Theology
Types of Ecclesiology Five Theological Approaches David Emerton
Types of Ecclesiology introduces the study of the doctrine of the church. It illuminates the breadth of contemporary ecclesiological thought by articulating five approaches to ecclesiology. Avoiding denominational alignments, David Emerton charitably elucidates the logic and concerns driving each type. He argues that ecclesiology must account theologically for the unique nature of the church before considering its activities. We must ask what the church is before asking what the church does. Professors will find a valuable orienting text, students of ecclesi - ology and systematic theology will grasp the stakes of contempo - rary debates, and scholars surveying ecumenical ecclesiology will discover an illuminating structural framework. Doing the work of the church requires discerning its essence, and this timely volume insightfully examines what is at the heart of the body of Christ. “In this novel study, Emerton draws a map of contemporary approaches to ecclesiology in terms of their relative emphases on divine and human action. Emerton gives each theologian he discusses a fair hearing, while not shying away from critical assessment. He also has an argument of his own to make, wisely turning to the third article of the Nicene creed to account for the way in which the presence and action of God relativizes, without minimizing, the all-too-human agency of God’s people.” —MATT JENSON, Torrey Honors College, Biola University
NOVEMBER 2024 • 224 pp. • paper • $26.99 • 9781540964977
David Emerton (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is director of St. Mel - litus College, East Midlands, United Kingdom. He previously served as principal of the School of Discipleship in the Diocese of South- well and Nottingham and as a teaching fellow in systematic and historical theology at the University of Aberdeen. He is the author of God’s Church-Community: The Ecclesiology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
CONTENTS
Introduction
1.
Types of Ecclesiology: A Proposal
2. Empirical Ecclesiology 3. Performative Ecclesiology 4. Communion Ecclesiology 5. Ideal Ecclesiology 6. Ecclesiological Ecclesiology Conclusion Glossary Indexes
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