living out the New Way of Christian discipleship. He places great stress on the import of the local congregation who is autonomous but has relationships with other autonomous congregations. The church acts like the church as it helps the world see itself as the world.
Next Leslie Newbigin takes on the missional/Ecumenical focus:
This was good but not my focus right now.
Karkankian third part of this work is Contextual Ecclesiologies.
The Non-Church movement (NCM) in Asia:
The founder of the NCM held a dualism (approaching, if not fully, Gnostic) on many things and wasn't adverse to saying the church is as invisible as is faith and the church is the Kingdom. Having such a spiritualized view of the church assisted the NCM in questioning anything from an institutionalized church. The NCM may have partaken of the sacraments they didn't consider themselves beholden to them.
Based ecclesial communities in Latin America, The feminist church, African Independent Churches, The Shepharding Movement, a World Church, and The Post Christian Church as "another city" are good reads but not what I was looking for at this point.
Pannenberg resonated so much with where I amq that I'm going to drop $100 and buy his ST.
I have tonl say that I love Karkkainen's books that are of a descriptive nature. He lays the world before you and allows you to critique. Another wonderful work by him.
#Ecclesiology #VeliMattiKarkkainen #Karkkainen #TheChurch
October 30, 2014
Veli-Matti Karkkainen's *An Introduction to Ecclesiology* is a solid overview of all the major denominations, important theologians, and significant movements' teaching on the nature of the church. The book's strength is it's fairness, breath, and succinctness. The weakness of the book is its abstract language and lack of context. Also, I expected a through-going critical evaluation of all the views at the end of the book, but found no complete analysis. I enjoyed Karkkainen's effort, but I expect that the everyday believer would find the writing to be theologically dry and overly philosophical. *An Introduction to Ecclesiology* is a must read for the pastor or theologian who desires to know all the views and applications of various eccelsiologies lived and experienced throughout the church catholic.
November 21, 2008
What I didn't like about this book was alot of ecclesiology without soteriology. The definition of the church requires definitions of the Gospel.
This academic book swings from Roman Catholic (post Vatican II emphasis) ideas of the church to Charismatic doctrines of church, from Jurgen Moltmann's theologizing to Hans Kung's scholarship, from "feminist theology" to the shepherding movement.
Karkkainen is diverse indeed. I am just not convinced the actual church is as diverse as this book is, yet the church is much more diverse then I could ever imagine.
This academic book swings from Roman Catholic (post Vatican II emphasis) ideas of the church to Charismatic doctrines of church, from Jurgen Moltmann's theologizing to Hans Kung's scholarship, from "feminist theology" to the shepherding movement.
Karkkainen is diverse indeed. I am just not convinced the actual church is as diverse as this book is, yet the church is much more diverse then I could ever imagine.
November 11, 2010
I like/respect Karkkainen's tone throughout the book. He practices ecumenism through the way he presents the traditions: Always very positively. He uses Hans Kung as the Roman representative though Kung is on the fringes of Vatican orthodoxy, etc. So if you want to be critical in the well, negative sense of teh word, look elsewhere for dirt and inconsistencies, and all in the traditions. But if you want to get an idea of how each tradition could be characterized in meaningful conversation, this is a good book.
January 19, 2021
I liked this book as an introduction to ecclesiology, at least for people who have some theology under their belt (and let's be honest, nobody who doesn't have some grounding in theology is going to pick up a book with Ecclesiology in the title). Kärkkäinen is a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, at least he was during my time there. He is also a part of the World Council of Churches. With that background, he provides an admirable service - giving theologians of all backgrounds concise summaries of some of the leading traditions and ecclesiologists in the world. Being ecumenical, he provides the strongest points in the favor of each. Kärkkäinen does not spend time on who or what is orthodox, or evangelical. He points to ideas and their bases, and the conclusions their proponents draw.
As a result, this book is a great complement to an inductive study of Scripture as we all try to develop an understanding of the people of God that is true and helpful. I really loved, of course, the section on Newbigin, and I'm interested in doing a deeper dive on Kung and Barry Harvey.
The weakness of this book is its somewhat biased selection of materials for presentation, which Kärkkäinen admits. A good portion of the material is based on relationships close to Fuller Theological Seminary: Volf was faculty, McClendon's wife was faculty, the No Church section is based on a doctoral dissertation by a Fuller student, etc.
As a result, this book is a great complement to an inductive study of Scripture as we all try to develop an understanding of the people of God that is true and helpful. I really loved, of course, the section on Newbigin, and I'm interested in doing a deeper dive on Kung and Barry Harvey.
The weakness of this book is its somewhat biased selection of materials for presentation, which Kärkkäinen admits. A good portion of the material is based on relationships close to Fuller Theological Seminary: Volf was faculty, McClendon's wife was faculty, the No Church section is based on a doctoral dissertation by a Fuller student, etc.
July 15, 2023
The title accurately describes the contents, as this is only a perusal of select perspectives on ecclesiology under the name "Christian." Other than occasional passing references to scripture, Karkkainen makes no attempt at systematic or biblical theological argumentation. Most of the comparison between ecclesiological models centers around pragmatic approaches to subjective perceptions of the purpose of the church. Some of the pragmatic problems and solutions presented are indeed recommendations for ecclesiological studies to shore up truly biblical gaps, but the majority are subjectively purported as important.
The author does an excellent job of representing positions accurately and citing sources. The diverse range of perspectives includes relatively few conservative ecclesiological statements. Overall this work is of limited value in comparing theological positions without regard to scriptural defensibility.
The author does an excellent job of representing positions accurately and citing sources. The diverse range of perspectives includes relatively few conservative ecclesiological statements. Overall this work is of limited value in comparing theological positions without regard to scriptural defensibility.
December 26, 2022
Some useful material here. Part 1 was particularly helpful in defining various church ecclesiological traditions (i.e. Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Free Church etc). Part 3 was also useful in looking at non-western and non-denominational perspectives. However, part 2 was like wading through treacle. It summarised various individual theologians perspectives. But, when I say summarised what I actually mean is expounded upon to the nth degree with no real cohesion. Each chapter meandered about with no real purpose and too much detail. I felt it was unfocused and didn’t add to the book as a whole. It was like separate essays glued together haphazardly.
Despite this, I think there is treasure if you are willing to mine for it.
Despite this, I think there is treasure if you are willing to mine for it.
January 3, 2019
First, the author played very fast and loose with the word "introduction." Too much was assumed of his readers and this ultimately hurt the book's effectiveness and readability. Second, this introductory survey definitely favors charismatic ecclesiology. This is not surprising considering the author's area of expertise, but it does seem to impact the survey's objectivity. Would only recommend for someone already grounded in ecclesiology who is looking to expand their views.
April 3, 2021
Broad summary of ecclesiology written ecumenically and graciously but would have appreciated more depth and substance. At moments, felt like I was reading an ongoing gloss of theology and ecclesiology.
June 7, 2023
A thoughtful theological and historical overview of various church traditions and movements. Despite its dryness at times, this book points to the diverse beauty within the Orthodox Church while challenging the reader to fight for ecumenical unity.
January 10, 2018
Great survey of various ecclesial perspectives. If you want to cover a lot of ground but don't want to read a tonne of material, Kärkkäinen has done the leg work for you!
January 23, 2020
Bra book som får en som läsare att fundera vad Kyrka egentligen är och hur den skulle kunna vara.
November 22, 2021
I am reviewing this book for the Stone-Campbell Journal and my review will appear there.
February 26, 2024
Great book, but hard to follow at times. Thankfully it's for a class where we can discuss the writing further.
September 14, 2014
Karkkainen's task is to present a "comparative ecclesiology" (14). Unlike many other comparative ecclesiologies which only give platform to differences and similarities of "ecclesiologies of different denominations" and "representative theologians"; Karkkainen widens the scope to give equal platform to modern contextual ecclesiologies as well (14). This is the format used to structure his book.
In the first section of the book, Karkkaien gives us an arial view of the more historical and dominant traditional ecclesiologies. Karkkaien dedicates this section to predominantly unbiased comparisons and summaries of seven different eccleisologies. In the second section of the book, Karkkaien seems to narrows the scope of his ecclesiologial task of section one by introducing us to seven leading modern theologians. In this section the theologians chosen are classified into two different groups: those who are proven in their field, and need "no further justification" (93) and those with "less self-evident names" (93) who Karkkaien believe to be authorities in their perspective (93). It is in the third and final section, Karkkaien, travels off the road most traveled by introducing and explaining, in broad strokes, context specific ecclesiologies. Due to the purpose of the book, Karkkaien does not have the space nor is it his goal to delve into all the variations and nuances of the contextual ecclesiologies he discusses.
Karkkaien brings his book to completion by suggesting that ecclesiology will, from its marginal location, begin to "occupy theologians' agenda." (231) He believes, we live in a world where we have lost our sense of community and belonging. This reality demands that ecclesiology takes its rightful place at the center of our theologizing so we may shape a "community with purpose and hope for the future" (231).
I stated in the first paragraph that Karkkaien's main task was to present a "comparative ecclesiology". This task carries with it a sub-task around the idea of unity. Karkaien states that, "what one believes about the church and its ecclesiality carries over into one's approach to the challenge of unity." (81) He will go on to say, "with the exception of most Free Churches, almost all other Christian churches currently regard visible unity as the desired goal of ecumenism." (84) If unity is the goal, and Karkkaien's work is to present traditions, theologians, and contextual ecclesiologies with this similar aim, why then is no attention given to that which scripture says will help bring us to our goal? We cannot begin to construct a proper ecclesiology that results in a church that achieves true unity, if we do not bring to the forefront of our discussion the very gifts given to the church which, according to Ephesians 4:12-13, are for the sake of "building the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith..." (NRSV) If unity is the goal then where is Karkkaien's section about the gifts that bring us into the fulfillment of that goal: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers? I would argue that any discussion on ecclesiologies purposed on bringing about unity is incomplete if we do not add to our discussion the voice of scripture.
I very much enjoyed Karkkaien's writings and learned a lot. This work would be highly beneficial to anyone interested in the study of church. However this work should of had one final section, a section giving voice to scripture.
In the first section of the book, Karkkaien gives us an arial view of the more historical and dominant traditional ecclesiologies. Karkkaien dedicates this section to predominantly unbiased comparisons and summaries of seven different eccleisologies. In the second section of the book, Karkkaien seems to narrows the scope of his ecclesiologial task of section one by introducing us to seven leading modern theologians. In this section the theologians chosen are classified into two different groups: those who are proven in their field, and need "no further justification" (93) and those with "less self-evident names" (93) who Karkkaien believe to be authorities in their perspective (93). It is in the third and final section, Karkkaien, travels off the road most traveled by introducing and explaining, in broad strokes, context specific ecclesiologies. Due to the purpose of the book, Karkkaien does not have the space nor is it his goal to delve into all the variations and nuances of the contextual ecclesiologies he discusses.
Karkkaien brings his book to completion by suggesting that ecclesiology will, from its marginal location, begin to "occupy theologians' agenda." (231) He believes, we live in a world where we have lost our sense of community and belonging. This reality demands that ecclesiology takes its rightful place at the center of our theologizing so we may shape a "community with purpose and hope for the future" (231).
I stated in the first paragraph that Karkkaien's main task was to present a "comparative ecclesiology". This task carries with it a sub-task around the idea of unity. Karkaien states that, "what one believes about the church and its ecclesiality carries over into one's approach to the challenge of unity." (81) He will go on to say, "with the exception of most Free Churches, almost all other Christian churches currently regard visible unity as the desired goal of ecumenism." (84) If unity is the goal, and Karkkaien's work is to present traditions, theologians, and contextual ecclesiologies with this similar aim, why then is no attention given to that which scripture says will help bring us to our goal? We cannot begin to construct a proper ecclesiology that results in a church that achieves true unity, if we do not bring to the forefront of our discussion the very gifts given to the church which, according to Ephesians 4:12-13, are for the sake of "building the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith..." (NRSV) If unity is the goal then where is Karkkaien's section about the gifts that bring us into the fulfillment of that goal: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers? I would argue that any discussion on ecclesiologies purposed on bringing about unity is incomplete if we do not add to our discussion the voice of scripture.
I very much enjoyed Karkkaien's writings and learned a lot. This work would be highly beneficial to anyone interested in the study of church. However this work should of had one final section, a section giving voice to scripture.
November 16, 2015
This book was an okay overview of a (very) wide view of ecclesiologies. The writing, however, was abysmal. Reading through the book was like trying to eat through a bowl of soggy drywall, just to get to a couple cheerios at the bottom. Theologians who have something to say, need to first take some writing lessons to learn how to say it in a clear way. I did appreciate the last two-thirds of the book as an okay introduction to differing view of the church, and found some of the insights informative and refreshing. However, while this is meant to be an unbiased survey, one can eventually notice some of the author's views on the "types" of church structures that he includes as legitimate representations of the Body of Christ (i.e.: feminist churches, hyper-pentecostalism, etc.), and the critical tone he at times takes with more narrow ecclesiologists. He also almost never makes any mention to differing views of soteriology across the ecclesiological spectrum - which is frustrating. All in all, I would recommend this book to a very, very small selection of people, and would probably point someone to ten other books on the church before I handed them this one.
Read
July 25, 2011Great book! Very helpful in understanding the varying ecclesial traditions throughout the whole church. I was encouraged and excited by the amount of similarities that are shared by many modern ecclesiologists and global "contexual ecclesiologies. It seems that we are experiencing a widespread "congregalization" of church structures...even many established theologians are challenging the hierarchical structure of the Church, divide between the clergy/laity, and formal, organized worship possible obstacles! I recommend this book. Although the writing is somewhat laborious, push through it.
September 30, 2011
I wanted to throw this book at a Theologian. Really, anybody would have done but I would have felt guilty throwing this book at someone, who like me, could not comprehend what was being discussed. While the latter chapters of the book were okay, the first few chapters were Greek to me. This book it great if you are a theologian or can understand the theological terminology but otherwise, save the migraine meds and read a different book.
July 14, 2011
Very good introduction to 20th Century ecclesiology. Karkkainen surveys big-hitters from across the board - Orthodox to Evangelical / Pentecostal. He highlights some of their differences, but the overall impact is to illustrate the convergence that has taken place in recent years. Encouraging, stimulating and extremly useful.
November 9, 2015
Karkkainen gives a broad and sweeping overview of ecclesial approaches and shapes it into an exciting prospectus for the church moving forward into this next phase of her evolution. The language can be a bit daunting if one is fluent in 'theologicalese'. Take the time to look up the words you don't know for a much more enjoyable experience with the book.
December 23, 2013
A broad introduction into the discipline of Ecclesiology. Karkkainen is a master at summarizing massive works in a few paragraphs. This book also gives a clear and unbiased understanding of what the major players in Ecclesiology have to say without having to sift through thousands of pages.
Read
May 17, 2009Still reading!
September 12, 2010
Excellent study here!
November 18, 2012
Helpful summery of common and some uncommon ecclesiologies
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews